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Our
Paper Crane Wakizashi is without doubt the greatest achievement
in sword making artistry yet available from Hanwei. The
blade is crafted from Hanwei’s own Tamahagane steel (see
below) while the fittings reflect the atmosphere of the
Japanese theater. The Daisho’s name stems from the origami
(the art of paper folding) cranes that decorate the striking
Tsuba and Fuchi/Kashira, all of which feature highly-prized
“Nanako” or stippled backgrounds.
The
Menuki feature thespian masks, a symbol shared by the
Japanese theater and its western counterpart. The Saya
of the katana houses a Kozuka (small knife) while that
of the Wakizashi carries a Kogai (hair pick) The Kozuka
and Kogai are decorated with musical instruments of the
theater. The Paper Crane theme is carried to the outstanding
hand woven silk Sageo, the result of many hours of skilled
work on a hand loom.
Tamahagane steel is made by building
and firing a Tatara, the traditional Japanese sword-steel
smelter. This charcoal- fired furnace produces a very
pure steel from iron sand, and this steel “Kera” or bloom
can be broken and separated into high- and low-carbon
pieces, which respectively form the “skin” steel and “core”
steel of the blade. The skin steel is forged and folded
repeatedly, to remove slag inclusions and voids and is
then wrapped around the core steel before the resulting
billet is forged into a blade.
Careful heat treating, shaping
and polishing reveals the tight “Hada” or layer pattern
of the blade and the white particles of the “Hamon” or
temper line. While this process results in the aesthetic
qualities much admired by collectors it also produces
a very functional blade, as the high carbon content of
the skin steel makes a very hard edge possible while the
softer core steel gives the blade its resilience and ability
to absorb shock.
Blade Length:
18 3/4“ Handle Length: 6 1/2”
Overall Length: 26 1/2“ Weight: 1 lb
10oz
Tamahagane Steel Blade
Superior Hamon and Polish
Heirloom Quality
This
is a sharpened battle ready sword
Order today and get a FREE Paul Chen sword maintenance
kit plus a FREE Kill Bill & Bride's Samurai Sword
kit with display stand.
You must be 18 years or older to purchase this
Japanese
Swords katana
Availability:
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
(Pre-order, due to arrive in October of 2007, order now
to lock in your place for this once in a lifetime sword)
Item# pcpkw
Forge Suggested:
$1,899.00
Our Low Price: $1,599.00
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