Shirakawa Katana - 白川水

Hand-forged Shirakawa Katana in blue 1060 carbon steel with hamon and white flame-drip overlay. Full tang, sharpened. Black iron-alloy tsuba with dragon relief, brass habaki, green-red-black Tachi-style cotton ito over synthetic rayskin, black lacquered saya with cherry blossom paintings and dragon-relief kojiri, leather-wrapped handle construction. Includes ornate display stand.

Shirakawa Katana Specifications

Blue Blade — White Drip Overlay

The blade is blue 1060 carbon steel with a hamon line and white flame-drip shapes cascading along the steel above the temper boundary. The white forms are irregular, organic, flowing downward like waterfalls frozen mid-cascade. The Shirakawa Katana shares this blade-overlay technique with the Seiryu Enbu, but where that blade renders rising flames, this one renders falling water. Same method, opposite direction — fire ascending vs water descending.

Black Dragon Tsuba

The tsuba is black iron-alloy with dragon forms carved in relief across the disc. The all-black finish creates a dark transition between blue blade and multi-color handle. The brass habaki provides the only warm accent at the junction — a gold band between cool blue steel and deep black guard.

Tachi-Style Handle — Green, Red, Black

The handle uses Tachi-style cord wrapping — green and red leather strips woven through black cotton ito in a multi-color diamond pattern. Standard katana wrapping uses a single-color ito; the Shirakawa Katana is one of the few blades in our catalog with polychrome handle wrapping. The green references spring foliage, the red echoes cherry blossom petals on the saya, and the black grounds both colors. The result reads as festive rather than martial — a blade dressed for hanami (flower viewing) season.

Cherry Blossom Saya

The saya is glossy black lacquer with painted cherry blossoms scattered across its surface — pink and white petals, green leaves, branches reaching along the scabbard's length. A dragon-relief kojiri in dark metal caps the tip. The Shirakawa Katana is the only blade in our catalog with sakura imagery painted directly on the scabbard. The blossoms are positioned organically, not as repeating pattern but as a scene — a branch in bloom, petals mid-drift, spring arriving along the river.

Shirakawa — White River

白川 (shirakawa) means "white river." The design maps a springtime riverscape onto the sword: the blue blade is the water, the white drip overlay is snowmelt cascading into current, the cherry blossom saya is the flowering bank. The Tachi-style handle in green and red completes the seasonal palette. The Shirakawa Katana captures the specific moment when winter's last meltwater meets spring's first bloom — a transitional landscape compressed into koshirae.

Display

Ships with an ornate dragon-peony stand. The cherry blossom saya demands warm lighting that reveals the petal colors against the black lacquer. Pair with the Winter Spirit (blue frost, white saya) for a winter-into-spring narrative, or with the Shizukesa (cream, earth tones) for a seasonal contrast — cherry blossom vibrancy vs snow-melt stillness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Tachi-style wrapping?

A multi-color cord wrapping technique originating from tachi sword construction. Green and red leather strips are woven through black cotton ito, creating a polychrome diamond pattern distinct from standard single-color katana wrapping.

Is the blade blue?

Yes. Treated blue finish on 1060 carbon steel with white drip-overlay shapes and a hamon line along the cutting edge.

Are the cherry blossoms painted or printed?

Painted. Pink-white blossoms with green leaves applied onto glossy black lacquer. The only sakura-decorated saya in our catalog.

What are the white shapes on the blade?

White flame-drip overlay forms cascading along the blue steel, representing flowing water or snowmelt. The same overlay technique used on the Seiryu Enbu, but with falling water instead of rising flames.

How does this compare to the Seiryu Enbu?

Both use blue blades with white overlay. The Seiryu Enbu has rising flames, a white handle, and a relief-carved white saya. The Shirakawa has falling water, a Tachi-style green-red handle, and a cherry blossom black saya. Azure dragon vs white river.