{"product_id":"damascus-katana-walnut-saya","title":"Damascus Katana, Twist Pattern with Oiled Walnut Saya","description":"\u003cp\u003eDrawn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e28 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e40.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e11 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDamascus, high carbon core\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEtched twist pattern, bevel etched to the edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTsuba\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRound brass, plain pierced pattern\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHabaki\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBrass collar\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTsuka\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDeep red cotton ito over white rayskin, bamboo mekugi peg\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSaya\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWood, oiled walnut with a brass throat\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSageo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlack cord\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe saya\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like walnut grain more than gloss\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors who already have a lacquered saya\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone after pattern welded steel instead of a hamon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who accept that bare wood shows its age\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe katana\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe saya with its black sageo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNo stand is included\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe 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 \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaser 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 \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e covers the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. The core is carbon steel, so it darkens with time and spots if left wet. Wipe it, oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat makes the twist pattern?\u003c\/strong\u003e Layers of steel forged together, twisted, then etched so the acid eats them at different rates. The pattern is decoration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is there no hamon?\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the bare walnut mark?\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I own one?\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe same length with a hamon under black lacquer is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-katana-black-lacquer-saya\"\u003ehand forged clay tempered katana\u003c\/a\u003e. If 40.5 inches is more than your wall allows, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-wakizashi-ash-saya\"\u003eDamascus wakizashi in a pale ash saya\u003c\/a\u003e is shorter, and bare wood too. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/katana-swords\"\u003ekatana and Japanese swords\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-swords\"\u003eDamascus swords\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/hand-forged-swords\"\u003ehand forged swords\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145073291382,"sku":"VEF-KAT-DAM-1602","price":599.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/katana-02-damascus-walnut-saya_d487640a-f4fa-42e9-bb4e-0277ea58bca2.jpg?v=1788843604","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-katana-walnut-saya","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}