Aoba Katana (Sanmai Steel: 1095 Core + Damascus)

Aoba are the new leaves — an almost fluorescent bright green — that appear in late spring on Japan's deciduous trees: maples, beeches, ginkgos. It is a moment celebrated by poets, because the green of these leaves is rarer and more surprising than the mature greens of summer. The Aoba Katana captures this quality of springtime freshness.

The blade features a distinctive technical construction: it is sanmai, made of three layers — a central core of 1095 carbon steel (62-64 HRC hardness) surrounded by two outer layers of Damascus steel. This lamination, visible on the sides of the blade, was traditionally used to combine edge hardness with body resilience. Nagasa of roughly 70 cm.

The mounting takes up the new green: bright green ito over light samegawa, a light alloy tsuba chiseled with a young maple-leaf motif, a saya lacquered in tender green with yellow undertones, and an apple-green sageo. Burnished silver habaki.

A piece for lovers of spring palettes, a decorative piece for bright rooms with houseplants, a gift for gardeners and ikebana practitioners — or for students of traditional metallurgy who appreciate sanmai construction. A katana that brings the first green of May into your home.