Sacred Wood – Hand Forged 1065 Carbon Steel Katana Sword

Sacred Wood – Hand Forged 1065 Carbon Steel Katana Sword

The Sacred Wood carries a green bamboo-leaf motif across its fittings and lacquered hardwood saya – a specific visual choice that reads differently than the generic black or red saya seen throughout the production katana market. The blade itself is 1065 high carbon steel in shinogi-zukuri (ridgeline) form, salt-bath heat-treated for consistent hardness across all 72 cm, and built with the kind of handle construction – genuine rayskin under cotton ito – that holds up under actual use. The green lacquerwork and the working blade beneath it are not in conflict; they are simply the same object.

Specifications

Steel & Construction

The 马沸炉 恒温热处理 treatment – a molten salt-bath furnace process run at constant temperature – is the critical step that separates a blade with reliable, uniform hardness from one that is only as good as the least-treated section. In a salt-bath furnace, the medium surrounds the entire blade simultaneously, preventing the temperature differentials that create soft zones or internal stress in longer blades. For a 72 cm working katana, this is not a minor technical detail: it is the difference between a blade that performs the same on its third year of use as it did in the first month, and one that surprises you.

1065 high carbon steel in shinogi-zukuri (ridgeline) profile gives the Sacred Wood good edge retention without the brittleness risk of very high carbon steels. The shinogi – the raised central ridge running the length of the blade – adds structural rigidity to the flat while keeping the full distal taper intact for proper geometry toward the kissaki (tip). The 3.2 cm width and 0.7 cm spine thickness are consistent with a blade built for performance rather than aesthetics.

Handling

The 26 cm tsuka (handle) length accommodates a standard two-hand grip with natural hand spacing, the rear hand sitting at the end of the wrap rather than on bare wood. Beneath the green cotton ito is genuine same-kawa (rayskin), whose raised pearlescent nodules lock the wrap in place and provide a secondary grip layer that you can feel through the cotton when the hand presses in hard. The green high-gloss lacquer saya draws cleanly – the blade seats fully with the habaki (blade collar) seating into the koiguchi (scabbard mouth) without play, and draws free with a single clean pull without resistance against the blade’s surface.

Care Instructions

Oil the blade with choji oil or food-grade mineral oil after every use, working from the habaki toward the kissaki in one direction to avoid pushing debris back across the edge. The green lacquer saya is durable but not impervious – store it away from hard surfaces and avoid contact with solvents. Check the tsuka-maki (handle wrap) periodically and re-tighten or replace if the cotton shows wear at the crossing points.