The Imperial Cloud Dragon Katana from Iron Tiger Forge is both an excellent entry point for the new collector of Japanese swords or a great sword for building out your collection at excellent value – It brings high quality fittings, blade geometry and a real clay tempered blade at a great price. The tsuba and kashira hilt fittings feature in finely rendered antiqued brass a pair of coiled and intricately entwined cloud dragons – a symbol of Imperial power, wisdom and courage.
The differentially-tempered blade is forged from 1050 high carbon steel and it has been clay tempered in the traditional manner to possess a genuine hamon to give it a keen and hard edge supported by a shock absorbing blade body and spine. Its habaki and seppa are brass and the tsuba, fuchi and kashira are crafted from antiqued brass. The wooden tsuka grip is fitted with panels of black lacquered genuine rayskin and are overlaid with well-knotted artificial silk ito in a pale gold hue. The artificial silk feels much better in the hand and more authentic then the many of the “scratchy feeling” lower grade chemical fiber ito used on many budget katana
The sword is matched with a wooden saya scabbard which is coated in fine textured black lacquer. This textured black lacquer is much more resistant to scuffs and scratches then the more common high gloss lacquer used on many reproduction Katana. The saya is finished with a knotted black and white flecked sageo to match and complete the sword. A cloth sword bag for storage and transport is included.
Elias Katsaros (verified owner) –
I just received the imperial cloud dragon Katana, beautiful and very sharp.
Anything I received from KOA since 2021, I had excellent service and excellent quality swords, so far 16 different swords. Thank you very much KOA
Elias
Gary D. (verified owner) –
Was Very pleased with this Beautiful Katana ! .. Thank you so much ! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✌️
Adalson –
I am very pleased with this katana. Everything is tightly fit together, the blade is decently sharp, and the grip is wonderful to hold. There were only two tiny blemishes on the munitions grade sword. A chip in the pommel, and a tiny scratch on the blade. Normally, I would drop the rating to 4 stars because of this. However, everything about this sword makes it feel like I got something better than what I paid for. You may not be able to see it on KOA’s images of this sword, but the saya has an elegant water droplet pattern, and an interesting Oni design on the pommel. My favorite thing about this sword is the grip. The handle has a full tang with two pins, and the wrapping doesn’t have that strange plastic-like feeling that other slightly lower end swords would have. The handle is beautiful, comfortable, and practical. Overall, I think that this sword is an amazing option for someone looking for a lower priced sword. The overall quality is excellent, and shipping was fast and convenient. The steel may not be the best steel you can get, but you can still slice things like cardboard without any chips or dents in the blade. I’ve previously had bad experiences with MiniKatana (please don’t buy from that website), so shopping with Kult of Athena has been a refreshing experience. I hope this review is helpful to those who may view it.
Also the blade is perfectly straight.