Wind and Thunder Katana

Description of the Product

The Wind and Thunder Katana is designed by Paul Chen specifically for the martial artist who needs a sword to meet the demands of heavy target cutting, Tameshigiri. The katana features a heavier and thicker blade hand forged of T10 steel, with traditional and classic furniture and fittings.

The tsuba is crafted of blackened stainless steel and features Raiden/Raijin, the god of thunder and lightning in Japanese mythology and in the Shinto religion. This demon-looking spirit has his drums which he beats with his hammers, creating lightning, thunder, chaos and destruction, but necessities such as rain as well. As with other gods in the Japanese pantheon, Raiden is not simply good or evil, but unfathomable, as mysterious gods tend to be. Historically Japan has had its fair share of weather based devastations, from tsunamis to typhoons, and these are often attributed to Raiden or to Fuijin, the god of wind. These two gods have protected and saved Japan too, most famously during 1274 and 1281. The gods produced kamikaze, a divine wind, which sunk the invading Mongol fleets on two separate invasion attempts, thus thwarting the expansion of the Khans into East and saving Japan.

The fuchi and kashira, the fittings at both ends of the handle, feature a mitsudomoe motif. The three circular commas, or droplets, of the mitsudomoe, are an almost universal symbol, found in most cultures. One of the most famous examples is the Celtic triscelion. These three legged circlets are often thought to represent the circle of life but in Japan and Shinto religion the symbol is associated with Hachiman, the god of war and archery. As the symbol of warriors, it is a common heraldic motif for many samurai clans. Tomoe, the single comma or droplet of the mitsudomoe, is thought to symbolize an armguard. The swirl also symbolizes water, and has been used as a charm/spell against fire.

The Wind and Thunder katana has a shinogi zukuri blade shape, with o-kissaki, large/long tip of the sword. The hamon is a straight suguha hamon. The tsuka is wrapped in genuine same (ray skin) and the tsuka-ito is premium Japanese black cotton. The saya is finished in a traditional black lacquer with a black cotton sageo.

The Wind and Thunder katana is an authentic and excellent cutting sword especially well-suited for Tameshigiri (martial art of test cutting). This blade is also excellent for practitioners of batto-jutsu and Iaido (martial art that emphasizes quickly drawing the sword). The blade is a little heavier and wider than traditional, allowing for easier cuts on heavier tameshigiri targets. The traditional soaked tatami mat is the ideal target, but foam noodles, rolled up soaked newspapers, and various water bottles can be an inexpensive substitute.

A Traditional Japanese Sword maintenance kit is included. The kit contains blade oil (traditional choji oil that is made of mineral and clove oil), rice papers, an oiling cloth, a powder ball for blade polishing, a brass awl and hammer that is used if one wishes to disassemble the sword, and a Saya shimming veneer to retighten the scabbard to the blade if needed. The kit is contained in a fitted wooden box. Also included is traditional brocaded blue silk cloth bag to keep your sword in pristine condition when in storage or while transporting.

Made by Hanwei. Specs can vary slightly from piece to piece.

• Overall length: 108.8 cm
• Blade length: 75.3 cm
• Handle length: 29.7 cm
• Weight: 1.46 kg
• Point of Balance: 16 cm
• Width at Guard: 3.6 cm
• Width at Tip: 2.5 cm
• Thickness at Guard: 7.8 mm
• Thickness at Tip: 7.0 mm
• Blade material: T10 Carbon Steel
• Sharpness: Very sharp