How to Wrap Tsuka

Tsukas, Japanese sword handles, have been around since ancient times. We most commonly see them in images of the samurai warriors or as a toy sold at carnivals or fairs. A true tsuka is a wooden work of art. The silky string attached to it is called the ito. Although there are a variety of styles for wrapping the tsuka, there is a common, traditional style. The color ito you use is a personal choice. In World War II, the military used brown or green itos, while the traditional colors are black or dark colors.

Things You'll Need

  • Tsuka
  • Ito (thin rope)
  • Glue (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find the middle of your ito, then lay it against the tsuka, but under the fuchi. The fuchi is the piece between the handle and the blade, it's usually a thick, black piece.

    • 2

      Take the left end of the ito and twist it clockwise twice. Keep the ito tight, and lay the end you just twisted pointed to the right.

    • 3

      Pull the right end of the ito tight, and make sure this strand is above the left twist you just made. It should not be crossing over the left twist. Just above the first set of twists, twist the right strand clockwise twice. When you've made the second twist, bring the right end of the ito over the left twist and the rest of the ito will be below the twist made in Step 2. By the time you finish these twists, the two twisted strings will cross. There will be a small triangular space at the top between the fuchi and the ito.

    • 4

      Pull both the left and right string tightly around the tsuka. Once you bring the two ends of the ito back around and under where you made the original twists, you'll want to repeat Steps 1-3. As you continue this process, you'll see a space between the each set of twists. The only difference is that the space should be a diamond.

    • 5

      Tie the final knot. Once you've wrapped the ito all the way to the bottom of the tsuka, you'll need to tie a knot by crossing one end of the ito over and through the other end. Pull the ito tight and repeat again for security. Wrap the ito around and tie a knot on the other side. There are a variety of styles for making the final knot, and some have glued the knots in place.