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SinistrosePhosphate — Keikoku no katana
#samonji #japanese #katana #papercutting #souza #papercuttingart #toukenranbu #touken_ranbu #toukendanshi #touken_danshi
Published: 2017-04-24 04:32:29 +0000 UTC; Views: 981; Favourites: 48; Downloads: 1
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Description
A.K.A. "傾国の刀" (The sword that can tempt the fall of a nation.)The sword in question actually exists. It goes by a number of names, the most common is Souza Samonji. It had been wielded by the three Unifiers of Japan throughout its long existence (Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.) This sword is also known as "The Symbol of Conquerors" for just that reason. To wield it meant to have the world in your hands.
So... where does the character come in?
Well, there's a game out there that followed a very profitable formula of turning inanimate objects into humans, then having these people do things for you. In this specific game, historical swords were turned into men who will fight under your command against these creatures who want to change history. They travel through time to disrupt important events in history and your goal is to stop them. This character is the human form of the sword in the game.
I don't play the game. But I am a sucker for "swords", "history", "fighting" and "time travel." Basically, the game's concept had me at "Touken Ranbu"
("刀剣乱舞" is the name of the game.) I've got a feeling this is my entry point into the world of the past... or was it the future?……宗三左文字と言います。貴方も、天下人の象徴を侍らせたいのですか……?
Artist's Note
1. Pattern credit: Souza Samonji is a character from the online and mobile game Touken Ranbu. Co-owned by DMM Games and Nitro-Plus. 2015-2017. More information here: touken-ranbu.wikia.com/wiki/To…
2. More about the character himself: touken-ranbu.wikia.com/wiki/So…
3. Equipment: Cutting board, artisan cutting blade (#11)
4. Paper: Base: Recollections Card Stock by Michael's Inc. (65lbs/176gsm).
Inset: Chiyogami origami paper, approx 32lbs (120gsm).
5. Size: 5.7" by 4.1" (14.5cm x 10.5cm)
6. Time: about 6 hours.
Related content
Comments: 61
Hello!
Thank you for taking the time to drop by and comment. I am sorry that I wasn't able to get back to you earlier - I was away on an extended errand. But I really appreciate your comment.
Thanks for letting me know what you think I have done right. And thank you for letting me know that you may consider purchasing it. While I do not sell my work, if you are ever interested, I can probably introduce you to other papercutting artists here on DA who are open for business. I am also very happy to be able to introduce you to the concept of using the "artists' comments" as another source of communication as well. I regularly "talk" to the audience through the comments - I talk about the pieces themselves, sometimes about what inspired them and sometimes about how they were created in the first place. I think it's a way for me to get closer to my audience when I can't be on DA all the time. And the comments help the readers to get to know the piece a bit more. It's definitely something I recommend!
In the meantime, thank you once again for your comments. Much obliged!
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No problem at all 
Thanks for creating great works!
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It's my honour and my pleasure!
And I hope that I can continue to impress you in the future!
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Thank you so very much for your very kind words!
It means the world to me when it comes from another paper-artist!
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I like the fact you added History to you work. This little touch gives a slight edge to why someone might buy this piece. Gratz.
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Thanks very much for your comment!
I love the history part of it... it's what drew me to this franchise in the first place. 
I am not sure if anyone would want to buy this piece. At the moment I have no intention to sell my work. But thanks for the heads-up!
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I would, but no cash to spare. But... I think as long as you advertise, you won't have any probs.
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Thanks a million for your very kind thought! I am really flattered.
But I am afraid you misunderstood me a little bit. I really do have no intention to sell my work. I don't need the money and I don't want to deal with the hassle of having to haggle for a price. Even the frame is temporary. I have 2 frames that I use repeatedly for photography and I just take the work out after the photos.
If you are interested, there are a lot of folks who actually sell their paper-cutting art. There are several on DA, too. If you are interested, I can link you to them?
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Sure, that would be nice.
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Like what I said... I'm sorry that we had this slight misunderstanding.
Papecutting is an ancient art form that has very many different branches. And a bunch of artists here on DA does it. Here are a bunch of folks I know who are actively selling their work and/or take commissions:
ParthKothekar - He does something similar to me, but he uses mainly white instead of black. He has his own Etsy shop
RebelProjects - she does layered papercraft and if I didn't remember wrongly, she does take commissions.
Yutaan - she is definitely the guru when it comes to coloured, layered paper cuts. She sells her work and takes commissions.
NVillustration - this person is relatively new. But I do know they take requests
The-Old-Y - she has written a really nice tutorial on in-laid paper cutting. But I am not sure if she is taking commissions at the moment. She might be open to the idea, however. So it's worth a shot.
There are a bunch of folks on Esty who also sells paper-cutting projects that can be customized. So it's worth looking into.
I hope this helps!
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Critiquing as part of Weekly Commenting at ProjectComment
This piece is so bold and angular! It's very different from a lot of your other paper cutting work. The most facinating part for me is the broad and sharp folds of his sleeve closest to the viewer. Even though the pattern is deeply contrasted, you managed to convey the feeling of flowing fabric using the softer outer lines. Seriously, this could be an intricate ink work at first glance.
Fantastic work on the finer details of his costume, including the armor on the right arm and decorative sash. The textures and shapes are spot on and really give a feeling of depth and form. Same with the hair. The flow of the lines and the finely feathered edges let it stand out from the other materials in the work while still maintaining that sharp, cell style.
The pose is well balanced, especially the way you've framed it so that he expands across the scene, too large to be contained. The way his sword is held out and above following the angle of his body gives him a feel of grace and confidence. He's not afraid to open his posture before making his next move, not defensive at all. The little smirking line of his mouth really sets that attitude perfectly. The only thing in the entire body that seems a little off to me is the hand on the sword. The palm and fingers are just a little too large, even for being close to the viewer. I expect them to be slightly thinner than they turned out.
I love the color accent on the hair. I do think you could have gone a little pinker though. Could be my monitor, but it looks more orange or salmon, and this character's main feature is his pink hair.
The final presentation, with the cutout in a simple, black inset surrounded by white, matches your work perfectly. This is something I think anyone would be proud to display. Great job!
Let me know if you have any followup questions or comments, please.
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Hello!
Thank you so very much for taking the time to write this really detailed comment. I really appreciate it!
I am really happy to know that you liked this new piece. And thank you so very much for your very kind words! I really appreciate your description of his body language and posture. I had ideas like that in my head but you have put it in words beautifully. It sounds like you're reading it off of a novel! 
Thanks for letting me know about the size of the hands, too. Hands and feet are always a bit of an Achilles' heel for me. And since I have to take foreshortening into context here, it becomes even harder. I am glad to hear that it's not overly big, though. And I will definitely look into making better size judgments in the future. As far as the hair goes... the paper inset was actually pink. But of a lighter kind. I think the lighting might have made it look a little bit too salmon, however. It's something I need to look into as well.
But overall, thank you so very much for your comment! I really appreciate it!
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So... I have been telling my brother: "I like big swords and I cannot lie! You other brothers can't deny!" 
(You know... just like this song... www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v9at5… )
And you know what he tells me?
He said if I say it out loud it will give people bad ideas.
But you are absolutely right... Katanas all the way!!!
Thanks a million for your support. I am planning on more from this series!
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Yup yup, you'd better not say it so loud, people might think you have a complex with swords
But I can't deny that there's nothing so elegant and stylish as swords 
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But... I -do- have a complex with swords! I fence!
And I am still saving up for a lightsaber!
... oh, yeah... today's Starwars day. May the Fourth be with you!
As far as weapons go... yup. Swords. Beats a blaster any day. 
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Hehehe I know I know
Oh yes yesterday was a great day, some people mentioned my Darth Vader papercraft in the celebration of Star Wars day, you between them so thank you very much for your support
So May the 4th be with you!
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You are more than welcome!
So much for doing good things behind people's backs, hein? You weren't supposed to know that I mentioned your work!
Remember... today's the the "Revenge of the Fifth (Sith)"!
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Thank you for the comment!
And thank you for your encouragement!
Much appreciated.
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When I read your description, my first thought was "is this character from Touken Ranbu"? I haven't played the game, but some of the fan art piqued my curiosity 
This piece seriously looks like a manga panel. If you crafted a comic, I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference if you put it in the Drawing category and didn't say that it was a craft. Once again, you did a fantastic job, and the character looks great as well!
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Hello! And thanks for dropping in!
Yes, indeed. This character did come from Touken Ranbu. The problem is there are so many characters (50+ the last time I checked, close to 60 now...) that it's really hard to keep track of who is who. I know the die-hard fans can do that, but yours truly isn't one of them!
Thank you very much for your very kind words! I really, really appreciate it!
Once again, thank you so very much for your support!
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Thats again a very great papercut from you. I love the little touch with the colour. Awesome
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Thank you so very much for your very kind words!
I really like the spot-colour idea, too. I am hoping to develop it further in the future!
Have a nice day, too! 
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And I hope to see more of it in the future
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I will definitely endeavour to do my best!
You have my promise on that!
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This so awesome! Turned out great. I all admit never really seen much paper cutting technique before, but it really stands out. Adding that colour was a great choice btw. If the piece of paper that is the hair, the part connecting to the mouth was just a bit more red then it would have turned out just fine i do think. Great choice of the frame as well! Cant wait to see some more!
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Hello!
Thanks for dropping by, and thanks a million for your very nice words!
You are right, there just aren't that many people out there cutting paper (and those of us who do cut paper pretty much know each other's work on sight...
As far as the actual colours go... Well, one of the problems is I have to use what I have on hand. And the other thing is... the character really, really, really has pink hair. (This is the official artwork of this character: s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/o… ) That's why the colour in this case is so light. Next one should be better!
Thanks for your support and your encouragement!
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Dude! This looks beautiful! Making only the hair in color was a lovely choice to call attention for the piece's flow and Samonji's head! It's also a very welcomed splash of color at all in the piece, that would've been just as cool Bn'W, but maybe harder to look at. Nice choice!
I'm no paper cutter and I have no clue how to comment on this, but I can say one thing that caught my eye is the point where their mouth meets the hair. I know they gotta be stuck together because of the paper... web? thing that cut paper becomes, but if technically possible, I think I'd look nicer if it was a tad thinner.
That's all, man! How beautiful!
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Hello!
Thanks so very much for your very kind words! I have recently fallen in love with this "spot colour" process and I think it has been working out for me really nicely. I am really glad to see that you think it's working out as well. The colour really helps to liven up the image a little bit, doesn't it?
I know what you mean by the mouth. Right now it actually looks a little crooked because I wanted to connect it with the hair. Some paper cutters will use free-floating pieces for mouth, nose and eyes, but it's a lot more difficult for me. You see, if you glue your work to a background, you can put the free-floating pieces wherever you want. But since I store all my work without a backing paper, I will actually lose these "extra pieces" very easily. As a result, I try to link everything together in one piece. I can make the mouth a little thinner, however. That's technologically feasible. I'll try to fix it up soon!
Thanks a million for your kind words and your critique!
And thank you for your support!
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Do keep it if it works for you, dude! Looks really nice. So easy to look at yet attracting attention so well.
I imagined you didn't have the background paper, so maybe that's why it wasn't separeted. Tbh, I really like how it's a whole piece. It makes it even more interesting as there's also thought behind how to make each part stay on it.
You don't need to fix it if you don't think it's needed, tho! I just understand you appreciate feedback when it's possible it's given, so I tried to help.
You're most welcome, dude! Keep it up!!
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I really think it's working out!
My next two projects will also have spot-colour, too. I am planning one and just started working on another. I'm really looking forward to them!
It's hard to find the right background paper, that's for sure.
Besides, in the "old ways" of doing things, all of the paper elements are connected together. I think I am a "traditionalist" in this area. To be able to finally lift the complete piece out from the fragments is a very nice feeling! And to plan everything ahead of time makes the project more challenging... and more fun that way. I did, however, fix up the mouth a little bit. It's not much thinner. And it makes his grin look a little more like the original drawing. I like the fixed effect!
This character has always looked a little sad. He looks like he is pretending to smile all the time. I think the new version looks more like that. 
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Being a traditionalist sometimes means you not only keep nice ways of doing stuff around, but that you can also understand the fundamentals of your art before moving to smth else, so that's great!
Oh I see! It does look better to recognize now, and there's a certain melancholy to it! I'd say you trimmed it the perfect ammount!
And once again, you're very welcome, CJ!
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I guess it's one way to describe myself as being really stubborn, I guess!
But once in a while, stubbornness isn't always bad. At least that's what I like to think!
I am glad that you liked the new version. (After all, once you cut something away, you can't get it back anymore...
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Stubborness often accompanies integrity or resilience. I suppose as long as it's good for you, it's really good.
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My mum likes to think that stubbornness is a sign of resilience. But she thinks it's usually the bad kind! (She thinks I take after my father way too much on this aspect.
But I think I have chosen a good cause to be stubborn here.
Someone has to go the extra mile to uphold tradition, right?
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And you're doing it fine. This is for a great cause!
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I am going to keep going!
I have recently found a bunch of people who do something similar to what I do on Pixiv. Some of them are more traditional than others. I've put up one of my pieces up there yesterday and I've started to get some response. It makes me really happy!
Definitely got to keep going!!!
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Nice, you find a community!!
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Well... technically, I can't...
You see, that community is almost exclusively Japanese-speaking. I know a few things here and there, but overall, my Japanese sucks!
But it feels really nice to have found "my people". And that also makes me want to keep doing what I am doing!
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aw, man that sucks
I'm glad you've found somewhere, tho, and who knows, some japanese know english
Yeah, man!!! 
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Pixiv have this tag called "Kirie" (or 切り絵 in Japanese). When I found out about it, it was like falling into a treasure trove. Some of these artists are very, very talented! And they are a lot better than I am at it, too.
But that's motivation, right?
We might not be able to communicate with words, but at least we can look at each other's work and do this:
And that would be more than enough.
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Yeah, getting your work to be seem by people who understand fully what it is can be enough too!
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Well... I have to say, the folks here on DA have been very nice and very kind. I couldn't have done what I have been doing without the support of folks on DA.
As for this specific kind of paper-cutting art. Well... it had its roots in Asia, it's no wonder that most of the practitioners are also in Asia, right?
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You can use other people as reference and study for your work too! Even looking might do? I really don't know, but I hope so!
And dA works really well, I agree. It's so good to be here again
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Yes, you are absolutely right.
I have been doing something like that. And I have figured out whose work I would love to follow more than others. It helps to see as many different styles out there as possible and every little bit helps!
I am actually really happy with DA - it's a very inclusive and very welcoming community. And hey... most people speak English. That helps me a lot!
And most importantly... it's a lot easier to make friends on DA. Just look, I met you, right?
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I'm very happy with dA too! I've been thinking this, this days. It's so very nice that I decided to come back here, all this feedback is so nice.
And, but of course met you, man!!
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Thank you so very much!
It really is an honour and a pleasure to have met you!
And I am glad to hear that you are planning on staying. It's nice to have more artists who are both skilled and generous and willing to help other artists!
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