Damascus Katana, Twist Pattern with Oiled Walnut Saya

Drawn and laid beside its saya, the scabbard, this one reads as two kinds of grain next to each other. The blade is 28 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core, etched so the twist runs the length of it. The saya is oiled walnut, bare wood with a brass throat. Dark timber, and dark figure in the steel.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded and then etched so the layers show, over a high carbon core. The twist is what the folding and turning leave behind, and the etch is taken down the bevel to the edge rather than stopping short. It is decoration. The curve is moderate, leaning away from the hand along its whole length. The kissaki, the point section, is ground as its own surface, with its own line where it meets the body. Carbon steel darkens with time and spots if you leave it wet.

The handle

The tsuka, the handle, is 11 inches of deep red cotton ito, the cord wrap, over white rayskin. Rayskin is the pebbled hide beneath, and it stops the cord sliding as the wrap ages. Through it all sits the mekugi, a bamboo peg, and that peg holds the blade in. Being only a peg, it also means the handle comes off for cleaning. The tsuba, the guard, is round brass, pierced with a plain pattern. The habaki, the brass collar, sits at the base.

The saya

The saya is wood. Walnut, oiled and left bare, with a brass throat at the mouth. Lacquer hides what the wood is doing. Oil does the opposite. You see the grain and the darker streaks, and every knock it picks up over the years. The sageo, the cord tied at the throat of the saya, is black. The sword is held in by friction at the habaki rather than by a strap.

Who it suits

For the buyer who wants the wood left alone. It belongs on a stand or a wall, not with anybody who means to cut with it.

• People who like walnut grain more than gloss
• Collectors who already have a lacquered saya
• Anyone after pattern welded steel instead of a hamon
• Buyers who accept that bare wood shows its age

What comes in the box

• The katana
• The saya with its black sageo
• A care card
• No stand is included

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged, ground, heat treated and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out the same. Pattern welded steel never repeats. The twist lands where it lands. Walnut has its own grain and takes oil its own way, so color varies from one saya to the next.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade with a soft cloth after handling. Fingerprints sit on etched steel. Put a light film of oil over it before it goes away. No abrasive polish, since the etch is shallow and polish lifts the pattern with the marks. Keep it out of a damp room, and if it has been stored damp, leave it out of the saya to dry. More on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece. It goes on the saya rather than the blade, which suits bare walnut. Around 30 characters fits, so a name, or a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 or more. The engraving page covers the rest.

Questions buyers ask

How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

Will it rust? It can. The core is carbon steel, so it darkens with time and spots if left wet. Wipe it, oil it.

What makes the twist pattern? Layers of steel forged together, twisted, then etched so the acid eats them at different rates. The pattern is decoration.

Why is there no hamon? A hamon is the wavy line along a clay tempered blade where the hard edge meets the softer body. This one was never clay tempered, so it has none, and the two never share a blade.

Will the bare walnut mark? Yes. Oiled wood shows knocks where lacquer would not, and it darkens where hands hold it. A wipe of oil evens most of that out.

Can I own one? Laws on owning and carrying a sword differ by state, city and country, so check your local rules before you buy, and we cannot advise on that.

The same length with a hamon under black lacquer is the hand forged clay tempered katana. If 40.5 inches is more than your wall allows, the Damascus wakizashi in a pale ash saya is shorter, and bare wood too. The rest sit in katana and Japanese swords, Damascus swords and hand forged swords.