Jisei Iaito Spare Saya

The Saya is made of two piece of Japanese hackberry wood that are glued together. It is reinforced by both the Sayajiri (end of the Saya), the Koiguchi, and of course, the lacquer. For cost reasons, unlike Shinken, the lacquer of Saya for Iaito are not made from traditional Urushi lacquer but from modern urethane lacquer.

Lacquer with a name ending in "ro" have a glossy finish, with a perfectly smooth surface. Lacquer with a name ending in "ishime" have a grainy finish, with a rough feel. The "ro" finish being smoother, the Saya is easier to slip in the Obi (belt).
If you plan on moving a lot with your Iaito, we recommend a "ishime" finish, which has a better resistance to scratches.

Saya lacquers are usually separated into 4 groups: "classical lacquers", "Kawari-nuri" for combinations (multiple lacquers used on the same Saya), "Kizami" for lacquers applied on a modified Saya (e.g. Saya with shapes carved into the wood) and "Maki" for Saya partly wrapped in another material (such as shark skin or wicker). Kawari-nuri cannot be combined with Maki or Kizami.

• Glossy lacquer: Kuroro (black), Charo (brown), Konro (navy), Shuro (crimson), Tame (purplish red). Can be combined with Maki/Kizami finish
• Ishime lacquer: Kuroishime (black), Chaishime (brown), Anshuishime (crimson). Can be combined with Maki/Kizami finish
• Nashiji (SY111): gold, silver and tin powder trapped in transparent lacquer. Can be combined with Maki/Kizami finish
• Wakasa (SY303): ground shells, pine needles, coleseeds or rice husks embedded with specific artistic patterns into red lacquer. Can not be combined with Maki/Kizami finish.
• Shinobue (SY304): it is the name of a Japanese flute, which the lacquer patterns represent. Can not be combined with Maki/Kizami finish.
• Hirumaki (SY305): the name refers to the traces left by a leech ("Hiru") that would go around the Saya. Can not be combined with Maki/Kizami finish.
• Aogai (SY306): ground limpet shell - also called "mother-of-pearl" - trapped into black lacquer. Can not be combined with Maki/Kizami finish.
• Kanshitsu (SY307): dried and ground Urushi lacquer sprinkeled in Urushi lacquer (it gives a very high quality Ishime texture). Can not be combined with Maki/Kizami finish.
• Sosame (SY308): the whole Saya is wrapped in shark skin, then a kuroro lacquer that lets the same appear is applied on top of the shark skin. Can not be combined with Maki/Kizami finish.

• Koshi Sendan-kizami (SY201): the wave pattern is only applied at the top of the Saya. Can not be combined with "kawari-nuri". The wave pattern acts as grip and therefore might have a slight impact on your practice.
• Sendan-kizami (SY202): the wave pattern goes all the way down to the Sayajiri.Can not be combined with "kawari-nuri". The wave pattern acts as grip and therefore might have a slight impact on your practice.
• Inro-kizami (SY203): the large wave pattern goes all the way down to the Sayajiri.Can not be combined with "kawari-nuri". The wave pattern acts as grip and therefore might have a slight impact on your practice.
• Han Fuji-maki (SY204):A piece of wicker wrapped at the top of the Saya.Can not be combined with "kawari-nuri". The wicker part acts as grip and therefore might have a slight impact on your practice. It also strongly reinforces the Saya structure.
• Han Same-maki (SY205):A piece of shark skin wrapped at the top of the Saya.Can not be combined with "kawari-nuri". It also strongly reinforces the Saya structure.

The automatically selected product picture does not show the combination betweek your selected nuri (lacquer) and your selected (Maki/Kizami), only the lacquer is shown. Please consult the additional maki/kizami pictures for reference (example pictures feature a Kuroro lacquer)
Kawari-nuri saya and Maki/Kizami Saya are fully made to order. With he multiple layers of lacquer taking time to dry, production requires 8+ weeks.

The Koiguchi is the mouth of the saya. Traditionally made of buffalo horn on Shinken, synthetic material is used in order to reduce production costs for Iaito. In addition to the buffalo horn option, we offer 4 other reinforcement options.

• Suigyu [KG101]: Buffalo horn reinforcement. Identical to the standard specifications of a Shinken saya. Suigyu is traditionnaly prefered to metal reinforcement. Buffalo horn is a little softer than metal and help avoiding blade damage in case the blade touches the Koiguchi.
• Metal reinforcement [KG102]: to avoid risks of damaging the blade in case the blade would enter in contact with the Koiguchi, the metal part is about 1 mm thick and about 1 cm long. Placed under the lacquer, the reinforcement is not visible once the Saya is completed.
• Same reinforcement [KG103]: as long as 5 cm of stingray skin wrapped from 1 cm under the Koiguchi all way down to the Kurikata. This option is less protective for the koiguchi itself but significantly reinforces the Saya structure. Placed under the lacquer, the reinforcement is not visible once the Saya is completed. This option is not compatible with Tamenuri Saya lacquer because the Tamenuri is slightly transparent, and not compatible with Saya Maki/Kizami options.
• Silver Higo Ishime Koiguchi & Higo Ishime Koiguchi [KG028]: are Higo Ishime metal pieces similar to the Fuchi/Kashira of the same name, as well as to the Kurikata of the same name. The lacquer does not cover those pieces, so they stay visible.

The Kurikata is the wooden piece on the Omote side of the Saya, used to nest the Sageo.

As a standard, the Kurikata is made of wood, covered with lacquer. Optionally, we offer Suigyu (buffalo horn) Kurikata, as well as a Higo Ishime Kurikata (metal pieces similar to the Fuchi/Kashira of the same name).

The Kurikata is usually placed 7.5 cm from the Koiguchi. Depending on your body type and the school you practice, you may want to move away the Koiguchi a little bit. You can set the position up to 20 cm from the Koiguchi, but it shouldn't be farther than 12 to 15 cm.

The Shitodome is a small piece of brass, gold or silver plated, inserted in the Kurikata (the hole in which the Sageo goes). The Shitodome is purely decorative.
The Shitodome is available in 2 different finish: Standard and Deluxe. The Deluxe version has a smoother finish on the hole which reduces the damage taken by the Sageo over time. Note that since a Shitodome is already embedded in the Higo Ishime Kurikata, it is not possible to add another Shitodome when the Higo Ishime Kurikata is selected.

The Sayajiri is usually finished with buffalo horn (synthetic material in the case of Iaito), but it is possible to replace the buffalo horn by a piece of metal called a Kojiri, which significantly reinforces the Saya.

Kojiri can have different forms: standard, Kuwagata, Nagakuwagata and Fukurogata. Kuwagata means "hoe shape". It is embedded and covers the Sayajiri by about 3 cm. Nagakuwagata means "long hoe shape". It covers the Sayajiri by up to 10 cm. Fukurogata means "bag shape", it is embedded and covers about 2 cm of the tip. A standard Kojiri simply replaces the synthetic horn Sayajiri but do not cover the Saya. Note that some models are available in different finish, brass, brass with gold decoration, silver plated or solid silver.

The classic shape of traditional Shinken Saya is slightly narrower at the end than at the koiguchi. It is therefore recommend to select a Kojiri that is slightly smaller than the fuchi.

C-100 - Suigyu: this is not a Kojiri, but a buffalo horn reinforcment. It is made so the Saya appears to have a standard finish but strongly reinforces the Sayajiri part.

The Sageo, the braided cord that comes on the Saya kurikata, has two main purposes; it is tied to the Obi (belt) to prevent the Saya from falling when the sword is with its owner, and it has an ornemental purpose when the sword is displayed. Some Koryu also teach how to use the Sageo as a weapon or to tie an opponent's hands (hojujutsu). It is also said that the cord serves as a spiritual bond between the samurai and the sword.

Iaito Sageo are usually made of lower quality synthetic silk (not offered here) or cotton.
Jisei also offers various colors and design made of Japanese silk. Silk Sageo are available in plain colors, bi-color (Hyori) and turtle shell patterns (Kikko). Silk Sageo are woven loosely, which gives them a much softer feel than the cotton ones and better hold on the Obi.
The colors may vary slightly depending on batches due to the traditional dying techniques.

All Iaito are delivered with the Sageo tied the with a knot know as the "Ronin" knot, the way most manufacturers tie it. It is the most common knot for decorative purposes.