Kasei — the fire star, the Japanese name for Mars — and the steel carries that ember in its grain. The folded layers swirl across the blade like heat off red rock, a restless pattern that fits a sword named for the war planet. This is a handmade katana that marries traditional forging to a cleaner, modern dress.
Specifications
| Blade steel | Unique Damascus steel |
|---|---|
| Tsuba | Zinc alloy |
| Saya | Ebony wood with bull-horn kurigata |
| Tsuka | Genuine stingray leather |
| Menuki | Zinc-alloy menuki kit |
| Mekugi | 2 bamboo mekugi |
Dimensions
| Total length | 103 cm |
|---|---|
| Blade length | 72 cm |
| Handle length | 25 cm |
| Blade width | 3.2 cm |
| Blade thickness | 0.7 cm |
| Weight | 1.4 kg |
Forging & Steel
The blade is folded Damascus steel, its distinctive swirl patterns drawn from many steel layers forge-welded together. That layering adds strength along the blade and gives strong edge retention through repeated cutting. Each blade carries a unique grain — no two Kasei are identical, which is the point of a folded sword. The dark ebony scabbard sets that bright, restless steel off cleanly, so the contrast does as much work as the pattern itself.
Fittings
The tsuba is zinc alloy, pairing lightness with strength and serving as the balance point. The saya is dense ebony wood finished with a bull-horn kurigata for durability and reinforcement at a high-stress point, and the tsuka is wrapped in genuine stingray leather with a zinc-alloy menuki kit and two bamboo mekugi for a secure, non-slip grip. It is a restrained, modern dress that lets the folded steel be the loudest thing on the sword.
Is it battle-ready?
Yes. The Kasei is a full-tang folded blade fit for training and tatami cutting as readily as for the collector’s shelf. See the rest of our katana collection, or compare with folded siblings like the Akuma and the Hyō.
