For a custom katana build, the blade is the irreducible commitment - the piece the entire assembly is organized around. Handle dimensions, tsuba fitting, sageo color: all decisions work outward from the blade. Starting with a tamahagane blade means starting with a material that has no modern equivalent in the production-steel world, one whose origin in a tatara furnace and whose forging history are readable in the steel itself.
This blade runs 28.3 inches from tip to habaki-moto, with a 9.5-inch full-tang nakago, 37.8 inches total. The proportions - 1.26-inch width, 0.75-inch sori curvature, 1.76 lbs - are consistent with traditional katana geometry. The nakago carries its natural black-rust patina, preserved as the Japanese smiths who developed this method intended: the patina protects against red rust when the tang is enclosed in a handle, and its character develops over time in ways that serve as a historical record.
The hamon is the differential-hardening line formed when clay-coated steel meets the quench during tempering. The hard edge zone cools faster than the clay-insulated spine, creating the crystalline boundary visible along the cutting edge. Each hamon is unique - shaped by the specific clay thickness, temperature, and quench variables of that particular forging. The jihada, visible across the flat, is the surface pattern produced by folding during forging, the grain structure of the tamahagane steel made legible at the surface.
The nakago ships with no pre-drilled holes. Mekugi-ana placement depends on the tsuka length and fittings the builder has selected, so drilling is left to the assembler. Browse the bare katana blade collection to compare tamahagane with T10 and pattern steel options. Free shipping, 30-day money-back guarantee.
- 28.3-inch tamahagane blade, 37.8 inches overall - authentic forge steel in standard katana geometry.
- Full-tang 9.5-inch nakago with preserved black-rust patina; steel runs uninterrupted tip to end.
- Real folded hamon along the cutting edge from clay tempering - each forging produces a unique line.
- Jihada surface grain visible across the flat - the folded steel signature inherent to tamahagane.
- 1.26-inch width, 0.75-inch sori, 1.76 lbs - proportions calibrated to traditional katana standards.
- No pre-drilled holes on the nakago - buyer drills mekugi-ana to fit their own tsuka configuration.
Specification
| Item Number | TK-JP-G10465 |
| Primary Color | Steel |
| Primary Material | Tamahagane Steel |
