5 Things You Should Know Before Buying A Katana

Why are we so mesmerized with Katana? Is it because of the sheer elegance of the sword or is it because of the great samurai art? The whole martial art form looks so elegant even while it can absolutely kill someone. You can buy one of the finest katana for sale to own one Japanese sword. Remember the epic Sword fight sequence in the movie ‘Kill Bill’? Yes, that’s what.

Important factors to know before buying a Katana:

1.      The Steel

It is the most important factor to understand the quality of the steel. It is known as the most extraordinary steel made by the Japanese smith with the forging and folding process. This process beats the impurities out of the raw iron ore.

2.       Heat Treating

The authentic way to make Katana is the heat treated edge. The pattern (Ha) is the signature sharpened edge of the heat-treating. (Mon) is the attribute of all Samurai Swords called Hamon. This treatment changes the molecular structure of the steel into martinsite at the edge (Ha) and a softer more ductile pearlite body.

       3.      Design and Shape

It is a sign of respect and honour to get the shape and design of a Samurai sword right. The shape and balance is intricately crafted as Japanese sword evolved over centuries. In the earlier periods, life of a warrior depended upon his sword and the sword on the smith to make the blade which can cut throat with just a touch of it.

        4.      Polish

Another aspect of intricacy, it gives the final shape of the Katana. The polishing is a long and tedious process which needs to redefine the sword. It cannot be done by any machine but it only need hand finish.

        5.      Mounting

The mounting of Samurai Sword is scabbard (saya), it is made of wood. The opening of the Scabbard has water buffalo horn ring that reinforces the wood. The metal fittings (tsuba, fuchi/kashira, menuki, and shitodome) are the core materials which include steel, copper, silver, and gold.