Paper Crane Katana Partner Exclusive The Paul Chen Paper Crane Katana (SH2294) is without doubt the greatest achievement in sword making artistry yet available from Hanwei. The blade is crafted from Hanwei's own Tamahagane steel (see below) while the fittings reflect the atmosphere of the Japanese theater. The Paper Crane name stems from the origami (the art of paper folding) cranes that decorate the striking Tsuba and Fuchi/Kashira, all of which feature highly-prized “Nanako” or stippled backgrounds. The Menuki feature thespian masks, a symbol shared by the Japanese theater and its western counterpart. The Saya of the katana houses a Kozuka. (small knife) The Kozuka is decorated with musical instruments of the theater. The Paper Crane theme is carried to the outstanding hand woven silk Sageo, the result of many hours of skilled work on a hand loom. Tamahagane steel is made by building and firing a Tatara, the traditional Japanese sword-steel smelter. This charcoal- fired furnace produces a very pure steel from iron sand, and this steel “Kera” or bloom can be broken and separated into high- and low-carbon pieces, which respectively form the “skin” steel and “core” steel of the blade. The skin steel is forged and folded repeatedly, to remove slag inclusions and voids and is then wrapped around the core steel before the resulting billet is forged into a blade. Careful heat treating, shaping and polishing reveals the tight “Hada” or layer pattern of the blade and the white particles of the “Hamon” or temper line. While this process results in the aesthetic qualities much admired by collectors it also produces a very functional blade, as the high carbon content of the skin steel makes a very hard edge possible while the softer core steel gives the blade its resilience and ability to absorb shock. Paul Chen Paper Crane Katana Features: * Hand forged and Folded Tamahagane Steel blade * Hand sharpened * Paper crane motif tsuba with Nanako (Stippled backround) * Incredible Hada and prominent hamon * Black lacquered saya houses small Kozuka * Hand woven silk sageo * One of the highest quality swords ever produced * Fully functional If you are going to buy one katana, make it this one. This is an incredible samurai sword for a serious martial arts enthusiast. Measurements: Blade: 28" Tsuka: 10 1/4" Overall: 39 1/4" Weight: 2 Lb 5 oz