Final Touches

[Moto Ichiro]

The journey was at its end the shape was there and Ichiro had been working on it for days, now he simply needed to do a final heat treatment on it, to cool the blade, attach the hilt and then sharpen it and it would be a weapon.

as he went through the steps the unicorn boy felt an excitement and as she pulled the blade from its final quench and examined its length seeing no warping along its length and no cracks, he tested it against a softer metal and the steel bit into it smoothly and the Moto smiled. He attached the hilt and sat with a sharpening stone putting a fine edge on the blade.

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D8 Hare final check weaponsmith/str tn 25: 5d10o10k4 28

[Kakita Kenji]

As promised, Kenji went to the forge with the materials that were given to them by Doji-Sensei. As expected he already heard the hammer and went in as usual. "Good morning Sakura-san, busy again,.........."

He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the Great Moto. Images of last night flashed before his inner eye.

"Good morning Moto-san, I mistook you for someone else, please forgive me." Kenji bowed to him briefly.

Where by Jigoku, was Sakura? Kenji thought.

[Doji Sakura]

Sakura was in fact running slightly late, having had to do something for Kokyou earlier. So when she arrived she smiled and bowed to Kenji.

"Morning Kenji-san! I didn't know you wanted to do some crafting, you shouldn't fire up the furnace though-wha?"

Blink blink. That wasn't Kenji by the furnace.

She frowned, peeking at what the Unicorn boy was doing.

"Ano..."

[Moto Ichiro]

"Good morning Crane-sans. Do not worry I will be here only a little while longer then Doji-san may reclaim the forge as her own." He said obviously in a very good mood this morning.

He sat with a whet stone sharpening the strange curved blade and with a few more strokes of the whet stone he took the blade to his arm and moved to shave off the hairs there, the blade severed them cleanly and he smiled.

Ichiro stood "if you will excuse me a moment." He said with a bow and exited the forge using the free space nearby. Ichiro began working through a strange kata. The strikes were wild and powerful but there was still a flow to them, it was practiced unrestrained violence, it was the Moto style. Sweeping strikes no stabs a dervish of movement and steel.

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D3 Hare kenjutsu fluff roll doin some kata: 6d10o10k4 28

[Doji Sakura]

Sakura bowed to the boy as he left to start swinging his sword around. Sakura watched, confused, then moved close to Kenji so she could whisper to him.

"Ano...Kenji-san...how do I tell him he made his katana wrong?"

[Kakita Kenji]

"I guess that's a Gaijin weapon, otherwise he wouldn't seem so happy about it." Kenji whispered back

[Moto Ichiro]

After finishing his kata he nodded the weapon had proper balance he walked back to the forge and bows to Sakura "Doji-san you are the weapon smith of more experience, I believe I have crafted a serviceable blade but I submit it to your eyes to evaluate. It is a scimitar a weapon of my ancestors the Ujik people who joined Shinjo-kami and became the Moto." He bows and presents the weapon to her on flattened palms.

examining the weapon Sakura may be unfamiliar with the design so she can't compare it to others of its kind but she can still observe the craftsmanship of it noting, the blade has no warps or cracks from heat treating, if she does all the normal tests she finds it is properly hardened and sharpened, hilt attached correctly, balance is hard to judge as she has not wielded one before but it seems proper for combat. It is no miraculous feat of forging but it is by all appearances indeed a well crafted sword.

Further as a trained artist if Sakura is good at discerning art she sees further than the techniques used she sees the creator reflected in their creation. The sword has no frills or decorative flourishes to it it was a blade forged with clarity of purpose, It was much like the Unicorn that forged it. There was a beauty to its simplicity if one could appreciate that sort of thing. It wasn't perfect and he obviously had a long way to go but it was a good showing for a first project.

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Blade is a steel scimitar 2 raises during forging toward quality

[Asako Saburo]

The cranes weren't the only ones who came by to have a look at the finished product. Ichiro had told him that it would be done this morning, so Saburo took a little time from the cleaning and eating in the mornings, stopping by the forge and bowing to those present. He looked on at the last of the kata. "Ah, the Moto has finished, I see. So this is the blade he was speaking of in its final form." Not a katana, but ... the Unicorn were always a strange people. He wasn't sure if he cared to judge, though he did doubt it was possible to perform an iai strike with that weighty, massive blade.

He also doubted many people would survive a blow from it.

[Doji Sakura]

After finishing his kata he nodded the weapon had proper balance he walked back to the forge and bows to Sakura "Doji-san you are the weapon smith of more experience, I believe I have crafted a serviceable blade but I submit it to your eyes to evaluate. It is a scimitar a weapon of my ancestors the Ujik people who joined Shinjo-kami and became the Moto." He bows and presents the weapon to her on flattened palms.

examining the weapon Sakura may be unfamiliar with the design so she can't compare it to others of its kind but she can still observe the craftsmanship of it noting, the blade has no warps or cracks from heat treating, if she does all the normal tests she finds it is properly hardened and sharpened, hilt attached correctly, balance is hard to judge as she has not wielded one before but it seems proper for combat. It is no miraculous feat of forging but it is by all appearances indeed a well crafted sword.

Further as a trained artist if Sakura is good at discerning art she sees further than the techniques used she sees the creator reflected in their creation. The sword has no frills or decorative flourishes to it it was a blade forged with clarity of purpose, It was much like the Unicorn that forged it. There was a beauty to its simplicity if one could appreciate that sort of thing. It wasn't perfect and he obviously had a long way to go but it was a good showing for a first project.

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Blade is a steel scimitar 2 raises during forging toward quality

Sakura bowed as the Moto came back, looking surprised at the request.

"Ano, hai. Please put it down on the table so I can examine it."

Once the Moto had placed it down Sakura took some time examining it. Looking over the blade and the handle with interest.

"My first thought is you haven't really got a signature. It is a well created, well forged blade, but it doesn't have your identity to it. Artists have something in the style of how they create a weapon that shows you who created it, it's how an artist becomes known. Simple things like how the handle is done, or a small mark on the bottom, to even how the tsuba is. It may seem like an unimportant thing, but you want people to know that this is your own work, hai?"

She looked at Ichiro and gave him a smile.

"It's a wonderful blade, although I don't understand it's design. It's from your kins time outside these lands? Does it feel weighted correctly when you wield it?"

[Zashi]

Zashi pokes his head in. "Morning Sakura-san...wait, this is busier than usual." Zashi looks over the group, frowning for a moment. "Wait, those aren't gems"

[Asako Saburo]

He returned the bow, looking over at Zashi. "they are not. Moto-san is completed with his forging of a blade from his clan's journeys, I believe." It was certainly not something proper samurai wielded as a rule. He listened, however, to see what it was Ichiro had to say on the subject. Was it properly weighted indeed?

[Kakita Kenji]

Kenji was waiting for the Moto to show his "sword" to everyone. He had urgent things to discuss with Sakura, but he would wait until he could discuss this with her.

[Moto Ichiro]

Sakura bowed as the Moto came back, looking surprised at the request.

"Ano, hai. Please put it down on the table so I can examine it."

Once the Moto had placed it down Sakura took some time examining it. Looking over the blade and the handle with interest.

"My first thought is you haven't really got a signature. It is a well created, well forged blade, but it doesn't have your identity to it. Artists have something in the style of how they create a weapon that shows you who created it, it's how an artist becomes known. Simple things like how the handle is done, or a small mark on the bottom, to even how the tsuba is. It may seem like an unimportant thing, but you want people to know that this is your own work, hai?"

She looked at Ichiro and gave him a smile.

"It's a wonderful blade, although I don't understand it's design. It's from your kins time outside these lands? Does it feel weighted correctly when you wield it?"

Ichiro nodded the lack of signature wasn't intentional but he also didn't care much "Hai it is Doji-san heavier toward the end of the weapon it allows for more powerful swings. Less balanced than a katana but can do more damage when it hits."

"And yes it is a weapon of my ancestors and one still used largely by the Moto till this day."

[Doji Sakura]

"So the intent is weighing it towards the top for maximum downward force" Sakura commented thoughtfully "may I hold it?"

She gave Zashi a big smile and a bow as he entered, saying "good morning Zashi-san!"

[Moto Ichiro]

He nodded "yes you may. It isn't a lot just a touch, it is still easy to wield in whatever way you wish but it give just a bit more on powerful swings."

[Doji Sakura]

"I wanted to get a feel for it. It will just be a moment."

Sakura carefully lifted the weapon, making sure to turn away from everyone as she did. Holding it up, she examined it again more closely to look over the work before gripping the handle and slowly moving it downwards, before placing it back on the table and turning to Ichiro.

"It will serve you well Moto-san" Sakura bowed to the man "congratulations on your wonderful work."

[Moto Ichiro]

He nidded and placed the sword in its scabbard before returning her bow "Thank you Doji-san." He did not boast or bring up old arguments this had been a personal journey and he was happy with its end.

[Zashi]

"Morning Sakura-san." Zashi tries to offer a smile but irritation shows through.

"I mean, it's a nice piece too..." Yet he can't manage the same excitement as over the gems

[Kakita Kenji]

Kenji gave a light bow to Zashi as he saw him arriving.

"Good Morning Zashi-san, how did the day great you?"

[Doji Sakura]

"It just needs more gems, ne Zashi-san?" Sakura said, looking at Zashi with a grin "I know you too well now!"