Made at Longquan Forge in Longquan Village, China, this basic katana has some of the qualities of a more expensive blade, but the hamon has been etched and isn't a real tempering mark. The full tang blade itself is 1065 tempered high carbon steel but without advanced edge hardening. What you're actually buying here is the foundation of a functional cutting katana, since nearly everything else besides blade and handle would have to be added to transform this basic sword into an advanced weapon.

The saya (or scabbard) is plain, unfinished wood that matches the pinned wooden handle. Guarding the mouth of the scabbard is a koiguchi of black water buffalo horn. All other important parts -- including tsuba and ito -- would have to be purchased separately, and assembly would be a true lesson in swordsmanship. Anyone really wanting to learn the details of katana construction could start here.

The carbon steel blade with deep blood grooves presents 29 inches of cutting edge, and the sword has a overall length of 39-1/2 inches. Some touch-up may be needed, since blades from Ryumon have often spent considerable time in storage. That could also affect the fit of the unfinished wooden scabbard; the usual coating of dense lacquer protects the wood from moisture and prevents distortion.

Zatoichi-style swordsmen should be happy with this katana as it is. All it truly needs is some sharpening and a little polish.

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Ryumon Practical Folded Katana Sword Okinawa Tsuba Christmas Gift US $268.00   Auction Ends: 19d 18h 40m

Ryumon Raijin Hand Folded Katana Carbon Steel Great Christmas Gift US $268.00   Auction Ends: 19d 18h 38m

Not just for the kitchen, 'Knives Cooks Love" will look great on either desk or coffee table, with many well-done photographs of rare kitchen knives and antique cutlery with the blue patina of old carbon steel. Even if you love knives and leave the cooking to others, you'll find this book of value, with technical advice on the comparative quality of modern and ancient steel and an interesting argument about the true benefits of "damascus-like" blades. In the author's opinion, you may get more quality per dollar with solid modern alloys -- logical but somewhat disappointing if, like me, you grew up wondering about that mysterious metal and only now might be able to afford a knife made from it. I'm just a little disappointed that the author's view seems skewed in favor of new metal and modern manufacturing, giving the craftsmanship of older times only a glance.

Cooking gives many blade-fanciers the most opportunity to practice our knifework, and comments from many famous authors and chefs are scattered through the chapters to illustrate that we aren't alone in that love of the cutting edge. The book has a good balance between technical information and artistic thought, also spending considerable space on knifework itself, blended with recipes for practice and demonstration of particular techniques. If you're comfortable in your habits, you'll be surprised at the things you can learn here. You might already know most of this, but here and there you'll come across ways to do things better.

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Knives Cooks Love Selection Care Techniques Recipes Sur La Table Sarah Ja US $8.23   Auction Ends: 22d 22h 12m

Knives Cooks Love Selection Care Techniques Recipes US $22.88   Auction Ends: 7d 18h 5m

It's an installment in Paul Chen's Tiger series, similar to his Tiger Katana but available now in a wooden Shirasaya design. There are two models: one with a blood groove and another without a blood groove. The picture you're looking at is the latter.

The blade is forged by hand and overlaid with ASSAB K-120C powder steel for superior hardness and longevity. Its natural hamon effect is differentially tempered, bringing a traditional quality to the design that should be easy for you to build off of.

It measures 40.75 inches in overall length, with a 29.75-inch blade and a 9.75-inch handle.

Paul Chen's Hanwei sword has all the durability essentials you need. Now it's up to you to turn it into a work of art.

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But materials range widely -- common ones include almost any kind of hardwood (walnut, cherry, teak, etc.) as well as several synthetic materials (rubber, micarta -- an extremely hard plastic common on many pre-fabricated knives). I've even seen knife scales made of mother-of-pearl or ivory. Each has its merits and cons so do your research.

I'll link below to micarta scales on eBay -- for a practical, durable handle with a non-slip grip, you can't go wrong with a handle made of this material, especially if it's grooved or textured.

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Some knife scales for sale on eBay:

KNIFE BLANK HANDLE GRIP EXOTIC WOOD REDWOOD BURL KNIFE SCALES US $5.01   5 Bids Auction Ends: 15m

BM Pr Of Figured Black Cherry Custom Knife Scales 892 US $3.50   1 Bid Auction Ends: 15m

2 PAIRS STRAIGHT RAZOR KNIFE SCALES RARE AFZELIA RAZOR KNIFE WOOD HANDLE US $1.04   2 Bids Auction Ends: 16m

BM Pr Of Figured Black Cherry Custom Knife Scales 52 US $3.50   0 Bid Auction Ends: 17m

KNIFE BLANK GRIP AFRICAN CROSS CUT ZEBRAWOOD KNIFE SCALES EXOTIC WOOD LUMBER US $2.14   3 Bids Auction Ends: 17m

BM Pr XCut Red Cedar Custom Knife Scales 974 US $3.50   0 Bid Auction Ends: 19m

Boker Epicenter knife custom scale and anodization US $175.00   0 Bid Auction Ends: 30m

KNIFE BLANK HANDLE COCOBOLO KNIFE SCALES EXOTIC WOOD LUMBER HANDLE US $10.50   10 Bids Auction Ends: 31m

Knife Making Blade Blank Scales Extra Fine Buffalo XL Large US $29.00   16 Bids Auction Ends: 36m

Vintage miniature WEST GERMANY KNIFE fixed blade 5 3 8 Cracked Ice scales US $10.00   0 Bid Auction Ends: 38m