Nightpath Hand Forged Damascus Steel Ninjato | 33 Inch Overall with 22.5 Inch Blade | Straight Black Lacquered Wooden Saya and Cord | Martial Arts Collector Gift | RK-1280

It is worth being honest about the ninjato, because almost nobody selling one is. There is no authenticated surviving example of a straight bladed sword carried by a shinobi, and the square tsuba, the straight blade and the oversized scabbard are a twentieth century idea that came out of Japanese film and stage work and then hardened into received wisdom through martial arts schools and video games. What is well documented is that shinobi mostly carried ordinary blades, often shorter and plainer than a samurai would use, because the entire point was to look like a farmer or a merchant rather than like an armed man. The straight sword is a modern piece of design. Understanding that is not a reason to want one less. It is a distinct and genuinely well thought out blade shape in its own right, and Nightpath is forged as one in 1095 and 15N20 Damascus hardened to 58 to 60 HRC, with a 22.5 inch straight blade. For how the lengths relate to each other, see how the three lengths differ.

Forged, ground, heat treated and mounted by hand in the Czech Republic. It ships with the straight black lacquered wooden saya shown in the photographs, a cord tie, and a protective coat of oil on the blade. Shipping within the United States is free.

Specifications

What a straight blade actually changes

Take the curve out of a Japanese sword and three things happen, and only one of them is a loss. The loss is the draw cut. A curved edge rolls along a target as the arms carry it through, turning a chop into a slice, and a straight edge cannot do that as efficiently. It has to be driven rather than drawn.

What you gain is a sword that thrusts properly. On a curved blade the point sits off the line of the handle, so a thrust has to be aimed with a small correction that becomes instinctive but is never free. On a straight blade the point sits directly on the axis of the grip, which means the sword goes where the hand points it and the whole length of the arm and blade acts as one rigid line. The second gain is drawing. A straight scabbard can be worn anywhere, across the back, at the hip, tucked in a belt, and the blade comes out cleanly regardless, whereas a curved sword has to be drawn along the arc of its own curve.

The angled chisel ground tip is the third piece of the design. Instead of the edge curving up to meet the spine, it stops and turns through a hard angle, leaving a stubby wedge with full thickness steel right behind the point. It is a tip built for punching into something resistant rather than for slicing, and it is the one feature of the modern ninjato that is genuinely well conceived rather than merely cinematic.

Why Damascus steel and not stainless

The blade is pattern welded from 1095 and 15N20, two carbon steels forge welded into one bar and then etched, which brings up the wavy grain you can see along the flat. With no chromium in either steel, the carbon goes into the fine hard structures that let an edge be taken keen. It heat treats predictably, which matters on a blade that must come out of the quench dead straight when there is no curve to hide a slight bend.

Stainless buys corrosion resistance with chromium and pays for it in edge fineness and in toughness at length. A sword should bend and warn rather than snap. The cost of carbon steel Damascus is that it rusts if left wet or fingerprinted, which the oil and a wipe deal with. The full comparison is set out in our steel and hardness notes.

The tsuka and the straight saya

A nine inch hardwood core is fitted in two halves to the full length tang, covered in white same and wrapped in black cord in alternating diamonds, then closed with a brass fuchi and kashira. The handle is long for the blade, which is deliberate. A straight sword thrusts, and thrusting hard wants two hands well separated along the grip so the point can be steered and stopped.

The saya is hollowed from wood in the usual way, straight rather than curved, and lacquered black. A straight scabbard is easier to make well than a curved one and much easier to wear in an unusual position, which is exactly the point of the design. Both handle core and scabbard are wood, so keep them out of long damp and direct sun. See handle and sheath care.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the handle. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us whether it goes on the blade or the handle. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. A straight blade is the easiest surface in the range to lay a long line of runes on, and the engraving page covers how it is spaced.

Care and sharpening

Wipe the blade after handling and keep a thin film of light mineral oil on it. Do not store the sword sheathed for long periods in a damp room, because a wooden scabbard traps humidity against the steel and a polished Damascus flat shows a rust freckle immediately.

A straight edge is the easiest of all to sharpen. There is no curve to follow, so you can run the whole length in even passes at the ground angle without rolling the blade. Take care around the angled tip, where two ground surfaces meet at a corner and the temptation is to round it off. Finish fine and strop. Both jobs are covered in steel care and sharpening with a whetstone.

Made in the Czech Republic

This piece is made by hand in the Czech Republic, in a workshop that still works the old way. The steel is forged, ground, heat treated and finished by smiths who learned the trade from the people before them, and the wood, horn and leather are cut and fitted by hand rather than pressed out on a line. That is also why no two pieces come out exactly the same.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import these pieces ourselves, check every one when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives, so your runes or your own design go on before it leaves for you.

A note on handmade variation

Nightpath is hand forged. It is not machine made and it is not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The Damascus pattern is unique to each blade, the angle of the chisel ground tip is set by eye and varies a degree or two, the wrap sits where the hand tied it, and the grain and tone of the wood in the tsuka core and the saya belong to that timber. Dimensions, steel and build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Were ninja swords really straight?

Almost certainly not. There is no authenticated historical example, and the straight bladed ninjato is a modern design that came out of film and stage work in the twentieth century. Shinobi appear to have carried ordinary and often unremarkable blades. This is a well made modern sword in that style rather than a historical reproduction, and we would rather say so plainly.

Does it arrive sharp?

Yes, sharpened and ready to use. Ask in the order notes if you want it blunt for display or for a venue that requires it, at no extra charge.

Can it be worn across the back?

The straight saya makes back carry physically possible, which is the practical argument for the design. It is not supplied with a back harness, and for anything beyond display or photographs a hip position is far more practical.

Can I have runes engraved on it?

Yes, and a straight blade is the easiest surface in the range for it. Use the rune converter on this page for Elder Futhark or choose your own Viking pattern in the engraving option above the add to cart button.

How does it compare to a katana?

It thrusts far better and slices less well. The point sits on the axis of the grip so it goes where you aim it, but you lose the draw cut that a curved edge gives you. It is also shorter at 33 inches overall, which makes it easier to handle indoors and easier to display.

How long does shipping take?

Free within the United States. One to two weeks in the shop, longer with engraving, then two to five days in transit.

What is in the box

• Nightpath hand forged Damascus steel ninjato
• Straight black lacquered wooden saya with cord tie
• Spare bamboo mekugi peg
• Protective oil coat on the blade
• Care and sharpening card
• Elder Futhark rune engraving where selected
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See the rest of the short swords, the curved katana and Japanese swords, the shorter wakizashi, or read the guides.

Other pieces in this group

For a straight comparison, see the Valkshade Japanese sword. Worth putting side by side with this is the Blackreed Japanese sword, forged from 1095. In the same category sits the Shadowfen Japanese sword, pattern welded Damascus.

From the same corner of the shop, there is the Nightfell Viking sword. Nothing here exactly right, build one to your own spec on the design your own page.