Dusk Fang – Hand Forged 1045 Carbon Steel Katana Sword

Dusk Fang – Hand Forged 1045 Carbon Steel Katana Sword

The name Dusk Fang – 暮牙 in the original Chinese – describes an exact quality of light: the last direct light of the day, angled low, catching an edge. The green aohada saya earns that name when the blade is mounted and the room shifts to evening. The shinogi-zukuri profile does the rest.

Specifications

Steel & Construction

The blade is 1045 carbon steel, ground into the shinogi-zukuri profile – the ridgeline cross-section that gives the katana its characteristic triangulated silhouette. That ridge line, the shinogi, runs from the base of the blade to the point, dividing the face into the ji (the broad flat below the ridge) and the mune (the spine above). What this geometry achieves visually is a blade that appears to have dimensionality even at a distance. From across a room, the ridge catches ambient light and gives the blade a presence that flat-ground profiles cannot match. At 3.2 cm of blade width, the proportions are true to the traditional katana standard – neither visually thin nor overbuilt.

The fittings are zinc alloy, shaped and finished to complement the overall color story of the piece. The tsuba (handguard), fuchi (handle collar), and kashira (pommel cap) are finished consistently with each other, which matters on a display piece because the fittings are visible at close range. The green aohada wood of the saya has a bark-textured surface that reads as organic and considered – it is not a smooth lacquer finish, and that texture is what gives the sheath its visual weight next to the polished blade.

Handling

The 27.0 cm handle is wrapped in cotton ito, the traditional cord wrap wound in the diamond-lozenge pattern over the underlying grip. Each lozenge is a defined shape under the fingers, and the full-length wrap means there is no bare section of handle anywhere along the grip. The draw from the aohada saya is smooth – the saya mouth is fitted to the blade and releases it without binding. At 103.0 cm total length, the Dusk Fang presents its full silhouette cleanly on a horizontal mount, the green of the saya visible on the left, the long polished face of the blade running out to the right.

Care Instructions

Wipe the blade down with a clean, dry cloth after handling to remove any skin oils from the polished surface. Apply a light coat of choji oil – traditional blade-preservation oil – every few months to prevent surface oxidation. Keep the piece mounted or stored in its saya, away from direct moisture sources and prolonged humidity.