In Japanese, tsuka = hilt, maki = wrap, so tsukamaki refers to the art of wrapping weapon hilts.

First, some quick backstory: I bought a katana at Great Western War several years ago from James the Just, who had mounted a Castille blade in a wooden tsuka (hilt). The tsuba (guard) designed by James was never intended for cut-and-thrust combat, so when I eventually replaced it with a steel tsuba from Castille Armory, I stripped the original wrap and re-wrapped the existing wood core with stingray skin and green silk ito (cord).

Last month, a rapier-legal wakizashi (short sword or long dagger) arrived from Castille. I had ordered it with the tsuka bare as I wanted to wrap it to match my katana.

I knew I was not going to get an identical match because the tsuka were crafted by different people using slightly different materials and hardware. The J-t-J wooden tsuka core on the katana has a rectangular profile, while the wakizashi tsuka is more oval.

In both instances I used a hiramaki wrap, which is one of the oldest wrapping patterns, though it continued to be used well after the SCA period. Originally used for tachi (an older sword style that is longer than katana), the ito (lace) is wrapped in an overlapping pattern but not twisted, as in later styles. It's simple, elegant, and as long as one is careful to wrap tightly, it provides a smooth yet secure grip for the swordsman.

Before wrapping with silk, stingray skin (samegawa) is traditionally used to wrap the tsuka. Depending on shape, size, etc., it can be cut in pieces and glued in place where it will be visible, however, I opted for full wraps.

First I took a pattern with thin cardboard to get the size of the tsuka. The ray skin was soaked in the sink until pliable, patted dry and then carefully marked on the back side and cut to size with craft shears. I should mention that even thin skins from smaller animals are tough and rough to the touch with a pebbled, almost sandpapery texture.

The cut skin was wrapped around the tsuka, rubber-banded and allowed to dry overnight.

Professional tsukamaki artists often use special jigs to hold and turn the hilt as they work - I was pretty much sitting with the (dull) blade between my knees, working upward from the tsuba towards the kashira (pommel). Wrapping starts from the center point of the lace on the side of the sword that faces outward when it is worn in a scabbard, then works upwards towards the kashira, with each crossing alternating over and under. (See photo below right.)

The ray skin actually helps grab onto the silk and helps achieve a tight wrap. Because the hardware on these SCA-legal weapon simulators is not what you'd find on Japanese swords - and because I had hardware that didn't even match, I ultimately had to finish my wrap with a neat, if non-standard knot, trim the ito ends and unscrew the kashira enough to clamp the ends under it.

Bibliography
Buck, Thomas. The Art of Tsukamaki, Pocket Edition. Loyd and Tuttle, 2014.
Dr. Thomas Buck has been collecting and studying the Japanese Art Sword for over thirty years, acquiring his first Samurai Sword in October, 1975. In 1987, with the guidance of Dr. W. Y. Takahashi, Sensei, he began a three year intensive study/apprenticeship of the restoration and preservation techniques of John Grimmitt and Takahiro Ichinose, concentrating his research on Tsukamaki and Japanese Lacquer-ware. Since 1988, he has been performing restoration and research work on tsuka for various institutions, private collectors, and dealers. ISBN-10: ‎ 1505226147, ISBN-13: 978-1505226140.