BattleBlades Sodai Tamahagane Katana 40.6 in Overall 27.9 in Polished Honsanmai Tamahagane Steel Blade 2.62lb. This sword was created in honor of the finest sword art and the mythical skills of forging the most precious katana blade ever existed. No shortcuts no cheap shots - they went through a hard and time consuming process to offer you one of the greatest katana swords on the market. Every detail on their handmade katanas has been considered carefully. How the handforged Tamahagane katana is born. ? As the springs flow through the mountains of Longquan from the iron mines into the Ou River the life of Tamahagane steel begins. Tiny grains of precious iron sand gather at the bottom of the mountain in the Ou River where the silt is then hand panned to collect enough iron sand for a blade. To make one Tamahagane blade over 100 kilograms of silt needs to be panned. The iron sand is then delivered to the master swordsmith who heats it up and picks the best pieces of molten Tamahagane. Making a katana from Tamahagane requires an extraordinary level of expertise from the swordsmith. The pieces have to be strong and at the right carbon level. The experienced swordsmiths can tell the quality just by the look and feel. After picking the best pieces and stacking them together the swordsmiths will laminate different carbon level (0.6-1.5percent) Tamahagane steel collected from the kera to create a sword which has a hard edge soft core and springy sides for ultimate performance. This process turns the Tamahagane steel into a Honsanmai Tamahagane blade. The handforged sword is remarkably well balanced for exceptionally swift and effortless handling. One must handle this masterpiece in order to feel its outstanding potential. The nagasa of this sword is hazuya-jizuya polished by hand and battle sharpened to bring out the beauty of the blade. It has a Suguha-hamon a straight real clay tempered hamon allowing the Hada of the blade to be clearly seen. The details of the handmade Tamahagane katana. ? To furthermore accessorise the engaging blade we added 24K gold plated details on the blackened copper tsuba fuchi and kashira. The custom brass habaki has the BattleBlades name hand-engraved in kanji characters. The fittings are first rate the tsuka is katate-maki wrapped in brown premium grade silk Tsuka-ito. Protecting the nagasa is a black handmade hardwood saya with multiple thick layers of lacquer. They decided to go with an extra long premium grade silk Sageo with custom made buffalo horn Kurigata to ensure maximum grip when pulling the sword from its saya. Sodai Tamahagane handmade katana comes in a branded wooden box with an embroidered BattleBlades Inc. silk sword bag and a serial numbered certificate of authenticity as well as an additional certificate of authenticity. Specifications for BattleBlades Sodai Tamahagane Katana: Manufacturer: BattleBlades Quantity: 1 Weight: 8 lb Package Contents: BattleBlades Sodai Tamahagane Katana BattleBlades BB-STK: Sodai Tamahagane Katana 40.6 in Overall 27.9 in Polished Honsanmai Tamahagane Steel Blade 2.62lb