Katana “Hebinami”

Serpent-Themed Katana with a Folded T10 Blade The saya of the Hebinami is made from rosewood, leaving its natural grain fully visible. Dark, elongated lines and varying shades of brown run along the scabbard, giving each individual piece a slightly unique appearance. The black sageo made from Japanese silk provides a subtle contrast to the warm tone of the wood. The dark fittings are made from brass and accented with carefully placed gold-coloured details. At the centre of the design is the recurring snake motif: a sculpted snake winds around the tsuba, while the fuchi, kashira and menuki repeat the motif through various details. The tsuka is lined with genuine rayskin and tightly wrapped in black Japanese silk. Together with the dark fittings and gold-coloured accents, this creates a distinctive yet understated overall appearance. The hand-forged blade is made from folded T10 carbon steel. The folding process creates a fine, irregular layered pattern across the blade surface, giving each blade an individual character. Traditional differential clay hardening produces a genuine hamon along the cutting edge. The subsequent sand polish brings out both the temper line and the layered structure of the folded steel. The snake motif of the fittings, together with the flowing lines of the blade and saya, also gives the katana its name: Hebinami (蛇波) – “Snake Wave”. A full tang secured within the tsuka by two mekugi provides a solid construction. The sharpened blade is suitable for cutting practice. With folded T10 carbon steel, genuine differential clay hardening, genuine rayskin, Japanese silk wrapping and a rosewood saya, the Hebinami combines functional construction with a distinctive design consistently shaped by its snake motif. “It takes a snake to know a snake’s path.” Features Hand-forged in the traditional Japanese style: Yes Suitable for technique training (Battodo): Yes Suitable for cutting practice (Tameshigiri): Yes Tsuka (handle): Hardwood wrapped in genuine rayskin Tsuba (handguard): Brass with gold Fuchi (collar): Brass with gold Kashira (pommel): Brass with gold Menuki (handle ornaments): Brass Ito (handle wrap): Wrapped in Japanese silk Saya (scabbard): Rosewood, polished Sageo (scabbard cord): Wrapped in Japanese silk Overall length: 103 cm / 40.5 in Blade Material: T10 steel Clay-tempered (genuine hamon): Yes Battle-ready: Yes Folded steel: Yes Full tang: Yes (2 mekugi) Sand-polished: Yes Sharpened with Japanese water stones: No Bo-hi (blood groove): No Blade length: 72 cm / 28.3 in Blade thickness: 7 mm / 0.28 in Blade width: 3.2 cm / 1.26 in Hardness: 55–58 HRC