Folded Melaleuca Steel Katana with Gold Dragon Tsuba - Gray & Gold Lacquer Saya

The blade is forged from folded melaleuca steel, a layered construction that produces a distinctive grain pattern across the flat and a visible hamon running the length of the edge. At 40.55 inches overall and 2.8 pounds, the sword carries the proportions of a classical katana - substantial without being unwieldy. The chrome-finished surface catches light in a way that makes the folded layers legible, giving each piece a visual signature that differs slightly from the next.

The tsuka is built on a hardwood core and wrapped in white ito over PU black samegawa. The binding follows a traditional diamond pattern, with black menuki set into the wrap at regular intervals. The contrast between the white cord and dark underlayer is clean and sharp, and the kashira at the pommel is fitted with a gold-tone cap that ties into the hardware theme running through the rest of the fittings.

The tsuba is the most visually distinctive element of this build. Cast in copper with a gold finish, it features an openwork dragon design - the figure carved in relief and framed by a circular guard with organic cutouts. Dragons carry layered meaning in Japanese sword culture: protection, authority, and elemental force. The detail work on this piece is fine enough to reward close examination, with scales and facial features rendered clearly in the casting. Browse the full Dragon Theme Katana collection to see related designs.

The saya is shaped from hardwood and coated in a matte gray lacquer, then wrapped with gold cord in a diagonal chevron pattern that echoes the ito geometry on the handle. The black-and-white braided sageo is attached at the kurigata and hangs with the kind of weight that suggests it will hold a knot cleanly. The gray and gold combination gives the saya a restrained formality that holds its own as a display piece without the blade present.

For collectors interested in folded construction as a category, this katana represents a well-appointed example within the Folded Steel Katana Sword range. Packaged at 42.9 x 3.9 x 3.5 inches with a shipping weight of 3.3 lbs. Sword stand not included.