Yami means darkness — the quiet, shadowed edge of a blade that gives nothing away until it moves. This Damascus katana wears that name well: a folded Damascus blade with unique patterns and a visible hamon drawn up by careful hardening, giving superior cutting ability for practice and demonstration alike. It is a mid-tier sword with a tactile, brooding character all its own.
Forging & Steel
The blade is folded Damascus steel, its grain rippling in patterns no stamped blade can match, with a hamon made visible through careful differential hardening — the line where the hard edge meets the more resilient body that absorbs a cut’s shock. Together they deliver clean, confident cutting that holds up to repeated practice. The fittings lean into the dark, tactile theme: a sculpted brass tsuba, a saya of solid wood that guards the edge between sessions, and a tsuka of magnolia wood bound with traditional rice glue and finished with a beaded fish-skin wrap for a textured, secure grip that holds through repeated cuts. It is a katana that looks as deliberate as it cuts, well suited to demonstration where presence matters as much as performance. The beaded fish-skin wrap and rice-glued magnolia core are old methods chosen for grip and longevity, not just looks, so the sword holds up to real handling. Nothing about it is incidental.
Specifications
| Blade steel | Damascus steel with hamon |
|---|---|
| Blade colour | Gray |
| Tsuba | Carved brass |
| Saya | Solid wood |
| Tsuka | Magnolia wood (rice-glued), beaded fish-skin wrap |
Dimensions
| Total length | 103 cm |
|---|---|
| Blade length | 71 cm |
| Blade width | 3.2 cm |
| Blade thickness | 0.7 cm |
| Handle length | 26 cm |
Is it battle-ready?
Yes. The folded Damascus blade is sharpened and built for superior cutting in practice and demonstration, with a textured fish-skin grip that keeps the sword controlled in hand. Explore the wider katana range, or compare it with the Damascus Shokubutsu and Hideyoshi.
Verified owner
Incredibly well-made katana. I own several made the traditional way, a few of which cost more than this one, but the quality here is right up there. Razor sharp too. I went ahead and added the hand-sharpening option and it’s seriously keen, clearly not done by machine. About as close to a real Japanese sword as you’re going to get.