Azure Deep Gold – Hand Forged 1065 Carbon Steel Katana Sword

Azure Deep Gold – Hand Forged 1065 Carbon Steel Katana Sword

The ubu-zukuri (鹈首造) profile sets this blade apart before you even draw it – a forging geometry that narrows the shinogi ridge dramatically toward the point, concentrating mass low on the blade where the cut begins and compressing it toward a reinforced, acutely angled kissaki (tip). It is a shape built around intention. The Azure Deep Gold carries that geometry in 1065 high carbon steel, heat-treated in a controlled muffle furnace at sustained, even temperature – no guesswork, no variation batch to batch.

Specifications

What the Steel Does

1065 sits in the practical center of high carbon steel – enough carbon to harden to a usable cutting edge, enough ductility to absorb lateral shock without microchipping at the bevel. The muffle furnace process matters here: isothermal heat treatment means the blade reaches and holds target temperature uniformly across its full cross-section before quench. You do not get soft spots from uneven soak, and you do not get a blade that has been hardened to compensate for inconsistent forging. The ubu-zukuri profile works with this treatment – the geometry already shifts stress patterns toward the spine, so the edge face is doing exactly what a hardened edge should do and nothing else.

The iron fittings are finished without ornament. That is deliberate. Iron that has been properly treated develops a tight, dense surface oxide that resists corrosion far better than plated zinc alloy, and it does not flex or deform under the compression of the mekugi pin. The tsuba (handguard) and fuchi-kashira (collar and pommel cap) are there to work, not to distract.

The Feel of It

A 26 cm handle gives you full two-hand purchase on genuine rayskin wrapped in cotton ito – the rayskin nodes catch through the wrap weave, locking your grip without any sliding under draw or recovery. The ubu-zukuri profile shifts the blade’s dynamic feel forward in a specific, deliberate way: the point wants to move, and the spine follows. Draw from the high-gloss lacquer saya is clean – the hardwood is finished to a tight clearance and the koiguchi (mouth of the sheath) does not drag.

Maintenance Notes

After any use, wipe the blade with a clean cotton cloth and apply a thin coat of food-grade or sword-grade mineral oil before storage. The iron fittings should be checked periodically and treated with the same oil to prevent surface rust in humid conditions. Store horizontally in the saya with the edge facing upward, as the sword was designed to rest.