My interest in katana is founded from personal, artistic and spiritual perspectives.

Japanese culture is enshrined in cultural reverence, pride of work and profound intellectualism.

The beauty of katana-making itself has much earlier roots in clan symbolism spanning centuries.

Ironsmiths first collected ironsand to make the sword.

This was then superheated in a purpose built furnace over three days and three nights.

Often toiling without sleep, workers kept a constant heat temperature.

Then upon cooling, breaking open the amalgamated once-molten iron ore to carefully select multiple hardened iron fragment shards to fashion into billets.

Hammering the billet, folding, shaping, folding repeatedly into a finely crafted hand made object of functional sculptured art.

Expertly polished using the whetstone of an artisan. Fitted with tsuba (guard) and a purpose built wooden handle, individually crafted.

With climate change driving innovation in combustible processes, perhaps even katana making will find new innovative ways to work tradition with renewable resources.

I made these sketches purely through an appreciation in all kinds of sculpture.