Katana “Ryūkaku”

Hand-Forged Katana with Dragon Engraving and Crane Saya Across the deep black, high gloss lacquered saya, two cranes glide through stylized clouds. The artwork is executed in Maki-e technique. Fine golden lines define the individual flight feathers, while small red accents on the birds’ heads create a subtle contrast against the deep black background. The second motif that gives the sword its name can be found on the blade: an intricately executed dragon engraving with finely detailed scales. The combination of these two motifs gives the Katana its name: Ryūkaku (龍鶴, Dragon and Crane). The tsuba, fuchi and kashira are made of brass with gold plating. Their warm golden finish echoes the color of the cranes on the saya and gives the Katana an especially elegant character. The tsuka is covered with genuine ray skin and tightly wrapped in black Japanese silk. The orange brown sageo with its white pattern creates a striking contrast against the black saya. On the blade, the finely detailed dragon engraving meets a genuine hamon created through the clay tempering of the T10 steel. The visible temper line runs along the cutting edge and forms a natural contrast with the sand polished surface of the blade. With a hardness of approximately 55 to 58 HRC and an edge sharpened using Japanese whetstones, the blade is razor sharp and ready for cutting practice. A full tang construction secured by two mekugi provides a stable connection between the blade and handle. The Ryūkaku combines a clay tempered T10 blade with an elaborate dragon engraving, an artistically decorated saya and gold plated brass fittings. An exceptional combination of intricate design and high quality blade construction. “The crane lives a thousand years, the tortoise ten thousand.” 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 finish Fuchi (collar): Brass with gold finish Kashira (pommel): Brass with gold finish Menuki (handle ornaments): Brass with gold finish Ito (handle wrap): Wrapped in Japanese silk Saya (scabbard): Hardwood, black lacquer with maki-e crane motif Sageo (scabbard cord): Wrapped in Japanese silk Handle length: 27 cm / 10.6 in Overall length: 103 cm / 40.5 in Blade Material: T10 steel Clay-tempered (genuine hamon): Yes Battle-ready: Yes Folded steel: No Full tang: Yes (2 mekugi) Blade engraving: Dragon Sand-polished: Yes Sharpened with Japanese water stones: Yes Bo-hi (blood groove): No Blade length: 71 cm / 28 in Blade thickness: 7 mm / 0.28 in Blade width: 3.2 cm / 1.26 in Hardness: 55–58 HRC