The master sword smiths at Shinwa have done it again with this captivating Shinwa Imperial Zatoichi sword featuring a thick 28" Damascus steel blade that has been meticulously heat forged and hand folded to deliver 2000 powerful layers of cutting steel. The full-tang construction makes this Samurai masterpiece sturdy and built to last, and it truly lives up to its proud Zatoichi heritage.
The oversized handle features genuine ray skin construction that is graciously wrapped in heavy decorative cording. Custom embellishments like the cast zinc alloy habaki, tsuba and pommel add even more authenticity to this imperial sword, ensuring that it will be a prized treasure of true sword collectors. A coordinating hardwood scabbard has been hand lacquered to house this massive blade in authentic style. Measures 40-3/4" overall.
About Shinwa:
Shinwa swords are made by hand using traditional methods in the ancient sword-making township of Lonquan. The sword-making history of this town can be traced back to the twentieth year of the Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty – exceptional sword making continues there still today. The swordsmiths of Lonquan can apprentice for up to six years before they begin to forge these functional works of art on their own.
Each Shinwa sword is hand forged at temperatures of up to 1,100 °F and continuously heated, folded, hammered and shaped before being oil quenched and then straightened. Damascus steel blades are folded as many as ten times to yield up to 2,056 layers of premium Damascus steel. After quenching the blade is then ground and hand sharpened and polished by the swordsmith on a series of wet stones. Each set of these wet stones contains a finer level of silicate particles, which produces an even sharper edge. In the final stages of this painstaking process, the tsuka is wrapped and tsuba and other fittings are added before a thin coat of oil is added to the blade to prevent corrosion.