This is an older stock removal tanto that I had never gotten to finish. Following the instructions in Walter Sorrells excellent videos (order them if you haven't got them, otherwise check out his channel on youtube), I carved the shirasaya out of white poplar, a very light, easily carved but still solid white wood.
After gluing the pieces together, it turned out that there was a 4mm gap between the two. So I added two iroko hardwood spacers, which add some more strength to the mouth of the saya, and allow me to shape the mouth exactly as I want (i.e. hiding previous imperfections). The dark wood also complements the overall appearance.
Now its time for endless minute grinding and fitting...
