How to Design Your Own Katana

A well-made katana is the most important tool for the serious student of kenjutsu. Although there are samurai swords that are mass-produced, they have their own dimensions and weight that may not be best suited to the wielder. In ancient Japan, samurai had their swords custom-made for them. The forging process today would potentially cost tens of thousands of dollars for a quality sword, but you can still design your own katana if you are a serious student of the sword and want a weapon made to fit your hand. The most important part of customizing a katana is designing the blade by length, width, steel type and curvature.

Things You'll Need

  • Rigid tape measure
  • Bokken
  • Pencil
  • Paper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Determine what kind of steel you want for your sword. Steel with a high carbon content is best; traditional swordsmiths used a special steel called tamahagane, which contains anywhere from 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent carbon. You cannot legally export a tamahagane katana from Japan due to Japanese sword-smithing laws. Avoid using stainless steel; at sword lengths, stainless steel becomes brittle and breaks easily.

    • 2

      Pull the tape measure out, gripping it by the container and letting the measure point directly toward the ground. The end of the tape measure should be even with the top of your right foot. Write down the measurement you get and add one-third this length to determine the full length of the katana's blade, nakago (tang) included. For example, if you have a 30-inch measurement, the full length of the blade will be 40 inches. As a general guide, your sword's working blade length -- the part outside the hilt -- is equal to your height minus 42 inches, with a variation of one inch.

    • 3

      Hold your index and middle fingers together and measure their width. This is the approximate width of your blade.

    • 4

      Determine how much sori (curvature) you want. This is measured at the deepest part of the curve. More curvature makes it easier to draw the sword in iaijutsu and battoujutsu, and shifts the point of balance toward the hilt. You should likely have no more than one inch of sori. Consult your sensei for details.

    • 5

      Grip the bokken as you have learned in your study of kenjutsu. Measure the end of your left hand to the guard and note the measurement. This is the length of your hilt. It should exceed the length of the nakago by approximately three inches. Different kenjutsu styles vary their grip; for example, Tamiya-ryu practitioners favor swords with longer hilts that offer more leverage.

    • 6

      Write down the measurements you have recorded. If you have doubts, contact your sensei and ask his or her advice on customizing your katana's blade.

    • 7

      Draw the designs of the fittings: guard, blade collars, hilt and sheath.