Is the 1045 carbon steel construction on these Kitetsu replicas genuine?
Updated Feb 2026
Yes, the 1045 carbon steel construction on these Kitetsu replicas is genuine. 1045 is a medium-high carbon steel used in actual Japanese sword production for entry to mid-level pieces. At approximately 0.45% carbon content, it can be heat-treated to provide real edge hardness - it is not stainless steel, which cannot be hardened for blade performance, and it is not a cosmetic alloy. The full-tang construction is also genuine: the steel runs continuously from the blade tip through the handle core, which you can verify by the weight and balance of the sword in hand - a full-tang sword has a fundamentally different feel from a rat-tail tang or hollow handle construction. The colorways applied to these swords - the purple of the Nidai and the red of the Sandai - are surface treatments applied after the forging and heat treatment of the underlying steel blade, and they do not affect the construction quality of the blade itself. For collectors who want anime-inspired pieces with real construction quality rather than decorative props, the material and build standard of these replicas meets that requirement.