Raiun Wakizashi (雷雲) – Thundercloud

Raiun (雷雲): the Thundercloud

Raiun is the storm cloud, heavy with lightning. In Japanese mythology, it belongs to Raijin, the god of thunder, depicted beating his drums amid the roiling clouds. Lightning here is a force both destructive and life-giving.

This wakizashi makes it the central theme of its fittings: clouds and three silver lightning bolts on the tsuba, a single central bolt on the kashira. The teal of the saya and the blue-tinted blade evoke a sky darkened by the approaching storm.

A metallic blue blade with bo-hi

The blade is forged in 1045 steel, a reliable and widely used high-carbon steel that is straightforward to maintain. It follows a shinogi-zukuri geometry with a chū-kissaki point, and is grooved with a bo-hi.

The finish is a polished metallic blue, with a lighter zone along the edge that creates contrast across its full length. This notare-style line is a decorative hamon.

Black fittings with silver lightning

The quadrilobed mokkō-gata tsuba is crafted in polished blackened alloy. It features a raised relief of clouds and flowers, cut through by three silver lightning bolts evoking the fury of the storm, with a hitsu-ana opening and a gold seppa with a serrated edge.

The fuchi in blackened alloy is chiselled with clouds in relief, while the kashira in polished silver alloy carries clouds and a central lightning bolt. The handle combines wood with black faux ray skin, wrapped in a hineri-maki midnight-blue tsuka-ito, with black menuki. The ichimai habaki in gilded brass is engraved with a three-leaf kamon.

A teal saya with silver kamon

The saya is crafted from solid wood and covered in a metallic teal lacquer, adorned with repeating silver three-leaf kamon that echo the habaki. The koiguchi in blue lacquered wood features a rounded edge, and the kojiri is lacquered blue, without decoration. The blue lacquered kurikata with a gilded brass shitodome holds a midnight-blue and white sageo.

Dimensions and handling of the wakizashi

With a blade of 51 cm and an overall length of 78 cm, Raiun carries the proportions of a wakizashi, the shorter companion to the katana. Its 23 cm handle offers a comfortable single-handed grip, with room for the second hand in support. At 1 kg, it remains agile and responsive. It measures 80 cm within its saya, an ideal format for displaying alone or alongside a katana.