Kumoma Wakizashi (雲間) – Between the Clouds

Kumoma (雲間): between the clouds

Kumoma names the space between clouds that break in the sky through which sunlight or moonlight passes. In Japanese poetry, it speaks of hope and revelation: what appears suddenly from behind the veil.

This wakizashi places that image at the heart of its tsuba: four cloud-shaped openings through which light itself passes. The restrained fittings and the honey-toned wood of the saya bring the whole composition a profound sense of serenity.

A dark 1045 steel blade with bo-hi

The blade is forged in 1045 steel, a reliable and widely used carbon steel that is straightforward to maintain. It follows a shinogi-zukuri geometry with a chū-kissaki point, and carries a single bo-hi that terminates at an angle (kaku-dome) before the yokote. The polished groove appears darker by reflection.

The blade is dark and mirror-polished, with a bright, well-defined line running its length. This notare-style line is a decorative hamon.

Black fittings with cloud-pierced openings

The round (maru-gata) blackened-iron tsuba features four trefoil openings in silhouette (kage-sukashi) evoking clouds, a polished black surface (migaki), two hitsu-ana apertures and a rounded rim (maru-mimi). A gilt brass seppa accompanies it.

The fuchi and kashira in polished blackened alloy are smooth and unadorned. The handle pairs wood with black faux ray skin beneath a beige tsuka-ito wrapped in hineri-maki, with black menuki. The ichimai habaki in gilt copper, finely ribbed, bears a raised chrysanthemum medallion.

A honey-tinted transparent lacquered saya

The saya is crafted from solid wood, finished in a transparent kijiro-nuri honey-tinted lacquer that allows the natural wood grain to show through. The koiguchi and kojiri are lacquered in black. The black lacquered kurikata, fitted with a gilt shitodome, holds a beige cotton sageo with a white herringbone pattern.

Dimensions and handling of the wakizashi

With a blade of 51 cm and an overall length of 78 cm, Kumoma carries the proportions of a wakizashi, the shorter companion to the katana. Its 23 cm handle offers a comfortable one-handed grip with room for a supporting second hand. At 1 kg, it remains agile and well-balanced. Measuring 80 cm in its saya, it is equally suited to display alone or alongside a katana.