The Samurai Sword Blog

In part four of the "how samurai swords for sale on ebay get made" series, I am going to focus on saya making. I know the owners of several of the factories making saya, and took pictures in a few different ones. Factory is a pretty lose term, as these places have 3-4 employees. As was shown in part one, the dealers will actually wrap the saya themselves. First up is a look at some of the Ronin dojo pro saya getting made. The brown horn is already attached, and they are about to be taped up …

Ronin will have three new European swords for sale in late July.  Model #7 is below. Includes suspension belt, so it is Renaissance fair ready. Like all swords offered by Ronin Katana, this one will be sharp, and ready for cutting right out of the box. Ronin has over 100 katana for sale, and 9 European sword models. Ronin Katana …

This post focuses on antique tsuba for sale in Japan. Japanese sword dealers offer fully mounted katana for sale, bare blades for sale, and tsuba, fuchi, and kashira sets. Silk and cotton are available as well, if you know where to look, but not at the antique sword dealers. Here's a look at some of the tsuba, fuchi,kashira, and menuki available. …

I used to have a nice section on the main Ronin site about Dōtanuki blades, and when I designed the new website, I forgot to add it.So what is a Dōtanuki katana?Dōtanuki is a Japanese swordsmithing school developed in the Higo province of Kyūshū during the Kamakura period. The Japanese kanji for dōtanuki translates to, sword that cuts through torsos. While samurai routinely tested their blades on the bodies of convicted criminals to judge their cutting ability, dōtanuki blades were renowned for …

This short sword is an unproduced Ronin which is being given away in the Ronin Katana 1oth anniversary contest. Thick blade with apple seed geometry. I didn't like the balance on it personally, so it didn't go into production. Tough as nails through hardened 1075 steel. Ronin Katana is the world's largest samurai sword dealer, with over 100 unique models for sale. Ronin has been in business for over 10 years, and our katana are used in dojos around the world. …