Akane Take Wakizashi (茜竹) – Madder Bamboo

Akane Take (茜竹): the madder bamboo

Akane, the madder plant, was long cultivated in Japan for the deep red dye extracted from its roots, a pigment used since antiquity to colour fine cloth. The word also calls to mind the hue of the sky at dusk. Paired with bamboo (take), a symbol of uprightness and resilience, it evokes a quality of serene, grounded strength.

This wakizashi draws on both elements: radiating bamboo leaves pierced into the guard, and a veined burgundy-red saya in the colour of madder. The gilded chrysanthemums of the fuchi and kashira lend the piece a quietly aristocratic accent.

A two-tone 1045 steel blade with bo-hi

The blade is crafted in 1045 steel, a dependable high-carbon steel that is both robust and straightforward to maintain. It follows a shinogi-zukuri geometry with a chū-kissaki tip and torii-zori curvature, and is grooved with a bo-hi.

The finish is two-tone: a satin anthracite body meeting a bright mirror-polished edge, separated by a broad wave-like line. This notare-style line is a decorative hamon.

A mounting of bamboo and chrysanthemums

The round (maru-gata) tsuba in black-patinated iron is pierced (sukashi) with radiating bamboo leaves, and encircled by a gilded crennelated rim in the manner of a fukurin. A gilded brass seppa accompanies it.

The fuchi and kashira in patinated gilded alloy carry chrysanthemums and foliage in relief (takabori) against a granulated nanako ground. The handle combines wood with a faux red ray-skin, bound in black tsuka-ito in hineri-maki, with copper-black menuki. The habaki in rose copper is pierced with a honeycomb pattern recalling a tortoiseshell (kikkō), which reveals a nanako ground beneath.

A veined burgundy-red saya

The saya is solid wood, finished in a glossy burgundy-red lacquer with a veined effect that evokes natural wood. The koiguchi and kojiri are lacquered in high-gloss black. The black-lacquered kurikata with gilded shitodome holds a black cotton sageo.

Dimensions and handling of the wakizashi

With a blade of 51 cm and an overall length of 78 cm, Akane Take carries the proportions of a true wakizashi, the short companion to the katana. Its 23 cm handle offers a comfortable one-handed grip, with room for the second hand in support. At 1 kg, it remains entirely manoeuvrable. Housed in its saya it measures 80 cm, an ideal format for displaying alone or alongside a katana.