Shadowfen Hand Forged Damascus Katana | Curved Blade with Angled Chisel Point | Triskele Engraved Guard and Curved Hardwood Saya | Norse Collector Gift | RK-2011

The Shadowfen is a katana pattern sword with an unusual tip. The blade sweeps in a steady curve from the collar to a long angled chisel point instead of the usual rounded point, and the hardwood scabbard follows the same curve. The blade is hand forged Damascus, the round guard is engraved with four triple spirals, and the grip is bound in black cord over a pale textured underlay with a steel cap at the end.

Most katana end in a rounded point. The Shadowfen does not. Its tip is cut off at a long angle, the shape usually seen on tanto knives, and on a full curved blade that gives a sword which looks familiar from the grip and different at the far end. It is a modern design rather than a copy of any one historical blade, and we would rather say so up front.

Every Shadowfen is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports them, checks each one for grind, fit and finish, and ships from the warehouse in Chicago, Illinois. It comes with its curved hardwood scabbard and a lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings, with no end date and no receipt needed.

If you are deciding where to start, the three Japanese lengths compares the lengths. The triskele is the three legged spiral and it is older than the Norse use of it, which the symbols guide explains. The tanto knives carry the same furniture at knife length.

Specifications

What the angled chisel point is for

Look at the tip. Instead of the rounded point most katana carry, the curved edge runs up to a point that is cut off at a long shallow angle. A tip built this way has a great deal of steel directly behind the point, which is the part of a blade most likely to bend or chip. The curve still does most of the slicing work in a draw cut, and the angled tip adds a strong point for thrusts. The trade is that the angled tip does not slice as smoothly as a rounded one when you cut with the very end of the blade.

The guard carries four triple spirals arranged around the seat. The triskele is an Iron Age Celtic and Norse carving motif rather than a Japanese one, and putting it on Japanese fittings is a modern crossover, which we would rather say plainly than dress up as tradition. It is engraved rather than stamped, so the lines stay crisp under a thumb.

The steel and how it is hardened

The blade is pattern welded from 1095 and 15N20. Layers of the two steels are forge welded into a billet, drawn out, folded and welded again, then ground and etched. Nickel in the 15N20 resists the acid and stays bright while the 1095 goes dark, and that contrast is the pattern you can see flowing along the flat. It runs through the thickness of the steel rather than sitting on the surface, so sharpening will never wear it away.

Hardness comes out between 58 and 60 HRC. That takes and keeps a working edge while leaving enough temper in the spine that the blade flexes rather than fractures if you catch it badly. The edge bevel is finished by hand on stones, which is why the polish along the cutting edge looks different from the etched flats above it.

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 natural places are the flat above the collar and the face of the round guard. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives, and the engraving page covers lettering sizes and lead times.

Handling and balance

The grip is long enough for two hands, and the curve carries the edge through a cut without much effort from the wrist. There is no groove down the flat, so the blade is a little stiffer and a little more forward heavy than the Ravenwake pattern, and it rewards a compact swing. The cord wrap and the steel butt cap give a dry hand something to hold on to at the end of the grip.

It is a sharpened, hardened sword. It is not sold as a sparring sword and should never be brought into contact with another blade or with a hard target. Treat it as a cutting sword and a display piece.

Care

Carbon Damascus will rust if it is left alone. Wipe the blade with a dry cloth every time you handle it, because skin salt starts pitting faster than most people expect, then put a thin film of mineral oil or blade oil on the steel before it goes back in the scabbard. The hardwood scabbard is bare timber inside and will hold damp, so never sheathe a wet blade and never store the sword in a sealed case for months without checking it. Light surface rust lifts with oil and a nylon pad. Do not reach for abrasive paper, because it will cut straight through the etched pattern. There is more on steel care in the guides.

The cord wrap can be sponged with a barely damp cloth and dried away from direct heat. The wooden scabbard takes a wipe of furniture oil once or twice a year.

Damascus wants oil more than plain steel does, because the etch that shows the pattern also opens the surface, and caring for a Damascus pattern covers what to use.

Made in the Czech Republic

This katana is made by hand in the Czech Republic, forged, ground and fitted by people who do it for a living. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Ransack Viking buys the pieces outright, checks each one on arrival in Chicago, and ships the ones that pass. They are made in small runs rather than held by the pallet, so allow one to two weeks of processing before an order leaves. Shipping inside the United States is free.

A note on handmade variation

This is a hand made sword, not a machine made or bulk produced one, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Damascus is a living pattern and no two billets fold alike, so the flow of layers on your blade will be its own. The etch can run lighter or darker depending on how long it sat in the acid, the four spirals on the guard are engraved by hand and land fractionally differently each time, and the hardwood scabbard carries whatever grain and tone that piece of timber had. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the angled point historically accurate

Not really. Historical katana almost always end in a rounded point. The angled chisel point on a curved blade is a modern design, and the Shadowfen is sold as exactly that.

Does it arrive sharp

Yes. The edge is finished by hand before it ships. If you want it blunt for a display piece in a house with children, put a note on the order and we will send it that way.

Why is there no groove down the blade

This pattern is ground without one. A groove takes weight out of the middle of the blade and makes the tip feel quicker. Leaving it out makes the blade stiffer and slightly more forward heavy, which suits the strong angled point.

Will the guard engraving wear off

No. The spirals are cut into the steel rather than printed or plated onto it, so handling will only soften the polish around them, not remove them.

Can I add my own runes to it

Yes. The rune converter on this page turns your text into Elder Futhark and the flat above the collar takes a line of runes cleanly. Choose your own design instead if you would rather have a pattern than lettering.

How long will it take to reach me

Allow one to two weeks of processing while the piece is checked and any engraving is cut, then normal transit. Shipping within the United States is free and it goes out from our Chicago warehouse.

What is in the box

• Shadowfen Damascus katana
• Curved hardwood scabbard
• Blade lightly oiled for transit
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse

Explore the range

More in katana and Japanese swords, Damascus swords and short swords, or read the guides.

Worth a look beside this

Sitting beside it in the catalogue is the Nightfold Japanese sword, pattern welded Damascus. Another in the same line is the Tidefold Japanese sword, 40 inches overall. Next along the rack is the Inkwake Japanese sword, 36 inches overall.

Fitting out further, the Tidegrain short sword belongs with it. Or start from a blank sheet on the design your own page.