Pre-Owned – Kaneie Silver Dragonfly Katana – NLA

Pre-Owned Item:  Kaneie Silver Dragonfly Katana

• Blade Condition: Very good – only very minor to moderate cosmetic blemishing present.
  
• Hilt Condition: Excellent condition with minimal minor blemishing
  
• Grip: Very good condition overall. On a single side beneath the fuchi collar beneath the tsuba a sliver of exposed tsuka wood can be seen due to the genuine rayskin having shrunk slightly over time.
  Construction Condition: Sword is still durably peened and solidly constructed
• Scabbard: Good condition overall. Some light blemishing present. Tip Kojiri cap has a concentration of scratches and nicks.

“Akitsushima”, the Dragonfly Islands – An ancient name for Japan and a reference to the many dragonflies that dart among the rice paddies. The dragonfly was called the Victory Insect by the samurai who admired its dogged ability to catch and devour its prey. From Kaneie Sword Art comes this katana imbued with the imagery of the Victory Insect. Like the Dragonfly itself, this katana was crafted to be light in the hand and swift on the strike – even by katana standards. It is of the Menkyo Class of Kaneie, which means that it melds traditional sword-making techniques of Japan with modern, high quality steels.

It has a blade of T10 steel that has been lightened by giving the blade a wide Bo-Hi groove. Additionally, weight has been shaved off by giving the blade edge geometry an appleseed profile with little niku thickness. While this makes for a very sharp and lighter sword, it also makes the blade easier to damage than beefier katana blades when used incorrectly – therefore the sword should only be used on traditional cutting targets, such as Tatami – In this matter the sword will excel. The wide Bo-Hi gives the sword a very audible whoosh as it slices the air with the sound of the Tachikaze – the sword wind. The blade was differentially hardened with the traditional clay tempering method and the blade edge features a prominent Choji-style Hamon. It was hand polished to an art quality in the traditional manner.

The tsuba is of blackened steel, surmounted by seppa and a habaki of brass. The fuchi and kashira fittings are silver plated brass. The tsuka has panels of rayskin overlaid with a dark red tsuka ito wrap of Japanese silk with two menuki of silver plated brass beneath the ito. The wooden Saya Scabbard has a finish of brown/burgundy with textured black speckles and has a koiguchi, kojirii and kurigata of polished buffalo horn. It comes with a Japanese Rayon Silk Sageo that is not knotted to the scabbard.