Is it possible to make a good katana using traditional methods of hand forging and clay tempering and market it for a reasonable price? Handmade Swords claims to have done it with this practical version of the sword favored by O-Ren in the hit movie Kill Bill. The company, with the capability of producing high quality katanas priced in the thousands of dollars, does claim to use the traditional clay fired edge tempering in the production of this beautiful black katana’s high carbon steel blade. Other companies do market Kill Bill style katana with nearly the same description but not the extra craftsmanship of Handmade.
The 40 1/2 inch sword sports a Kill Bill devil’s head engraving, plus real ray skin with leather wrap on the grip. Advertised as battle ready, the weapon arrives razor sharp in a well made black lacquered wooden scabbard.
Knowing how much time goes into authentically created weapons, I am a little skeptical. It’s just possible that Handmade does what it claims–some modern companies avoid the old methods because they aren’t designed for large volume production. A sword smith who really knows his work can produce production level items at a very good rate, but good swordsmiths are hard to find today. If you have a few smiths who enjoy their work and live cheap, you could probably make this happen commercially. It wouldn’t be a long term venture, so if you want this sword don’t put the purchase off. The smiths who made it will soon have to take jobs that pay decent wages.
