After the smith hammers all slag from the tamahagane, he heats the hard, high-carbon steel and shapes it into a long ... of iron or other metals at the sword's hilt. Next, carpenters fit the ...

Elements such as the textural pattern of hishimaki-gara − the traditional diamond shapes seen on the Juryoku-Maru: San’s hilt − and indexes evoking the curvature of a sword blade ...