Iron Tiger Forge - Meiso - Honsanmai Laminated Katana for Sale

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Iron Tiger Forge - Meiso - Honsanmai Laminated Katana For Sale

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Iron Tiger Forge - Meiso - Honsanmai Laminated Katana:
$470.00

Bought from Kult of Athena a few years ago and has been on display all this time. Although it’s incredibly sharp and would have no problem cutting through anything you swing at it has never been used to cut anything.

The Meiso katana is fitted with a Honsanmai style laminated blade that was crafted with 1095, 1060 and 1045 high carbon steel. This lamination forge-welded the blade to possess an edge of hard steel, with a jacket of medium-hard steel and a core of softer steel to give it a durable, shock-absorbing spine. The blade was also differentially-tempered with the traditional application of the clay method to further harden the edge and to give it the distinctive, wave-like hamon.

The tip was formed with a geometric yokote and a Chu-Kissaki tip. The sword has been lightened with a bo-hi groove to give it fine handling characteristics; as a side effect, this form also amplifies the Tachikaze sword wind – an audible whoosh or whistle made when the blade passes through the air. A skilled ear can discern the alignment of the blade by the pitch of this sound.

The Tsuba, Fuchi and Kashira fittings are iron and the habaki and seppa are brass. The tsuba is in the form of a humble, but dignified bamboo mat and the fuchi and kashira depict, in frozen iron, the waves of the sea. The carved wood tsuka grip has panels of inlaid rayskin; the black silk ito was wrapped with underlying hishigami triangles to both tighten the grip and give it traditional form. The Saya scabbard of wood is finished with a textured black lacquer finish and a knotted black Sageo cord.