The spine will remain shock-absorbent, while the edge hardens. This process causes the sharpened edge of the sword to become much harder than the spine. Then you shove the blade in cold water, allowing the exposed side to cool down rapidly, while the spine takes longer to reach thermal equilibrium. The edge is thoroughly baked, while the spine stays much cooler. That is the hamon.ĭifferential hardening of steel means covering the spine of the blade with clay before heating the whole thing in a flaming oven. In the image above, you can see the edge has a lighter gray, wavy pattern. The hamon results from differential hardening with clay, during the cooling process. But there are other options for layering steel, and these are used for mass-producing blades: Damascus steel is a high-quality material used to hand-forge a katana. It features a similar folding pattern like its Japanese counterpart.Ī real hamon temper line, which looks like a pale wiggly portion running parallel to the edge. If you look closely, you will see little stripes and lines.įolded steel was the material of choice for Japanese swordsmiths. You can easily identify folded steel by the minuscule swirly lines that seem to be etched on the surface of the blade. They developed this method in ancient Japan because the steel quality was poor, and this folding technique could smooth out imperfections in the metal making the sword much stronger. Either way, you should be aware of the specific parts of the sword that classify a high-quality katana.įolded Steel, Real Hamon, and Differential Hardening.įolded steel is a technique of layering multiple steel alloys with different hardness levels, to extract the best combination of sharpness, durability, and resistance for the sword. There are many good smiths all over the world (in the US, particularly), that make beautiful battle-ready, custom-designed swords. They work with regular, modern-day tools and techniques (simple and straight-forward). Of course, these blacksmiths don’t use tamahagane steel or the tatara furnace. These swords are more affordable (depending on your budget) than the Nihonto katana. However, there are katanas of excellent quality made outside Japan, yet using the traditional hand-making techniques by master smiths. Often, finishing this kind of blade will take months (up to a year), and the cost will reflect the hard work. A hand-forged katana of this caliber will be costly and will come with a proof of authenticity (certificate). Nihonto katanas must be made in Japan (as the name suggests), by a certified master swordsmith, following the traditional techniques. That can depend somewhat on how you define a “real” katana. How to figure out the differences between a real katana (a collectible) and a decor piece. The first thing you want to grasp is sword authenticity. There are a couple of important topics we should browse through before asking where to buy a real katana? To Tell the Difference Between a Real or Fake Katana? There are details you need to know before spending your hard-earned money on one of these prized swords. If you are ready to invest in a moderately substantial sum of money on a handmade sword, then this article is for you. They are highly praised weapons that follow strict rules and regulations.īuying an authentic katana is a life goal for many weapons collectors and martial arts enthusiasts. If you have developed an interest in samurai swords, you have probably asked yourself where to buy a real katana? Authentic Japanese katanas are handmade in accordance with the ancient Japanese methods.
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