The "Oniyuri" (Tiger Lily) katana is a custom made 9260 spring steel blade specialized for practice by specific ryu-ha of the Bujinkan Federation. The blade body is a 9260 silicon alloy carbon spring steel. Blade is a unique 23" and handle is an even rarer 14" in length. It is a shinobi (ninja) sword with the apparence of a katana. The forms of this blade follows the functions that it serves. For more information, click on the image to see/read more about it. (The no-fuller version blade has a more forward center of gravity heavier weight. This type of blades have more lateral strength and are easier for tameshigiri from the weight and the reduced drag. Whereas the varient with fuller is better for kata practice, the no-fuller varient is better for cutting practices.) The 9260 is a silicon alloy which has a significantly increased fatigue resistance compared to standard 1060 carbon steel. The addition of 2% silicon changes the bahavior of the steel drastically for use in a katana. This spring steel is most commonly seen in application on fencing foils where it needs to withstand a high degree of bend and still be able to return to center. This is an excellent material for katanas. It is highly durable in most dojo applications and extremely resistant to bending and failures. The use of 0.6% carbon allows this blade to be sturdy enough for tatami omote yet forgiving enough to resist dangerous chipping on rigid targets.