Dragon King – Tenka Fubu Katana

Please Note: The ito cord has been changed to a darker brown color – photos will be updated when possible

The blade of the Tenka Fubu Katana is forged from T10 high carbon steel and it has a vibrant hamon that flows along the blade edge was created when the differentially-hardened blade was skillfully tempered. The thick spine and the lack of a bo-hi groove ensure that the blade strikes with great cutting force. The habaki and seppa are silver and the blackened tsuba has detailing picked out in copper. The grip is carved from wood and was inlaid with panels of rayskin before being overlaid in tightly-knotted brown copper-hued tsuka ito cord. A pair of menuki are placed beneath the folds of the the grip wrap.

The saya scabbard is carved from wood and finished with a glossy red lacquer; the koiguchi, kurigata and kojiri fittings are polished buffalo horn and the well-knotted sageo is fashioned from brown and gold cord.

Tenka Fubu – Rule the Realm by Military Force or One Realm Under One Sword. This was the motto of famed Sengoku Daimyo Oda Nobunaga who had it emblazoned on his personal seal. One of the towering figures of Japanese history, this Katana pays homage to the ambitious and capable Nobunaga.

The tsuba of the sword prominently features his Kabuto helmet, whilst the kashira pommel cap displays the helmet of Takeda Shingen – a most bitter rival of Oda Nobunaga. The fuchi blade collar bears a battle flag and a war fan to symbolize Oda Nobunagas 1560 victory at Okehazama when he fooled Imagawa Yoshimotos army into mistaking his encampment position with decoy battle flags before springing a trap upon them.

Though famed for martial prowess, Oda Nobunaga was a skilled ruler and a reformer of economics. He also popularized the tea ceremony as a formality for discussing business and politics, and this is symbolized in the tea ceremony menuki fitted beneath the knotted ito cords of the grip.