Kikuhana Wakizashi (菊花) – Chrysanthemum Flower

Kikuhana (菊花): the chrysanthemum flower

In Japan, the chrysanthemum (or kiku) is far more than a flower. A symbol of longevity and nobility, it serves as the emblem of the imperial family and appears on the Emperor’s seal. The word kikuhana simply denotes the chrysanthemum blossom in its purest form.

This wakizashi places that flower at its heart: chrysanthemums bloom across the tsuba, then reappear on the fuchi and kashira, bringing the entire mounting under the sign of the imperial blossom.

A damascus steel blade with a true ko-gunome hamon

The blade is forged in damascus steel, achieved by layering and folding multiple sheets of steel. This process brings unique surface patterns to life, distinct to each individual blade. It is distinguished by three steel tones: bright steel, natural steel and black steel.

The blade has been clay-tempered, revealing a true ko-gunome hamon (小互の目): a temper line composed of small, regular, closely spaced undulations, finer than a classic gunome. With no bo-hi, the damascus pattern reads across the blade’s entire surface, uninterrupted. Hand-sharpening completes the blade, a level of craft that makes all the difference.

A mounting adorned with gold and silver chrysanthemums

The rounded copper tsuba is decorated with floral motifs and gold- and silver-plated chrysanthemums. The copper fuchi and kashira carry the same decoration (gilded and silvered) for a perfectly unified mounting.

The tsuka is wrapped in genuine white samegawa over a wooden core, bound with a diamond-pattern black tsuka-ito that frames silver menuki beneath the weave. The gilded brass habaki is openwork, revealing a black alloy surface worked with small raised dots in nanako style.

A black lacquered saya speckled with red and gold

The saya is crafted from hardwood, lacquered black and scattered with red and gold specks. These touches of colour answer the gilded elements of the mounting and evoke fallen petals adrift. The koiguchi and kojiri are black, in keeping with the scabbard’s overall line. A black sageo completes the presentation.

Dimensions and handling of the wakizashi

With a blade of 51 cm and an overall length of 78 cm, Kikuhana carries the proportions of a classic wakizashi, the short companion to the katana. Its 23 cm tsuka offers a comfortable single-handed grip, with room for the second hand to brace. At 1.1 kg, it remains highly manoeuvrable. Measuring 80 cm within its saya, it is an ideal format for display alone or alongside a katana.