Citadel prides themselves for their completely handmade swords and knives.
Their Ocean Katana is an elegant and graceful piece with a blade hand forged from DNH7 high carbon steel similar in composition to 1075 steel. After undergoing the differentially hardeneding process, the resulting blade is strong with a hardened edge that stays sharp for a long time while the spine remains more flexible for better impact absorption. Additionally, the blade has a unique feature often seen in Citadel swords, a bohi that extends into the copper habaki and nakago to decrease the overall weight of the sword while improving its point of balance. The blade is then hand polished using traditional stones and powders to give it an authentic appearance.
As expected of a Citadel sword, the katana is equipped with high quality fittings such as the maru gata (round or circular) tsuba, fuchi, and kashira with a nami (wave) motif.
The wooden tsuka is carved to fit each individual blade, ensuring a tight friction wrap. The tsuka is first fully covered in samegawa and then tightly wrapped with tsuka ito made from Japanese imported natural white silk. Note that the ito has been dyed using tea to give it a slightly tanned color which darkens gradually with use.
Like the tsuka, the saya is also specially carved, then lacquered in a deep midnight blue. Samegawa is then used to partially wrap it near the mouth of the saya.
This stunning piece is also available as a wakizashi and tanto, giving users an opportunity to obtain a complete Daisho collection.