Katana HONSANMAI HAMON

This range of katana begins with the T10/C105 hamon sabers. These are superior than the usual 1095 (see information T10/C105) and they have been submitted to a thermal treatment (selective quench). Effectively, a clay mixture is applied on the katana, not very thick at the edge. This mixture is warmed up to 800° before being quenched in water. This brutal cooling produces martensite where there is no clay. So the edge of the katana becomes very hard, other part of the katana staying not so stiff to absorb efficiently the blows. These katanas can easier be sharpened.

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The hamon is easily visible, it makes a line along the edge (see the picture). Pay attention to the false hamons, or hamons realised by modern air cooling, that is unfortunately usual. These sabers with formidable edge and high carbon tenant are quite suitable for the martial arts practice or for budo in a dojo (iaido, kendo, tameshigiri with an adequate curve to draw easily). There quenched steel blade allows exceptional cutting of tatami and bamboo !

Then there is the composite katana, Japanese art becoming legendary. Fabricated so that to have different steels : at the edge a high hardness for more power, and soft steel at strategic levels of the blade to make it suppler when fighting. You may see a picture of a kobuse katana and honsanamai. On the diagram, dark blue is used for hard steel or 1095 generally, light blue for medium steel or 1060 which is the most used, and grey for tender steel (1045,1050 ...).

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From where are coming our sabers ?

All sabers are elaborated in our forges (we are not retailer) by our craftsmen, some of them having about thirty years of experiment in katana forging. This gives us the opportunity to offer many possibilities to customise your item, but also to assume a full control of the forging process in order to stay as close as possible to the traditional techniques. Moreover all sabers of this range are forged and signed by the Master Founder of Katana-craft, known to have won competitions facing other well-known Masters in forge.

Of course our sabers are not nihontos ( realized by Old Masters or Tohsho and respecting the Japanese culture, which price reaches easily 10000-15000 €/$). We do not assume any ritual to give a soul to the katana (except on specific demand). We can offer Nihontos and Shinsakutos, but within ranges from the menu "Items/Nihontos" of the site. The traditional processes which have value for all of us, fanatic lovers of Japanese sabers, are quite respected. We do not use any machine, all is entirely hand-made, particularly the polishing which is done with many Japanese water-stones. So, no grindstone machine as often used for most of the sabers nowadays (but Nihontos), with a mention "hand-made". (sure, you need hands to use a grindstone machine, but all the same !)

Shipping 12 weeks

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