Katana News — 2026-10-28: Custom Rayskin Saya, a £3,500 Citadel Buy, and Fresh Cutting Reels
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A community-led day: a finished custom katana with a fully wrapped genuine rayskin saya tops the forums, a £3,500 Citadel purchase earns a glowing owner report, and fresh cutting reels run from bamboo to a humbling sheet of paper.
1. Finished Custom Katana With Fully Wrapped Genuine Rayskin Saya Tops the Forums
A newly completed custom katana is the strongest community post of the window, drawing 212 upvotes and 3 comments on r/SWORDS on October 27 before being cross-posted to r/Katanas on October 28. The showcase centers on its fully wrapped genuine rayskin saya, shown in multiple photos, with the post itself offering no further written description of the blade. The reception, rather than any stated specification, is the story: a finish detail — the wrap of the scabbard — carried the post to the top of both subreddits.
Source: u/katanaswordart — Reddit
2. "My Best Ever Sword Day": Owner Praises £3,500 Citadel Blue Dragon Katana
A buyer calling it "my best ever sword day" reports buying a Citadel blue dragon katana from swords.co.uk for £3,500, with a 28-inch blade, and says the sword exceeded expectations overall. The October 28 post on r/Katanas drew 31 upvotes and 5 comments, with the owner's only complaints reserved for small details such as the plain black sageo. As a single-owner report it is not a review verdict, but it is the window's most detailed purchase story at the top end of the production market.
Source: u/Lower-Fee-5818 — Reddit
3. RVA Katana Cuts Bamboo With a Samgakdo Mitsudomoe Katana
RVA Katana's latest shop-floor reel presents a katana with a black and red-wrapped handle and saya, described on camera as a Samgakdo with a Mitsudomoe pattern, before staff take turns making overhead cuts on a standing bamboo target. The presenter shows the blade's hamon and brass habaki to the camera before cutting begins, and the reel drew about 99 likes on Instagram on October 27. It is a dealer demonstration rather than an independent review, and no price or specification beyond the on-camera description is stated.
Source: RVA Katana (@rvakatana) — Instagram
4. Battodo Practitioner Works Through a Straw Target in Continuous Kesa-Giri
A dojo reel from Steven Crawford shows continuous battodo kesa-giri practice, cutting a tall wrapped straw target down section by section until only a stump remains. Posted October 27, the reel drew about 230 likes on Instagram, with on-screen Japanese text describing the drill as cutting "until the very last edge." The camera stays on the sequence throughout, alternating between standing and kneeling cuts, and the tone is instructional rather than performative.
Source: Steven Crawford (@neo.atlanta) — Instagram
5. Master Cuts Clean, Beginner "Couldn't Even Cut Paper" in One Reel
A two-part Facebook reel contrasts a master performing a clean iaido cut on a vertical wooden target with a younger practitioner failing to sever a sheet of newspaper hung from a string, captioned "I COULDN'T EVEN CUT PAPER." Posted October 26, the reel drew about 290 likes, and its point is technique over equipment: the same class of blade succeeds or fails on the skill of the hand holding it. No maker or model is identified for either sword, so the item reports the lesson, not a product.
Source: Facebook reel — Facebook
6. r/SWORDS Asks: Franklin Mint or Chinese Reproduction?
A member asking for help identifying a samurai sword drew 61 upvotes and 8 comments on r/SWORDS on October 26, making it the subreddit's strongest identification thread of the window. The question is whether the blade is a Franklin Mint piece or a Chinese reproduction, with multiple photos attached for the community to judge. No identification has been settled in the thread information seen, so this item reports the open question rather than a verdict.
Source: r/SWORDS member — Reddit
7. A 1940s Okinawa Provenance Story Seeks an Identification
A r/Katanas member asks for help identifying a sword bought from a 78-year-old seller clearing his father's old trunk, stored at an aunt's house since the 1970s, whose father was stationed in Okinawa in the mid-1940s and collected weapons. Posted October 26, the thread drew 19 upvotes and 10 comments. The provenance story is the poster's account, unverified, and no identification has been settled in the thread information seen.
Source: u/Present_Days_740 — Reddit
8. Openwork Tsuba Photos Draw an Edo Iron Guess on r/Katanas
A member posting three photos of an openwork carved tsuba on October 28 asks the community to explain its origins, drawing 2 comments in its first hours. Commenters speculate it may be an Edo-period iron tsuba and offer a reading of its inscription, but no attribution is settled. The thread is a typical fittings-identification question, notable here for arriving the same day as two other identification threads across the katana subreddits.
Source: u/SnooObjections8077 — Reddit
9. "What Katana to Get Battle Ready for Under $500?"
A buyer asking for a genuinely usable katana under $500 says they are stuck choosing between brands and reviews, naming 1060, 1065, or spring steel as ideal choices. Posted October 28 on r/Katanas, the thread drew 5 comments in its first hours and restates the hobby's most durable entry-level question: what counts as battle-ready at a budget price. No recommendation has emerged as a consensus in the thread information seen.
Source: u/Bruhh-bruh-bruh — Reddit
10. Hunt for an Out-of-Print Masahide Book on r/SWORDS
A member is looking for a copy or PDF of "Swordsmith Suishinshi Masahide and His School" by Yasu Kizu, W.M. Hawley, and Dr. Honma Junji, accepting either a physical copy or a digital one. Posted October 27 on r/SWORDS, the thread is a reminder that English-language sword literature remains hard to source: a key text on one of the most studied smiths is circulating by word of mouth rather than through a publisher. No copy has been located in the thread information seen.
Source: r/SWORDS member — Reddit
More Hot Topics Today
Community Hot Threads
Inscription help: "anyone know what this says?" — A member posted photos of a blade inscription on October 27, and commenters lean toward a Hanwei inscription with Dalian and Chen associations. No reading is settled.
Source: u/Vlarcx — Reddit
Not a katana, but please help identify this arrowhead — A member posted an arrowhead for identification or translation on October 26, tagged "Real or Fake" in the sense of asking the community to authenticate and translate the item, not as a fraud accusation.
Source: u/DangerousSteak7225 — Reddit
Marto Toledo Ninja Sword identification — A member posted photos of a Marto Toledo ninja sword on October 28, apparently seeking identification or information.
Source: r/SWORDS member — Reddit
Brand New Arrivals
Kult of Athena Exclusive: BattleBlades Yokai Oni Katana — A Kult of Athena exclusive with red silk handle wrap, deep red lacquered saya, T10 clay-tempered blade at 59–60 HRc, and Unokubi-zukuri profile with bo-hi; listed as back-ordered at $978.00.
Source: Kult of Athena — Web
Hanbon Forge's new T10 series — New listings flagged on site include the Kinmokko Katana HBF1082, KOKURIN Katana HBF1083, Kinpa Katana HBF1085, and Akane Ume Katana HBF1086, all handmade T10 steel with real hamon and clay tempering, priced $490–$560, plus a Karakusa model at $399.00.
Source: Hanbon Forge — Web
Hanbon Forge Sanemi Shinazugawa Sword (Demon Slayer) — In stock at Kult of Athena in T10 steel, full tang, at $164.99, aimed at anime collectors who also want a usable blade.
Source: Kult of Athena — Web
Swordier's Hanwei-inspired line and Hanwei Hideyoshi clearance — Swordier has released four new blades recreating classic Hanwei designs, including a Tactical Tanto and Tactical Wakizashi with removable G10 handle scales, while the original Hanwei Toyotomi Hideyoshi Katana is on final-stock clearance at half price and will not be produced again.
Source: SBG Sword Store — Web
Swordis Shadow Dancer Nagamaki / Katana — A 1095 crucible-steel, differentially clay-tempered nagamaki with midare hamon and a 31.1-inch blade, reviewed on YouTube at about $533 retail, with a Hishigami upgrade adding $60.
Source: Swordis — YouTube
Antique Swords and Japan
Gassan Descends: the oldest dated Gassan sword at Kitakami City Museum — Running October 17 to December 20, the exhibition centers on a privately owned, prefecturally designated Gassan blade inscribed "Gassan, eighth month of Oei 3," or 1396, noted for its ayasugi-hada grain; a lecture by Gassan Sadatoshi follows on October 31 and a polishing demonstration on November 7.
Source: Japan.co.jp — Web
Tozando's new handbook "KATANA: A Handbook of Japanese Swords" — A 72-page full-color 2026 guide from IBC Publishing, with a foreword by Japan Swordsmith Association chairman Kubo Yoshihiro, aimed at first-time overseas collectors and covering tamahagane, hada, hamon, and nakago basics.
Source: Tozando Katana Shop — Web
Tozando on commissioning a custom Japanese sword — Tozando's specialists answer every commissioning question, noting popular smiths carry queues of six months to over a year, with most commissions taking one to two years overall and high-end work reaching three years.
Source: Tozando Katana Shop — Web
Anime, Games, Film and Cosplay Sword Topics
Katana ZERO DLC grows to "a full sequel" in size — Askiisoft's October 22 update says the DLC has expanded to the scale of a complete sequel, with more than 30 new music tracks, but still gives no release date, and the previously mentioned free plan was not reconfirmed in this update.
Source: RedReactions — Web
Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition — Released October 1, the Complete Edition adds the "Echoes of Sekigahara" narrative expansion and the "Most Wanted" single-player roguelike survival mode; protagonist Atsu fights with twin swords, alongside Oyuki with a kusarigama and Nagato with a spear, with Jin Sakai returning. Priced at $69.99 in the US.
Source: Gematsu — Web
Sword of the Demon Hunter Blu-ray — The full 24-episode first season arrived on UK Blu-ray on October 26 from Acorn Media International, with clean opening and ending sequences, Japanese trailers, and English and Japanese audio, at £34.99 RRP.
Source: Anime News Network — Web
Bandai PROPLICA Legend of Zelda Master Sword returns — The 105 cm replica with scabbard and display stand opened pre-orders on October 1 at 16:00 JST for an April 2027 re-release, with a sound-effect mode and a music mode playing eight series tracks, priced at 29,700 JPY including tax.
Source: Yomimono — Web
Bandai Touken Ranbu ONLINE Mejirushi accessories gacha — Raincoat-version marker accessories go on sale from the fifth week of October, six designs including Mikazuki Munechika, Kashu Kiyomitsu, and Kasen Kanesada, with carabiner and ring for bag attachment, at 300 JPY per play including tax.
Source: Yomimono — Web
TrueKatana buyer reviews roundup — The latest verified anime-katana reviews include an October 21 Ichigo Tensa Zangetsu praised for fast delivery and heft, October 5 Muichiro and October 4 Tanjiro reviews praising design and quality, an October 3 Zoro three-sword set whose cracked saya was replaced free after a few emails, and an October 1 Ghost of Tsushima sword delivered in three days.
Source: TrueKatana — Web
Reliks film and fantasy replicas — New and in-stock display pieces include Dark Sister (Daemon Targaryen), Blackfyre (House of the Dragon), and a book-edition Longclaw, each listed at 447.99 on the site.
Source: Reliks — Web
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