Tentai Drake Katana - 天竜刀

Hand-forged Tentai Drake Katana in blue 1060 carbon steel with bo-hi groove. Full tang, sharpened. Black iron-alloy tsuba with dragon relief and silver rim, brass habaki with beaded border, sculpted hard ABS handle with polychrome dragon-phoenix panels and dragon-head kashira, blue gradient lacquered saya fading from navy to sky blue, orange secondary saya, golden sageo. Includes ornate display stand with dragon-peony relief.

Tentai Drake Katana Specifications

Iron Dragon Tsuba — Silver Rim

The tsuba is black iron-alloy with dragon forms carved in relief across the entire disc surface, framed by a polished silver rim. The dark patina on the dragon scales contrasts with the bright rim, creating the same dual-tone language found across our premium guards. The brass habaki beneath features a beaded border — small raised dots lining the upper and lower edges, a finishing detail absent from standard smooth habaki. The Tentai Drake Katana pairs its contemporary saya and handle with a traditionally crafted guard, grounding the design in Japanese metalwork.

Blue Blade — Atmospheric Steel

The blade is 1060 carbon steel with a heat-treated blue finish and bo-hi groove. The blue is uniform across the entire cutting surface — not a gradient like the saya but a consistent deep steel-blue that reads as twilight sky from edge to kissaki. The bo-hi adds tachikaze (sword wind) and reduces weight. The Tentai Drake Katana is one of three blue-blade katanas in our catalog alongside the Lightning and the Hekinan — each uses a different shade and different blade features to differentiate.

Sculpted ABS Handle — Polychrome Panels

The handle is hard ABS resin — not traditional cotton ito over rayskin but a single sculpted grip with mythological scenes molded and painted across its surface. Dragon and phoenix panels in red, green, cream, and gold wrap the tsuka in a miniature art register. A three-dimensional dragon-head kashira caps the pommel — the dragon's jaws facing outward. The Tentai Drake Katana is the only blade in our catalog with a fully sculpted ABS handle, making it visually distinct from every cotton-wrapped or leather-wrapped alternative.

Blue Gradient Saya — Navy to Sky

The primary saya fades from deep navy at the koiguchi to lighter sky blue at the kojiri — a seamless gradient with no visible transition lines. The orange secondary saya inverts the temperature entirely — warm peachy-orange lacquer replacing cool blue, earth replacing sky. The Tentai Drake Katana joins Winter Spirit, Earthbreaker, Molten Gold, Lightning, and Enbanaito as the sixth dual-saya katana in our catalog.

Tentai — Celestial Bodies

天体 (tentai) means "celestial bodies" — stars, planets, astronomical objects. The design maps the sky onto the sword: the blue gradient saya is the atmosphere, the blue blade is the twilight layer, the orange secondary saya is the horizon at sunset, and the polychrome handle depicts the mythological dragon ascending through it all. The kashira dragon-head faces outward as if emerging from the heavens into the viewer's world.

Display

Ships with an ornate dragon-peony stand. Position both saya side by side for the full spectrum — blue sky above, orange earth below. Browse our catalog to compare with the Lightning (storm theme, dual saya) or Kessho Sora (blue saya, splatter pattern) for different interpretations of the blue-katana concept.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the handle traditional wrapping?

No. The handle is hard ABS resin — a sculpted one-piece grip with polychrome mythological panels. It does not use cotton ito or rayskin. This is the only ABS-handled katana in our catalog.

Is the gradient painted or lacquered?

Lacquered. The navy-to-sky-blue fade is a specialized lacquer application — seamless transition with no visible banding or hard edges.

Why two scabbards?

The blue saya represents sky and ascent. The orange saya represents earth and warmth. Together they create a full spectrum — cool celestial meeting warm terrestrial.

What makes the blade blue?

Heat treatment produces the blue finish on 1060 carbon steel. The blue is a surface treatment over functional forged steel — the blade beneath is standard 1060 with full tang construction.

How does this compare to the Lightning Katana?

Both have blue blades and dual saya. The Lightning uses raised 3D lightning bolts, a blue tsuba, and storm theme. The Tentai Drake uses a gradient saya, sculpted ABS handle, and celestial ascent theme. Same color, different concept.