Daishô

Hey there everybody,

I just finished the illustration of which I shared a WIP shot a few days ago. I guess It's nothing new, but I lived in Japan for quite some time and found my inner peace in this country... it's vibrant yet very traditional culture. I could spend hours on telling stories about the things I experienced, about the moments I had tears of joy in my eyes,... the joy of meeting people that have found a deep passion in their craft and art.

One of the ways that describes a certain passion is Bushido, the way of the warrior. It was and is kind of a codex of the mid/late samurai era. This illustration relates to this codex, because the katana is seen is the soul of the samurai, which might sound strange, but if you know how this sword is made, you can imagine why the Japanese feel this way.
(If you're into such things, maybe have a look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE_4zHNcieM)

I spend quite a lot of time and iterations til I found a balanced, yet interesting Hamon (the textured line on the blade that indicates the harding). This shot also includes a tsuba, which shows a kamon (familiy crest) which is based on the illustration I made of Fuji San).

I will soon publish and article about my life ind experiences in Japan, so some more illustrations might follow up.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Ps: this kinda comical style reflects the contrast between a traditional craft and it's visualization in a rather "modern" expression", hope that shines through.