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Condition - over 100 years old
Length - mm
Blade Width - 165 mm
Weight - 1322 g
Engraving - ? 光 with hand-engraving lines (Traditional features for Japanese axes)
Steel - Carbon steel (core) forged with ground Iron
This axe was forged over 100 years ago (Pre-WWII).Its age is evidenced by its distinct structural characteristics: the eye is noticeably narrow/thin, and the profile of the blade is overall much thinner than standard post-WWII Japanese axes.
Forged using traditional Japanese laminating techniques (often called San Mai, similar to Japanese kitchen knvies), it features a high-carbon steel core for the cutting edge, sandwiched by soft iron cladding for maximum shock absorption.
On the cladding iron, you can observe distinct wavy, grain-like forging lines (as shown in the photos and video).
These lines are proof of the traditional folding and forge-welding process using antique wrought iron/soft iron (Watetsu or Kotetsu). Before modern steel production, blacksmiths repeatedly folded, heated, and hammered the iron like taffy to purify it and distribute slag inclusions. When shaped and ground, these delicate, wood-grain-like layers (damascus-like pattern) surface naturally.
They are not cosmetic etchings, but genuine physical proof of historical hand-craftsmanship and a time-tested metallurgical
