Damascus Steel Tanto with Copper Tsuba, Black Cord Handle in Gray Copper-Finished Saya

The blade on this hamidashi tanto is forged from folded damascus steel, producing the layered melaleuca pattern visible along the flat of the blade. Full-tang construction extends the steel through the entire handle core, giving the piece a solid, unified feel. The tanto profile - straight spine meeting an angled tip - is cleanly ground and precision-finished, allowing the layered pattern to catch light along its full length.

The handle wraps black cord tsuka-ito over ray-skin in a tight diamond pattern, seated against a gold-tone textured kashira. The grip has good hand-feel density from the layered wrap, and the proportions sit naturally for a tanto of this scale. For collectors exploring Damascus Tanto options, the material contrast between the folded blade and the bound handle is one of this piece's strongest visual draws.

The copper tsuba is cast with engraved geometric border patterns and carries gold-tone surface detailing across its face. As a hamidashi-style guard, it sits flush and low-profile rather than projecting - a design choice that keeps the transition from blade to handle visually clean and proportionally balanced.

The saya is finished in a gray copper tone, smooth and consistent across the body. Engraved kanji characters run along the scabbard face, accompanied by a hand-tied sageo cord in blue and red with a matching tassel at the tip. The gold-tone sageo fitting reinforces the metallic accent palette carried through the tsuba and kashira. This Black Tsuba Tanto pairing of dark handle and gray-copper saya creates a layered, grounded color scheme across the full piece.

Overall length is 22 inches with a shipping weight of 5 lbs, packaged in a 24 x 4 x 4 inch box. The compact tanto format and the contrast of folded steel, copper hardware, and kanji saya make this a strong addition to any Japanese short sword collection.