Damascus Wakizashi Sword, Ladder Pattern with Pale Ash Saya

Drawn and set beside its saya, the scabbard, this one reads pale. The blade is 19.5 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core, etched so the layers show as bars across the flat. The saya is pale oiled ash with the grain showing. The handle is the odd part, cream cord over black rayskin, the reverse of how these are usually wrapped.

Specification

The blade

Damascus here is pattern welded, layers forged together over a high carbon core and etched so the boundaries come up dark. The ladder pattern lands as rungs across the face, and the bevel is etched to the edge, so it does not stop where the grind starts. The pattern is decoration. The curve is shallow and spread along the length rather than bent into one place. At the far end the kissaki, the point section, is marked off by its own line. Carbon steel darkens with age and spots if it is put away wet.

The handle

The tsuka, the handle, is 8 inches, wrapped in cream cotton ito, the cord wrap, over black rayskin. The rayskin is a hide covered in hard little nodes, and the ito is pulled down into them. That is what keeps the wrap from turning. The tsuba, the guard, is round brass. Behind it sits the habaki, the brass collar at the base of the blade. A bamboo mekugi, the peg through the tsuka, holds the blade in, so the handle comes off for cleaning.

The saya

The saya is wood, ash, finished with oil instead of lacquer. Lacquer buries the surface under gloss. Oil soaks in and leaves the grain where you can see it. The sageo, the cord tied at the throat of the saya, is dark brown. Nothing straps the sword in. It is held by friction at the habaki. Wood moves with the seasons, so that fit can loosen or tighten through the year.

Who it suits

Buyers of this one look at the handle before the steel.

• Collectors who want a shorter sword on a stand or wall
• Anyone drawn to a wrap done the other way round
• Buyers who want pattern welded steel over a clay tempered edge
• Anyone keeping a piece on display and never cutting with it

What comes in the box

• The wakizashi in its ash saya
• The dark brown sageo, tied at the throat
• A care card
• No stand is included

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged and finished by hand, so no two come out alike. The ladder pattern lands where the billet decides, and the etch bites deeper in some places than others. Ash takes oil at its own rate, and the wrap is tied by hand, so the nodes sit differently on each one.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade with a soft cloth after handling, because fingerprints sit on carbon steel and turn into marks. Then a light film of oil. No abrasive polish, since that goes through the etch and takes the pattern with it. If the sword has been stored somewhere damp, leave the blade out of the saya until both are dry. More of it is on our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece. On these it goes on the saya rather than the blade, because the etched pattern is the whole face of the steel. Around 30 characters fits. We send a proof image before the laser runs. Add 3 to 5 business days. It is free on orders of 10 or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Why cream over black instead of the other way round? It looks better to us. The pale cord throws the black nodes forward.

What is the rayskin doing under the wrap? Giving the ito something to bite on, which stops a wrap creeping round the handle.

Does this blade have a hamon? No. A hamon is the wavy line a clay tempered blade shows where the hard edge meets the softer body. This one is Damascus, so what you see is the layers.

Will it rust? Carbon steel can if it is left wet. Darkening over the years is normal. Orange spotting is not, and oil answers both.

Is it legal for me to own? 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.

When will it get here? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days. Engraving adds a few days.

The clay tempered version of this length is the wakizashi on a brown saya, and the same steel at full length is the Damascus katana with the oiled walnut saya. Longer blades sit in katana and Japanese swords, the pattern welded ones in Damascus swords, and the rest in every blade we make.