Duskcairn Hand Forged Twin Sword Set with Knotwork Engraved Fittings | Two Swords and Two Cord Wrapped Scabbards | Black Ito Wrapped Tsuka | Martial Arts Display Gift | RK-1825

Duskcairn is a twin sword set, two matched hand forged blades mounted identically and each with its own cord wrapped scabbard. The tsuka are black cord over black same with raised menuki showing through the diamonds, the tsuba are dark ovals, and the fuchi collar at the mouth of each handle carries a cut band of interlaced knotwork. Both blades are polished single edged with a shallow curve. The price on this page is for the pair.

The small raised shapes you can feel under the cord wrap are menuki, and they are the best example in the whole of sword furniture of decoration that started out as engineering. Originally they were the ornamental heads of the pegs that held the handle to the tang. Once construction changed and a single bamboo pin did that job, the menuki stayed on, moved to where the palm naturally hollows and became a grip aid. A hand does not close evenly around a straight handle, and a small bump placed in the gap gives the fingers something to press against. Four hundred years of collectors have treated menuki as art. They are also a fix for a real problem.

Forged, ground, mounted and finished in the Czech Republic. The set ships with both scabbards, a protective oil film on each blade and a care card. Free shipping inside the United States and one to two weeks of processing, since two swords take twice the mounting and wrapping work.

Specifications

Why the wrap is diamonds and not a spiral

A cord handle wrap could be laid on as a simple spiral and it would take a fraction of the time. It is done as alternating crossed diamonds instead because a spiral has one continuous path and will creep along it under a twisting load, while a diamond wrap locks each turn against the two beside it. Pull on one and the neighbours hold it.

The open diamonds also matter. They expose the rough surface underneath, which is what actually stops the hand sliding, and they let the wrap breathe so sweat does not sit trapped against the wood core. A fully covered handle looks tidier and grips worse. Every part of that arrangement is a compromise that was tested to destruction by people who needed it to work.

The steel

Both blades are 1095 high carbon steel, forged to profile, normalised, hardened and tempered back to 54 to 58 HRC. The spine is left thick and unsharpened, which is what keeps a long single edged blade rigid, and that stiffness is what allows the edge to be ground fine without the sword becoming whippy in the middle.

The fittings are matched across both swords so the set reads as a pair rather than as two swords that happen to sit together. The knotwork bands on the fuchi are cut by hand and left proud of a matte ground so they hold a shadow.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel, the leather or the wood. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On this set the knotwork band on each fuchi is the natural place, and you can have the same line on both swords or a different one on each. Say which in the order notes and see the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Both swords balance about three to four inches ahead of the tsuba and handle the same as each other, which is the whole point of buying a matched pair rather than two separate swords. The long two handed grip gives fine control of the edge, and the menuki under the palm give the hands a positive reference so the grip does not creep during a cut.

These are collector and display swords with a genuine heat treat. They are not sold for sparring and should not be used in contact work against another person or another blade. Two sharp blades in one room doubles the reason to think about where everybody is standing.

Care

Two blades, two routines, no shortcuts. Wipe each blade after handling and keep a thin film of mineral or camellia oil on both. Do not store either blade in its scabbard for months in a humid room, because a wooden scabbard traps moisture against steel. The steel care page covers the whole routine and what to do at the first sign of a rust spot.

The cord wraps on the handles and on the scabbard mouths can be brushed dry and should never be soaked or washed. Wipe the scabbards with a dry cloth and keep them out of direct sun.

Made in the Czech Republic

This is a handmade piece from the Czech Republic, made in a workshop that still forges, grinds and finishes by hand instead of stamping parts out. The smiths there have kept the older way of working, and the wood, horn and leather are shaped and fitted by hand as well. Two pieces of the same design will never be identical, and that is part of what you are buying.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We handle the import ourselves, look over every piece when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. Engraving is done in the United States after the piece arrives, so your design goes on before we send it out.

A note on handmade variation

This set is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The two swords are matched by eye and hand, so expect them to be near identical rather than machine identical, with small differences in blade length and curve between the pair. Each cord wrap is laid on by hand and the diamond pitch varies, which changes how much of the underlying surface shows. The knotwork bands are cut individually. The dimensions, the steel and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

How many swords does this listing include

Two swords and two scabbards. The price shown is for the complete set, not for one sword.

Are both blades the same length

They are matched rather than identical. A small difference between the two is normal on a hand made pair and is visible in the photograph.

Do they arrive sharp

Yes, both ship with a cutting edge. Ask in the order notes for unsharpened blades if the set is going straight onto a wall in a busy house.

What are the bumps under the handle wrap

Those are menuki, small raised fittings set under the cord where the palm hollows. They started life as decorated peg heads and became a grip aid.

Is a display stand included

No. The set is the two swords and their two scabbards. Racks and stands are listed separately under sword stands and displays.

How long does the set take to arrive

One to two weeks of processing while both swords are built, wrapped and fitted, then free shipping inside the United States.

What is in the box

• Two Duskcairn swords with knotwork engraved fittings
• Two black scabbards with wrapped cord at the mouth
• Protective oil film on both blades
• Care card for high carbon steel and cord wrapped handles
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more in wakizashi, katana and Japanese swords and sword stands and displays, or read the guides on handle wraps and menuki.