Shadowcurve Hand Forged 1095 Steel Black Wakizashi Short Sword | 28 Inch Overall | Blackened Curved Blade and Cord Wrapped Tsuka with Matching Saya | Collector Gift | RK-1897

Shadowcurve is a wakizashi, the short companion sword of the Japanese pair, built entirely in black. The blade is 1095 high carbon steel with a gentle curve and a single edge, finished in a dark oxide rather than a bright polish. The tsuka is wrapped in black cord over black textured underlay, the tsuba is a small dark disc cut with a repeating pattern, and the saya is matte black with no fittings to catch the light. Everything on the sword is deliberately quiet.

The wakizashi existed because of a rule about doors. Under Tokugawa law a samurai left the long katana at the entrance when visiting a house, and the wakizashi stayed on his belt indoors, which made it the sword a man actually carried through most of his day. It was worn edge up through the sash alongside the katana, and the pair together was called daisho, meaning large and small. Shadowcurve is forged, ground, heat treated, mounted and finished by hand by hand in the Czech Republic.

Specifications

Why the tsuka is wrapped the way it is

The cord wrap on a Japanese hilt is not decoration wearing a job title. The diamond windows you can see between the crossings are there so the underlay shows through and grips the palm, and the alternating twists mean each crossing locks the one before it, so a wrap that comes loose at one point does not unravel down the whole handle. Underneath the cord sits a textured layer that stops the wrap sliding on the wood. The eight inch length is what allows a two handed hold on a sword this short, with the hands spread rather than stacked, which is how you get control of a blade that is too light to steer itself. Shadowcurve is wrapped by hand, one crossing at a time, and finished with a knot at the butt.

The steel and the black finish

1095 is a plain high carbon steel with about one percent carbon, the same steel we use across the shop, and it takes a fine edge and a deep uniform oxide equally well. We normalise, quench in warm oil and temper to 54 to 58 HRC, on the tough side because a curved single edged blade takes lateral load through a cut. The black is a chemical oxide conversion rather than paint or a coating, which means it is part of the surface rather than a layer sitting on top of it, so it will not chip or flake. It is thin by nature. Expect it to lighten along the edge and at the high points of the tsuba over years of handling, which is normal and is the reason a blackened blade looks better used than new.

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 Shadowcurve an engraved line cuts through the black oxide and shows bright steel underneath, which gives a strong contrast most owners like. The flat above the habaki is the usual position. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

The balance sits about three inches ahead of the tsuba, which for a nineteen inch blade means it turns quickly and stops where you put it. A wakizashi is short enough to be used in a room, which was always its point, and it takes either a two handed hold with the hands spread along the tsuka or a single handed grip close under the tsuba. The blade is sharpened. Shadowcurve is sold for collecting, display and dry handling, and we do not sell it for full contact sparring or for cutting against hard targets.

Care

A black oxide slows corrosion, it does not stop it, and 1095 under that oxide will still rust if you let it sit damp. Wipe the blade after handling and keep a very light film of oil on it, applied with a cloth rather than sprayed so the saya interior stays dry. Never leave the sword sheathed with oil pooled on the blade, because that is how a saya lining goes sticky. Clean the cord wrap with a dry brush only. Do not use solvent or metal polish on the blade, because polish will cut straight through the oxide and leave a bright scar. Rust removal notes are in the guide to steel care.

Made in the Czech Republic

This is a handmade piece from the Czech Republic, made in a workshop that still forges, grinds and finishes by hand instead of stamping parts out. The smiths there have kept the older way of working, and the wood, horn and leather are shaped and fitted by hand as well. Two pieces of the same design will never be identical, and that is part of what you are buying.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We handle the import ourselves, look over every piece when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. Engraving is done in the United States after the piece arrives, so your design goes on before we send it out.

A note on handmade variation

This sword is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Black oxide takes differently on every blade, so the depth of black and the way it breaks toward grey at the edge is unique to each. The cord wrap has its own tension and diamond spacing, the curve of the blade is set by hand at the quench, and the saya finish holds its own sheen. The dimensions, the steel, the heat treat and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Will the black finish rub off?

It cannot flake, because it is a conversion of the steel surface rather than a coating. It does thin at the high points and along the edge with handling, which most owners consider an improvement.

Is this a katana or a wakizashi?

A wakizashi. The blade is nineteen inches, which puts it squarely in the short sword range. A katana blade runs from roughly twenty four inches upward.

Can I display it on a katana stand?

Yes, on a small or two tier stand. Rest it saya down with the edge upward, which is the traditional orientation and also keeps the edge off the cradle.

Is it sharp?

Yes, it arrives with a working sharp edge. It is sold as a collector and display sword rather than as a cutter.

Does the saya lock onto the blade?

It holds by friction at the habaki, which is the traditional method. It should take a firm push to seat and a deliberate pull to draw.

How long is the wait?

One to two weeks of processing, then free shipping inside the United States. The cord wrap and the oxide are the slow steps.

What is in the box

• Shadowcurve black wakizashi in 1095 high carbon steel
• Matching matte black saya
• Care card covering oiling and looking after a black oxide finish
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See the other wakizashi, the katana and Japanese swords, the short swords, and the guides.