Izanagi

• Size: Length overall: 7.75" (19.7 cm), Blade Length: 4.0" (10.2 cm), Thickness: .190" (4.8 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 7.4 oz. Sheath: 4.6 oz.
• Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C59, mirror finished
• Bolsters, Fittings: Hand-engraved 304 Austenitic High Nickel, High Chromium Stainless Steel
• Handle: Polished Noreena Jasper Gemstone
• Sheath: Ray Skin Inlaid in Hand-carved Leather
• Knife: Named for the Japanese mythological male god of all that is light and heavenly. He was the husband of Izanami, for whom this knife was named. Like Izanami before, Izanagi has a distinctly oriental form. The knife blade is a wide and thick trailing point tanto, with a thin, perfectly mirror finished hollow grind. The deep grind is terminated with matched, sweeping curves, and supports a razor-keen single bevel cutting edge. I left plenty of thickness in the point for strength, and a good section of spine to support the blade. This is a wider blade than its counterpart, looking very boxy and firm, vs. the flowing and graceful lines of Izanami. The blade is fully fileworked, in a wave and splash style of design, completely around the fully tapered tang and to the light choil. The bolsters are hand-engraved 304 high chromium, high nickel stainless steel for longevity, beauty, and radiance, and are mirror polished. The pattern I designed for the engraving is interlocking, intertwined Japanese latticework, to match the style of the theme. This is a design with plenty of punch and interest, an endless flow of shaded pathways. The design is tight, clean, and matching. The bolsters are permanently mounted to the tang with zero-clearance peened pins. The front bolster face is domed and polished. The bolsters are dovetailed, and bed a pair of rich, warm, brightly polished Noreena Jasper gemstone scales. Noreena Jasper comes from the Pilbara region of Western Australia and is mudstone that has been replaced with silica, forming a hard, tough microcrystalline quartz. The patterns are flowing and geometric, varying intensely even within each rock. The character of the stone is strong and male. This is a hard, tough gemstone, a 7.0 on the Mohs scale, so it is extremely durable and long lasting. The polish is smooth and the handle is comfortable in the hand, with a comfortable three-fingered grip that balances the knife at the forefinger.
• Sheath: I wanted a bold, wide sheath for the knife so I designed one that makes use of full panels of dark brown-red Rayskin to match the knife handle. The three inlaid Rayskin panels cover all the large areas of the sheath faces, including the back and belt loop. The knife glides into the sheath easily, the blade and point protected by the thick welts, and the beautiful handle and engraved bolsters are displayed at the sheath mouth. The sheath is hand-carved 9 -10 oz. leather shoulder with carved accents. The red-brown sheath is hand-stitched in polyester sinew, lacquered and sealed.
• A bold tanto, with refined curves, dramatic gemstone handle, and assertive sheath

Thanks, J. P.!