Clay Tempered Katana
All Minamoto Katana are hand forged in fire by the finest sword smiths using techniques passed from generation for the best part of 500 years now. Although all Minamoto katana are hand forged, hand hammered, hand quenched, hand tempered and hand polished, the additional benefit of traditional clay tempering is that the blade can have a targeted mixture of durability and razor edge performance. By smearing clay thickly on the back of the blade before quenching, the steel cools slower, meaning the steel is softer and better able to absorb impact. By making the clay much thinner towards the edge the quenching cools the steel much faster. This leaves the steel able to have and hold a perfect razor edge. If the entire blade was done like this it would be brittle but when backed by the more malleable steel at the back the blade has the perfect mixture of edge and versatility. All items in this section come with a presentation box, a stand, a cleaning kit, and a Minamoto scroll of authenticity.