Hotaru Katana (Damascus Steel)

In Japan, hotaru — fireflies — star in a summer ritual: the hotarugari, the "firefly hunt", during which whole families walk along streams at dusk to watch the green sparks dancing above the water. It is an experience described in classical literature as far back as the Genji monogatari. The Hotaru Katana evokes this intermittent, luminous quality.

The blade's Damascus steel (nagasa of roughly 70 cm, 58-60 HRC hardness) displays a pattern of scattered points reminiscent of fireflies' sparks over a stream at night. Traditional hand polishing.

The mounting embraces the chiaroscuro of a summer night: black ito over dark samegawa, a dark alloy tsuba with a motif of tiny points of light (stylized fireflies), a saya lacquered in deep black with fluorescent green dots scattered like a swarm, and a lime-green sageo. Burnished silver habaki.

A piece for lovers of Heian literature, a decorative piece for very dimly lit rooms (where the luminous dots on the saya can stand out), or a gift for anyone who has experienced Japan's firefly season. A katana that brings a June night into your home.