The smith can choose specific jihada, such as masame (a straight grain parallel to the edge) or ayasugi (concentrically curved grain), by adjusting the direction in which he folds the steel. When the blade is finished, the jihada is visible in the ji, the surface between the edge and ridge-line. These layers produce jihada or patterns like fingerprint swirls or wood grain in the metal, a unique beauty of the Japanese blade and one of the features for which they receive great acclaim. By folding only fourteen times, over 16,000 layers are produced.
With experienced a smith can control the quality of the steel with great accuracy using these methods.Įach time the block is hammered out and folded back, layers are formed. A line would be chiselled, it would be folded over and hammered again and again.įolding the blade not only works out slag and impurities in the metal, it also even's out the carbon throughout the steel. The master smith would chisel a groove in the steel, it would then be folded over and the three would take their hammers and beat the steel into one piece. This was often done between the master smith and his apprentices and required precise timing between all three. The ancient Japanese smiths though developed a profound and highly skilled method for beating out these weaknesses - they folded the blade. In fact there was a great deal of impurity in the tamahagane steel produced and it is filled with the uneven dispersal of carbon (the vital ingredient necessary to turn iron to steel). This was a revolutionary process back in the day - however - it didn't produce perfect steel. The smith will then assess these chunks and decide which shall become a blade. Eventually the smith will deem the time to be sufficient and they'll destroy the furnace revealing chunks of iron. This construct fires the steel, the smith watches the flames colours to assess the heat and they watch intently over many hours. This sand is smelted and broken down into iron ore and slag through a clay and brick smelter known as a tatara. Traditionally Japanese smiths use a steel known as Tamahagane (玉鋼), produced from iron-rich sand. I've covered the initial history and development of the sword on my site here and here - however I want to address some specific aspects of blade construction not covered in much detail in those articles as it's relevant in understanding this blade. In fact this year only 8 received that treatment.
#RONIN KATANA ZOMBIE REVIEWS FULL#
Further, there are only 2 people making them and Chris receives only 20 blades every 2 months, mostly bare blades and few receive full mounts such as mine. These blades were made under the personal supervision of Chris Scoggins, the director of Ronin Katana.
One thing I would like to note however is that these blades are quite rare. The Ronin Katana Hammer Forged Blade Review History:Īs in my Elite, rather than focus on the history of the Ronin Katana company I'll focus on the historical aspects of the blade itself. You can see how that went - here.ĭespite the fact that the Elite was the first reviewed for the site.the Hammer Forged was actually the first one I opened and may have set the tone for the later disappointment in the out below. But then I decided, what the hell, why not review the entire top end range and picked up the Elite as well. And speaking of comparisons I purchased this blade first - in order to contrast it with the sword I hold in near highest place, the Tori Elite XL Light from Paul Chen.įunnily enough, when I spoke to Chris in Ronin about my purchase plans he felt the Elite would be better suited to me, but given the Tori is a mono-steel folded blade I felt the Hammer Forged which is also mono-steel and folded would be a better and more accurate comparison then the Elite which is a 7 Panel lamination blade. So my first impressions and my initial intake and review for this and Elite were literally performed minutes after each other so I was able to get great comparisons. This blade was ordered alongside my Elite ( review here). Once this review is a complete I'll provide an overview of my findings of the Ronin Katana range and my honest ranking for each of their blades along with my recommendations. The Ronin Katana Hammer Forged Blade Review is the 3rd part of my intensive Ronin Katana Review series. Ronin Katana Hammer Forged Blade Review Introduction:
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