Monosteel Katana Construction
|
|
This is a quick outline of the many steps involved in creating a high quality monosteel (non-folded) Katana.
|
Blade Construction:
|
|
1. Rough Forging: The blade is formed by hot forging a billet of
high-carbon steel. The repeated hammering provides an even dispersion
of carbon throughout the steel for uniform strength of the finished
blade. |
|
2. Rough Shaping: The scale is removed and the blade is shaped roughly
to the required dimensions. At this stage, the steel is still in the
annealed (soft) state and the blade is straight. |
|
3. Clay Covering: A special clay is applied to the blade by hand, using
a thin covering near the edge and a thicker layer over the rest of the
blade. This results in a relatively quicker cooling of the edge during
quenching, producing a hard edge and softer back. |
|
4. Quenching: This is a critical part of the operation. The blade, with
its clay covering, is heated to a predetermined temperature and
quenched in a water bath. The shape and continuity of the hamon, the
sori (blade curvature), and blade straightness are all determined by
the care and skill exercised in quenching. |
|
5. Sizing: The sori is adjusted if necessary, to set the point of
balance and point of percussion, and the blade is de-scaled. Rough
polishing is carried out to size the blade accurately. The habaki
(blade collar) is fitted. |
|
6. Finishing: Careful final polishing and fine finish work are carried
out on the various surfaces to define ridgelines and bring out the
beauty of the hamon. |
Furniture Construction:
|
|
Saya: The saya is carved from two pieces of wood to match the length,
width, thickness and curvature of the finished blade. The two halves
are then wrapped in cambric and lacquered numerous times. Final
polishing gives the saya finish a high gloss. |
|
Tsuka: The handle core is comprised of two pieces of hardwood carved to
tightly fit onto the tang. Channels are carved into the sides to
facilitate the fitting of two panels of ray skin. The entire handle is
then wrapped with high quality woven cotton or silk, depending on the
sword being fitted, while small paper triangles are used to help shape
the wrap correctly. The Menuki and Kashira are added during this
process. |
|
Sageo: The sageo is typically woven of high quality cotton or silk to
match the handle wrap. In some cases, the sageo is still woven by hand
(see Paper Crane). This process requires many hours of skilled hand
labor but allows thematic designs to be worked into the sageo. |
|
Assembly: Finally all the pieces can be assembled and the handle
securely fastened to the tang. This is accomplished by drilling the
handle and the tang together in two places and inserting bamboo pegs
(mekugi) to pin the handle to the tang. |
The Parts of a Katana:
 |
Shopping Cart - 0 item(s)
