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Step 1
Forge two blades out of Japanese black sand. This steel called "tamahagane" and has no equal on Earth. Heat the steel, fold it then hammer it. Repeat this process thousands of times. This pounds out the impurities, evenly distributes the carbon throughout the blade and makes the katana very strong. Fold one of the blades more times than the other. This makes one hard blade and one soft blade.
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Step 2
Bend the harder blade in a U shape then insert the softer blade. Pound them together so they become a single blade. One side is hard while the other is soft. Craft the katana blade so that it begins to look like a sword. Sharpen the point and the hard edge then narrow the end to prepare for the hilt.
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Step 3
Cover the katana blade with clay. Spread a thin layer on the blade edge and a thick layer on the rest. This makes different parts of the katana blade cool at different rates when it is heated. The thin layer of mud on the blade edge will make it even harder.
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Step 4
Heat and cool the katana. Place the blade in a fire then dunk it in a pool of water. Since the mud is spread on the katana blade unevenly, it will start to bend backward during this process. Repeat the heating and cooling process until the katana has its characteristic curved shape.
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Step 5
Remove the mud and polish the katana blade. Craft the artistic ridges on the sword. This is done with special Japanese polishing stones.
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Step 6
Attach the habaki. This is the metal clasp at the base of the blade. Secure it to the tsuba, the hand guard that separates the habaki and the tsuka. The tsuka is the wrapped handle of the katana.
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Step 7
Fit a sheath to the katana blade. The samurai considered the sheath part of the sword itself. They are custom made for each sword since no two katanas are identical. There are two varieties of sheaths. a shirasaya is simple and used for storage. A buke zukuri is elaborately decorated with the owner's family crest and used for battle and formal occasions.
