Hand Forged Katana, Clay Tempered with Black Lacquer Saya

Drawn and laid beside its saya, the wood scabbard, this one reads as two lines. The first is the edge, even along 28 inches of 1095 high carbon, clay tempered, in hand rubbed satin. The second drifts above it, pale and wandering. That is the hamon, the mark left where the hard edge meets the softer body. The saya is wood under deep gloss black lacquer.

Specification

The blade

1095 high carbon is plain steel that takes clay tempering well. Clay is laid on the blade in a pattern before the fire, thick up the body and thin along the edge, so the two cool at different rates in the quench. The hamon is what that leaves. It follows where the clay sat, not a drawing, so the line belongs to this blade alone. The hand rubbed satin holds it. The curve is gentle and carries into the kissaki, the point section. Carbon steel darkens with age and spots if left wet.

The handle

The tsuka, the handle, is 11 inches of black cotton ito, the cord wrap, over white rayskin. The rayskin is the pebbled hide underneath and it stops the wrap creeping under a hand. Through the tsuka goes the mekugi, a bamboo peg. It holds the blade in, so the handle comes off for cleaning once you push it out. The tsuba, the guard, is round iron with a plain pierced pattern. The habaki, the brass collar, sits at the base of the blade.

The saya

The saya is wood. Lacquer goes over it, deep gloss black, built in coats and polished back until the grain has gone. Nothing here is leather, because leather on a saya is what buyers notice first. The sageo, the cord tied at the throat of the saya, is dark blue. The blade stays put because the habaki wedges into the mouth of the wood. That friction is the whole of it. No strap.

Who it suits

This one is for people who like looking at the line. It is made to be seen, on a stand or a wall, not used.

• Collectors who came for the hamon
• Anyone furnishing a wall with something made by hand
• People who want clay tempering, not an etched pattern
• Buyers who wipe a blade down and put it away

What comes in the box

• The 28 inch katana
• The wood saya with its dark blue sageo
• A care card
• No stand is included, so choose one that suits your wall

Every piece is different

Every blade is clayed by hand, so every hamon runs its own course. Two swords out of the same week will not carry the same line, and it will not sit at the same height. The lacquer cures its own way as well. The photograph here is one of them, not yours.

Looking after it

Wipe it with a soft cloth after handling, because fingerprints sit on satin and stay. A light film of oil on the steel is enough. Nothing abrasive and no metal polish, since the hamon sits in the surface. Keep it out of a damp room, and if it has been stored damp, leave the blade out of the saya until both are dry. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and it goes on the saya, not on the blade. Around 30 characters fits, a name and a date or one short line. We send a proof image back and nothing runs until you say yes. Engraving adds 3 to 5 business days. Orders of 10 or more are engraved free. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is the hamon? The line clay tempering leaves. The clay makes the edge and the body cool at different rates, and the boundary shows in the polish.

Can I choose the hamon shape? No. Clay goes on by hand and the fire settles the rest. We take the line we get.

Will this steel rust? It can. 1095 is carbon steel. Wipe it dry and keep light oil on it.

Does the handle come off? Yes. Push the bamboo mekugi out and the tsuka lifts away.

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.

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

For the same line on something shorter, the clay tempered wakizashi carries one on a 20 inch blade. The deep curve katana with the red lacquer saya goes the other way. It sits with the katana and Japanese swords, next to our other hand forged swords and the historical blades.