Dragon King – Autumn Leaf Katana – New Version

This is a Battle Ready katana with a Very Sharp edge on a 5160 high-carbon steel blade, which suits it for cutting practice on tatami and water bottles as well as display. It is not a sparring sword, since it carries a live edge rather than a blunted one.

The blade is forged from 5160 high-carbon steel and clay tempered in the traditional manner, giving a hard edge near 60 HRc backed by a softer, more resilient spine near 40 HRc. This differential hardening is what produces the genuine hamon running along the blade and gives the sword both a sharp, hard-wearing edge and a spine that resists breaking.

A traditional katana tang, which this follows, runs roughly three-quarters the length of the grip and is secured through the handle with bamboo pegs called mekugi, rather than running the full width of the grip under riveted scales as on a modern tactical blade. This is the traditional and most common katana construction and is built to hold up to cutting use.

The point of balance sits 5 1/2" out from the guard, which keeps the weight close to the hands and gives the sword a quick, agile feel suited to fast cutting motions.

The tsuba, fuchi, and kashira are darkened and antiqued stainless steel, with silver habaki and seppa. The tsuka is wrapped in brown ito over genuine rayskin with silver menuki beneath the wrap, and the saya is glossy black lacquer with a black sageo cord and a polished buffalo horn koiguchi.

The sword ships with its black lacquered wooden saya, a black sageo cord, and a cloth sword bag for transport and storage.

Since this is a Very Sharp 5160 high-carbon steel blade, wipe it down after handling and keep a light coat of oil on it to prevent rust, then store it somewhere dry. Keep the blade out of the saya for long-term storage, since a scabbard traps moisture against the steel even though it's fine for display or transport.

With its Very Sharp edge, this katana is suited to cutting tatami and water bottles.

It's a genuine hamon, produced by traditional clay tempering of the 5160 blade rather than etched or painted on, and a fine polish brings out its pattern along the edge.

Yes, in this case — the edge is listed as Very Sharp, and the Battle Ready classification reflects its solid, functional build overall. Battle Ready on its own doesn't always mean sharpened, but for this sword the Very Sharp edge confirms it.