Izanami

• Size: Length overall: 8.25" (21.0 cm), Blade Length: 4.0" (10.2 cm), Thickness: .1875" (4.8 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 7.0 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 Nickel Magnesite Gemstone
• Sheath: Ray Skin Inlaid in Hand-carved Leather
• Knife: Named for the Japanese mythological goddess of creation (and death) Izanami has a distinctly oriental form. The knife blade is a trailing point tanto, with a thin, beautiful 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. The blade is fully fileworked, in a lotus flower style of design, around the tapered tang and to the shaped 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 leaves laying and intertwined, to match the creative style of the theme. This is an elegant design, lightly shaded, with a great layout and execution. The bolsters are permanently mounted to the tang with zero-clearance peened pins. The front bolster face is sculpted inward to accent the grind terminations. The bolsters are dovetailed, and bed a pair of striking brightly polished Nickel Magnesite gemstone scales. Nickel Magnesite is a form of magnesium carbonate, and is sometimes called "Lemon Chrysoprase." This is a stubborn misnomer, as it is not a Chrysoprase at all. It occurs only in thin veins, so to get enough large pieces to create a knife handle was a great find. This is a very hard, tough gemstone, a 7.5 on the Mohs scale, so it is extremely durable and long lasting. The color is hard to represent in a photograph, because it is a bit different in varying lighting situations. Sometimes, it appears florescent, and you might expect it to glow in the dark, but it does not. In low light, it appears distinctly light green with some darker green veins, and in bright light, more yellow. The polish is smooth and the handle is comfortable in the hand, with a light, three-fingered grip.
•  Sheath:  The sheath is a stunner, too. I used some radical curves to lay out a complimentary design that matches the curves of the blade and handle. The knife nests well in the sheath with thick welts protecting the blade cutting edge and point, while the handle and engraved bolsters are displayed in a marquee-like window at the sheath top. I inlaid eleven pieces of light brown Rayskin in hand-carved 9 -10 oz. leather shoulder with carved accents. The brown sheath is hand-stitched in polyester sinew, lacquered and sealed.
• A striking tanto, with graceful curves, stunning gemstone handle, and magnificent sheath

Thanks, J.P.!