Dragon King – Lotus Seed Katana – Blemished Grade

The Lotus Seed Katana by Dragon King is more than a weapon for the Samurai who wields it; its Lotus Seed theme is a representation of the Shinto-Buddhist cycle of Reincarnation and the path to Enlightenment. This Katana has a differentially-treated and traditionally clay-tempered blade forged from T10 high carbon steel - its thick spine without a bo-hi groove gives it the additional mass to power it through a decisive cutting strike. The habaki and seppa are silvered and the blackened tsuba is fashioned into the form of a Lotus seed pod and is embedded with Lotus seeds which are crafted from copper - its fuchi and kashira follow this theme.

The tsuka grip of wood is carefully inlaid with panels of genuine rayskin and it was overlaid with tightly-knotted purple tsuka-ito cord; silvered dragonfly menuki are inlaid beneath the grip wrap, for they are frequently seen among the the Lotus blooms. The saya scabbard is carved to fit from wood and is smoothly coated with a deep purple lacquer; its fittings are polished buffalo horn and it is completed with a purple, white and gold sageo cord. A cloth sword bag is included. There is also a matching Wakizashi available to complement this sword to create a beautifully matched daisho set - it is linked with a thumbnail on this page.

To a Samurai the lotus is far more than a beautiful flower; its life is a physical metaphor for the journey of Enlightenment and the cycle of rebirth. From muck the simple lotus seed stretches through muddy water, breaking through the surface before blossoming in the open air - bold, beautiful and vibrant. In time its own seeds will return to the dark mud below; the cycle begins anew. The Lotus blossom is sacred in Japan, as it is to Buddhism in all lands. Japans Mount Koya is the site of a large Buddhist Temple complex; its location was chosen in a high valley basin surrounded by eight peaks which mirror the tenants of the Noble Eightfold Path.

The fleeting beauty of the Lotus flower and its bold ephemerality between the glorious and humble stages of its life and its relation to Buddhism held great appeal for the Samurai who understood how short and transitory their own lives could often be. The opening passage of the warrior epic The Tales of the Heike pays homage to this reality as accepted by the Samurai:
The sound of the Gion Shoja bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline. The proud do not endure, they are like a dream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dust before the wind.

Please Note: The hue of the tsukamaki grip wrap and sageo cord may vary