Your sword bag is empty!
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:
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:
Sword Glossary
Recent Testimonials
( 5 / 5 ) ( 5 / 5 ) ( 5 / 5 ) ( 5 / 5 ) ( 5 / 5 )
This process produces sharp edges. Customers can request the blade to be unsharpened (blunt) for safety reasons in practice or hand sharpened for cutting practice. On functional swords we recommend sharp with niku (rounding of blade's surface) for maximum edge durability
The blade is the most important part of a sword. Its quality depends on the steel material and forging method.
We pick out good materials for making blades, especially for our premium swords. Customers can opt for specific materials according to your needs.
The Japanese blades we offer are in a variety of lengths. The nagasa is measured from tip of the kissaki to hamachi (edge notch).
You may also specify your own custom blade length and handle length here. If the handle length is not specified, we will balance the weight with the blade. Custom blade length increases craft time by approx. 2 weeks since we have to make a new tsuka, saya, and blade
The default handle lengths are 10.6" (26.9cm) for Katana, 8.1" (20.6cm) for Wakizashi, and 7.7" (19.6cm) for Tanto.
A groove in the blade, commonly called a "blood groove." The bo-hi groove is added to lighten the blade, making for faster swings, with less stress put on your wrist. Blades without a bo-hi are heavier and have more powerful swings due to the added weight.
Furthermore the grooves (always done on both sides of the blade) make a whistling sound when the sword is swung.
Hamon is the temper pattern along the blade edge. We offer three kinds of etched hamon styles. Clay Tempered blades will produce a natural hamon
Saya is the Japanese term for a scabbard, and specifically refers to the scabbard for a sword or knife.
Saya are normally manufactured from very lightweight wood, with a coat of lacquer on the exterior.
The wood is light enough that care must be taken when drawing the sword.
The Sageo cord is used to secure a katana to the Obi (Belt).
Sageo in this series are made of silk.
Tsuba are guards for both the Katana and Wakizashi. They protect your hands from your opponent's sword when parrying / blocking and protect your hands from slipping forward when thrusting.
We have over one hundred different types to choose from, for katana, wakizashi, and tanto. If you don't find what you are looking for here, feel free to browse our custom swords to get a better idea of what you would like, or contact us directly for the full catalog
The tsubas in this series are made from alloy, iron, brass, and copper. Since our specialty is in making blades, we pick out high quality manufacturers of domestic fittings.
Click to view fittings..
The Habaki and Seppa are the metal collar and washer which keep the blade from falling out of the saya and also secure the fittings in place.
Fuchi and kashira are ornamental fittings which are attached to the handles of Japanese swords. The fuchi fits over the end of the handle, and the kashira fits over the opposite end.
There are a variety of fuchi & kashira to choose. They are made from alloy, copper, and iron. The sets will be periodically renewed to provide the widest possible ranges of options.
Click to view fittings..
Same'gawa is the rayskin used for the tsuka (handle) wrapping, placed beneath the ito wrap.
Menuki are placed under the tsuka ito (handle wrap) to help with the grip of the sword.
The following menuki are made from alloy, brass, and copper.
Click to view fittings..
Tsuka-Ito is the handle wrapping material. The ito are made of silk, and we also offer genuine leather wrap. We make the wrapping as tight as possible to ensure a long life for your sword.
The engraving is chiseled, or carved. It is done on blade near the Habaki.
We offer engraving service for English, Chinese and Kanji characters. We will translate from English to Chinese or Kanji .
We can also engrave a symbol of your choice.
We offer some accessories like sword bags, stands, sword cases, maintenance kits, and replacement fittings for your sword.
