Musashi Koshirae Nagamaki-Zukuri Silver Plated Fittings

This Musashi Koshirae Nagamaki Zukuri Katana from Shadow Dancer is a beautiful sword with an unconventional color scheme to give it a graceful yet refined appearance.

Featuring a nagamaki zukuri (similar to shinogi zukuri with a ridgeline across the center and a groove starting above the blade's tang underneath the handle) blade forged from crucible steel and differentially heat tempered, this results in a strong and resilient blade with excellent edge retention. The clay tempering process also brings about a suguha (relatively straight) hamon that is made even more prominent through Sashikomi polishing. The presence of the bohi not only decreases the overall weight of the sword, it also improves its point of balance and optimizes the tachikaze ("sound of wind" made when a proper strike is made).

As the name of this katana implies, it comes equipped with an antique finished cupronickel double ring tsuba, a design believed to have been created by Miyamoto Musashi. Other koshirae include antique finished cupronickel fuchi, kashira, and menuki; silver plated brass seppa, and cupronickel habaki.

Securing the blade to the wooden Haichi style tsuka is one mekugi. The handle is first covered with white samegawa tightly wrapped with Japanese kapok tsuka ito. The sword is sheathed in a scabbard fitted with buffalo horn kojiri, koiguchi, and kurigata, cupronickel shitodome, and a sageo.