Katana, “samurai sword”

Alex’s love for everything manga and anime meant she started a collection of books and objects related to Japanese history and mythology. She even insisted that the Japanese table lamp that I gave her father several years ago now properly belongs in her bedroom as her night lamp.

Alex also wanted to include in her collection an antique katana — “samurai sword” — that Speedy’s father got from somewhere before I even met him and which Speedy now keeps in the far recesses of a closet somewhere. But Speedy wouldn’t let her have it because it’s a real sword. What Speedy did was to buy her this set of ornamental samurai swords set on a display stand. P1000 bought in Dapitan. She used to keep the samurai swords on a shelf just outside her bedroom door but I thought they looked lost there. I brought them downstairs, set them on a side table in the living room and voila! A real conversation piece every time we have guests in the house.

The saya (scabbard) is made of wood with the traditional sageo (cord). The tsuba (guard), the part between the blade and the handle, features intricate carvings. The tsuka (handle) is covered by the traditional menuki (ornament). The blade is made of steel but will dull edges.