Blackreed Hand Forged 1095 Steel Katana | Curved Single Edged Blade | Blackened Finish with Round Guard and Cord Wrapped Tsuka | Martial Arts Gift | RK-1876

The Blackreed is a katana style sword: a curved, single edged Japanese blade with a round black guard and a black cord wrapped tsuka. The blade is 1095 high carbon steel finished dark, with a bright ground edge bevel running the full length so the cutting edge stands out against the blackened flat. The blade collar just above the round tsuba carries a chevron motif. It comes with a plain black saya.

The curve in a Japanese blade comes out of the heat treatment. Smiths harden the edge and leave the spine softer, and the hardened edge expands more than the spine as the blade cools, which bows the blade. The curved tachi and later the katana came out of that discovery, and the curve is what turns a chop into a draw cut. The guard is a plain round tsuba in black steel, the shape most katana carry. This sword is forged and finished in the Czech Republic.

Curve, temper line and furniture all have names, and what a katana is goes through the parts. 1095 is the plain carbon steel we work in, and the steel glossary explains what the number means and why it takes an edge. The tanto knives carry the same furniture at knife length.

Specifications

Why a round guard and a curved blade change the sword

The round tsuba on a katana is not just decoration. It is a counterweight and a hand stop on a sword built around drawing and cutting in the same motion. This one keeps to that round form, plain and black so it does not compete with the bright edge bevel.

The curved blade shapes the cut. A curved blade slices, because the point of contact travels along the edge as the sword moves and turns a chop into a draw cut almost automatically. That is why the katana shape has lasted so long, since the geometry does part of the work for you. The trade is that a curved blade thrusts less directly than a straight one, because the point sits a little off the line of the grip, and the arc needs clearing when you draw from the saya.

The steel and the blackened finish

The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, hardened to 54 to 58 HRC. On a sword length blade that range is the right compromise. Harder steel holds an edge longer but a long blade needs to survive being knocked, dropped and levered, and toughness is worth more than the last few points of edge retention.

The dark surface is a blackened finish over the flats, with the edge bevel ground bright afterwards so the two contrast. Blackening on steel is a surface treatment rather than a paint layer, and it does something useful beyond looking good: it slows the start of rust by giving the steel a stable oxide skin rather than raw bright metal. It does not make the blade rustproof. It is not stainless, and it still needs oil.

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, the leather or the wood. 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 where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On this sword the flat of the blade near the guard takes engraving well, and engraved lines cut through the blackening to bright steel underneath, which gives very high contrast. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

The curve carries the point a little off the line of the grip, which is what anyone used to a katana expects. The balance sits forward of the guard but not far. Two hands fit the tsuka comfortably with a gap between them, which is the standard Japanese grip and the one that gives you control of the edge.

This is a sharp sword sold as a collector and display piece. It is not a trainer. Do not use it for partner drills, contact work or any kind of sparring. If you want something for practice, use a bokken or a blunt iaito made for the purpose.

Care

Wipe the blade after handling and keep a light film of oil on it. Traditional choji oil works well and so does plain mineral oil. Be gentle with the blackened flats: do not scrub them with abrasive pads or metal polish, because the finish is a surface layer and abrasive cleaning will cut straight through it and leave bright patches. The bright edge bevel is the part that will spot first, so it is the part to keep oiled. Do not store the sword in the saya for months at a time. Our steel care page covers what to do if rust appears.

A curve like this does not sharpen the way a straight edge does, and sharpening a curved blade works through the stroke.

Made in the Czech Republic

The work behind this piece happens in a Czech Republic workshop that has kept to the old methods. Steel is forged and heat treated by hand, the grind is taken down by eye rather than by machine, and the handle, fittings and sheath are cut and finished one at a time. Because of that, every piece carries small marks of the hand that made it.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import direct, check each piece when it reaches us, and ship from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse. Engraving is added here in the United States after arrival, so the piece you receive is finished to your order.

A note on handmade variation

This is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Blackening is a chemical finish and it takes slightly differently on every blade, so the depth and evenness of the dark surface varies. The cord wrap on the tsuka is done by hand, so the exact diamond spacing shifts a little. The chevron motif on the blade collar is cut by hand. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the blade sharp when it arrives

Yes, it arrives with a working edge. Tell us in the order notes if you want it left blunt for display or for a household with children and we will do that at no extra cost.

Is this a traditional katana

It follows the katana shape, a curved single edged blade with a two hand tsuka, but the blackened finish is a modern choice rather than a period one. It is a good looking, well built curved sword, and that is what we sell it as.

Can I use it for training or cutting practice

No. This is a display and collector sword and it is not certified for partner training, sparring or contact work. Use purpose built training equipment for that.

Will the black finish scratch off

It can be scratched, like any surface finish, and abrasive polish will remove it. Normal handling and wiping will not. Small bright marks that appear over the years on the high points are normal wear.

Does the saya lock the sword in place

It is a friction fit at the mouth, which is the traditional arrangement, so the sword sits in firmly but there is no catch. Hold the saya when you draw and always draw the edge away from your body.

How long does it take to arrive

One to two weeks of processing while it is made, then free shipping within the US. If you need it by a set date, put that date in the order notes before ordering.

What is in the box

• Blackreed 1095 steel katana with blackened flats and bright edge bevel
• Plain black saya
• Care card for blackened carbon steel
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more in katana and Japanese swords, wakizashi and short swords, or read the guides on blade geometry and carbon steel care.

Compare it with these

Closest to this in the range is the Nightbraid Japanese sword. If this one is not quite right, there is the Inkwake Japanese sword, 36 inches overall. Also in this group is the Nightpath Japanese sword, 33 inches overall.

If you are putting a set together, the Knotmarch Viking sword sits alongside it. Pick the steel, the length and the fittings yourself on the design your own page.