Shadow Dancer 9260 Spring Steel Dotanuki High-Performance Katana

The name Dotanuki (同田貫) is generally traced to a village in Higo province (modern day Kumamoto Prefecture). This term is also often associated with “torso cutter” due to its phonetic resemblance to 胴 (dō, "torso") and the blade’s reputation for cutting through armor. Forged strictly for utilitarian warfare, these strong, durable, and sharp blades have little focus on aesthetics. The blades were noticeably thicker and wider compared to standard katana. Due to their superior cutting ability, Dotanuki swords were popular among the warrior class.

Like its ancient predecessors, Shadow Dancer's Dotanuki Katana is a must have for aspiring collectors and practitioners of Japanese swords. Its machine polished shinogi zukuri (ridge line runs along the blade’s length on both sides) blade is forged from 9260 steel to give it excellent resilience and shock resistance. This oil quenched blade with an etched hamon features a bohi that helps to decrease its overall weight and shift its point of balance, improving its agility and maneuverability. 

Besides its blade, notable highlights of this katana are its brass koshirae such as its kikka gata (chrysanthemum shape) tsuba, menuki, fuchi, and kashira with matching motifs, complemented by brass seppa and habaki. 

This katana's blade proportions vary slightly by unit, with the motohaba increased from the standard 3.2 cm to up to 3.5 cm, and the sakihaba from 2.4 cm to around 2.7 cm, resulting in an overall increase in the katana's weight.

The blade is secured to the wooden Haichi style tsuka with one mekugi. The handle is then covered in white genuine samegawa held in place with synthetic silk tsuka ito. It comes sheathed in an oil lacquered saya fitted with brass shitodome and a thickened sageo.