T.C. McLane Custom Kaiken with Kogatana

This wildly impressive Japanese style kaiken (dagger) has a high polished carbon steel blade, most likely 01, and features a straight back blade with a slight trailing point grind and beveled and swedged spine. The habaki is hand engraved with angled grooves in fine sliver and sealed with copper along the spine.

The carved, rounded leather lined scabbard/saya appears to be a stained curly or fiddleback maple with the tsuba (hand guard), kashira (pommel) and koiguchi (opening fitting) are decorated with twisted fine silver and copper mokume-gane (non-ferrous damascus) seated in wrought iron. The kashira is pinned in place using an ornate flower pin. The handle features a tapered pin securing the blade in place that is encircled with a thin petal design on either side. Both ornaments are assumed to be wrought iron.

Also featured on this knife is a small kogatana blade with kozuka handle ornamented with matching makume-gane which slips securly into a slot with a satisfying click on what would be the outside of the saya if worn on a belt via the kurigata. The kurigata is the small loop that used to fasten the saya to a belt and appears to be made from horn or a dense, dark wood with a shito-dome as ornamentation around the opening. 

This knife shows no signs of use but there are some small oxidation spots (too small to be photographed) on the blade but no indications of corrosion. The habaki shows wear from the friction fit of the saya.

Total Length: 280mm
Blade Length: 145mm
Weight: 210g

We believe this knife to have been handmade by Thomas C. McLane sometime in the early 1980s. Though very little information can be found about McLane himself, we believe that he was a bladesmith and blacksmithing instructor working out of Tucson AZ. It was originally purchased from the maker at the Solvang Knife Show in the mid to late 1980s. 

We don't typically work with knives that aren't inherently culinary or utilitarian, but these knives were too impressive to turn away and continue to surprise us with the quality and fine details of McLane's work. This knife was received with second knife and a pamphlet from the maker.

The pamphlet is pictured for informational purposes only. Copies can be provided with purchase. It was received with a second knife that is equally impressive and is listed separately but can be sold as a pair (pamphlet included) for $5,000. Please email info@bernalcutlery.com to arrange the purchase of the pair.


Please direct any questions about this knife to info@bernalcutlery.com, especially if you have additional information about the maker.