Build Your Own Functional Katana
Your custom-made katana begins its life in the famed swordsmithing town of Longquan located in the remote, green mountains of Qinxi. The art of blade making continues unabated for over 2,600 years near the cold, shining waters of the Ou River. Your sword's exact crafting methods will depend on your selections though you can expect the utmost attention to detail paid to every aspect of its creation.
Your Sword Options:
- Blade Length: Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto, or a length of your choice.
- Blade Material: Choose from 1060 high carbon steel all the way to the labor-intensive tamahagane.
- Tsuba: Select from over a hundred unique blade guard designs.
- Ito Color: Choose from silk or leather handle wrapping in a variety of hues.
- Hamon Type: Notare (wavy), Midare (irregular), Sugu (straight), or Natural Clay Temper Hamon.
- Signature Engraving: Have a symbol, the swordsmith's name, or your name engraved on the blade in English, Chinese, or Japanese Kanji.
- Fittings: Select nearly every aspect of your sword's look and construction.
- You may also request customization which is not listed, such as blade color (natural, black, red), straight blade, blade geometry, battle wrap, rayskin wrapped saya, saya inscription, and more. Please contact us with your request
Your sword is custom made by masters of the craft using traditional hand forging methods. As such, the process usually takes 2-3 weeks. The price starts at $189.99 with free shipping for a 1060 high carbon steel Katana and can vary widely depending on the options selected. We encourage you to explore our site for ideas on the style and details of your sword. If you have any questions, please contact our dedicated customer support team via live chat, through email, or call us toll-free at 1-844-Nihonto (1-844-644-6686).
How to place your order:
- Select your preferred options from the dropdown/checkboxes
- Click 'Add to Sword Bag'
- Write us a note if you have any additional requests
Sword Glossary


Recent Testimonials
Jamie E
I requested a spring steel blade with no bo-hi, dyed red. I LOVE IT! The blade is perfect. No wavy lines and straight as an arrow. It has great balance for a katana. You can feel the power in it. I wanted it sharpened for heavy cutting and it is much sharper than I expected, especially the tip. The handle is not too big and it feels great. The sword fits the Saya perfect, right out of the box. The red etching on the blade looks awesome. It does not reflect much light at all, but you can see a reflection in it when you look closely. I was looking all over the place for a good katana, but I couldn't find one that I actually liked everything about it. What a find with Swords of the Northshire! I would definitely buy more swords from them. Thanks
Paul S. Marshall
I have purchased 2 Swords from Swords of Northshire. One a custom Katana. The Katana was a beautiful piece of functional art. An amazing piece. I also purchased a Wakizashi. There were some minor imperfections in the edge geometry. Northshire paid the return shipping and replaced the entire blade at their expense. I highly recommend them to anyone considering the purchase of a Japanese sword or any other product they supply. I have already picked out a third sword which I intend to purchase in the near future. Thank you again.
Kyler
I collect all kinds of swords, and I can honestly say the one I just got from swords of northshire is my favorite and one of the best quality blades I've ever gotten thank you so much!
Beau Tarlton
I was looking at getting my wife a Katana for Christmas and all of the reviews online said Swords of Northshire was the place to go. I wasn't disappointed, the customer service was outstanding (Bryce Ronquille) and the level of detail available was amazing. The sword came excellently packed and in very short amount of time. Bryce kept us informed of the progress along the way and provided pictures before shipping of the final product, which was nothing less than a work of art. The workmanship in the sword was amazing, extremely well built and detailed. I cannot wait to add more of these to my collection.
Pawel Jackowski
I'm very pleased with my custom katana. The blade is smooth and the polish shows the folding and hamon exceptionally well. It's lighter than what I'm used to. I own a number of Cheness and Hanwei blades and this one is by far the most maneuverable and well balanced. It slices through small dowels, PVC pipe and bamboo like through butter. After some 20 hours of use it shows no significant scratches and is as sharp as new. The fittings are all tight and the ito has not moved an inch, which is a common problem with many of my other swords. The habaki is nicely fitted to the blade as opposed to the blade being filed to fit. The saya is a little loose which sometimes causes the blade to cut into the wood while re-sheathing but this is a common problem with many katana and easily solved with proper technique. Although I've not measured, it seems like the Sakihaba and Monouchi is a little thicker than the rest of the blade which makes it nice for cutting. The customer service was exceptional and delivery was fast. I will certainly recommend these blades to others.

Adam Deane
Terrific katana. Being able to customize the design to such a degree - including the kind of steel used in the blade - is awesome. I feel like this is MY katana. The quality of work and parts are excellent. I look forward to using it in training.(It's definitely a REAL sword.)