Katana News — 2026-11-11: Bonhams Yorke Closes, Forged in Fire Nostalgia, and DangerFest Cutting
The Bonhams Yorke sale closes today, a Forged in Fire clip pulls 5,000 likes, and a tatami-cutting festival fills an Instagram reel.
1. Bonhams Yorke Sale Closes Today
Bonhams' online auction Japanese Swords: The Peter Yorke Collection closes today, with bidding ending from 12:00 GMT on November 11, 2026. The 71-lot sale is led by a Soshu-school wakizashi estimated at £15,000–£25,000, alongside a Bizen tanto dated 1558 and a Musashi tanto by Kurihara Kenji Nobuhide dated 1862, each estimated at £10,000–£15,000. Bonhams notes that the "Masamune" signature and 1346 date on the leading blade's tang are later additions, not verified attributions.
Source: Bonhams — Web
From the shop:
Tamahagane Choji Katana with Real Hamon | Full Tang 18-Stage Polished Black Urushi Scabbard 102cm — $1199.99
2. Forged in Fire "Will Keal" Clip Draws 5,000 Likes
A Forged in Fire clip testing contestants' blades on a ballistic-gel torso dummy drew 5,000 likes and 25 comments on Facebook. Host Doug Marcaida puts a serrated sword and a lighter, tapered blade through their paces, declaring each one "will keal," while commenters quote the line fondly and ask when the show will return.
Source: Forged In Fire — Facebook
3. DangerFest 2026: Tatami Cutting on a Sandy Field
An Instagram reel from @_fulltangclan shows an outdoor cutting event at DangerFest 2026, where participants take turns slicing tall stacks of rolled green tatami mats with katana-style swords. Spectators watch from behind yellow caution tape near a red-and-white striped tent, cheering the successful cuts. The reel drew 400 likes.
Source: @_fulltangclan — Instagram
From the shop:
4. Z-Sey S7 High Performance Katana Shared on r/Katanas
u/KGS_Inc shared three photos of a Z-Sey S7 high-performance katana on r/Katanas, cross-posted from r/Katana_tsukamaki_wrap. The post drew 7 upvotes with no comments so far. It is a seller showcase with no discussion attached.
Source: r/Katanas — Reddit
5. One Piece Yoru Replica Unboxed on Instagram
An anime merchandise store unboxed a 1:1 replica of Yoru, the "Supreme Grade Black Blade" wielded by Dracule Mihawk in One Piece. The reel shows the gold crossguard studded with blue and green gems, the white-wrapped handle with a blue pommel, and the long curved black blade. It drew 1,400 likes.
Source: @zenith_themerchstore — Instagram
From the shop:
6. Swords and More Website Now a Parked Domain Listing
The anime-sword retailer Swords and More's website now resolves to a GoDaddy domain-parking page listing the domain for sale at $5,499, suggesting the shop has closed. The retailer has not confirmed this, so the closure is inferred from the domain status alone.
Source: Swords and More — Web
7. First-Time Buyer Thread Draws 50 Upvotes on r/SWORDS
A first-time buyer asking for help choosing a first sword drew 50 upvotes and 14 comments on r/SWORDS, making it one of the day's most active buying-advice threads on the board.
Source: r/SWORDS — Reddit
8. SBG Member Rewraps a Shadow Dancer Katana by Hand
SBG forum member Roscoe57 finished rewrapping a Shadow Dancer 1095 and 1045 sanmai katana in green silk tsukamaki, adding a new sageo, handmade copper menuki, and a refinished saya. His latest reply, posted November 11, reports that he made the copper menuki himself. The thread has 4 replies and 101 views.
Source: SBG Sword Forum — Web
9. RVA Katana Asks: Wakizashi or Tanto for a 500-Year-Old Blade?
RVA Katana posted a short explainer on a blade said to be 500 to 600 years old, made by the descendants of Masamune, asking whether its 31.8 cm edge makes it a wakizashi or a tanto. The video walks through the low ridge line and the flat-beveled, single-side construction. It drew 39 likes.
Source: @rvakatana — Instagram
10. Rurouni Kenshin Sakabato Unboxed in 1:1 Replica
Creator Miniwarrior unboxed a 1:1 replica of the Sakabato, the reverse-blade sword from Rurouni Kenshin. The reel shows the yellow-wrapped handle, black tsuba, and glossy dark-red saya before drawing the blade to reveal its reverse edge and visible hamon. It drew 420 likes.
Source: @miniwarriorunboxing — Instagram
More Hot Topics Today
Koiguchi shim after a landlord inspection — A poster's Hanwei Torii tanto came back from a landlord inspection with a loose scabbard mouth after the blade was apparently forced back in reversed; the poster asks how to shim the koiguchi so the blade stops sliding out. Commenters call it routine, low-cost maintenance — wood veneer, or paper in a pinch — and link a YouTube tutorial. The thread drew 3 upvotes and 3 comments.
Source: r/Katanas — Reddit
A hunting messer is identified as a Solingen Model 1007 — A short, wide blade photographed on tiles with a tape measure drew an identification in the comments: a Gebrüder Wolf (Solingen) Model 1007 single-edged hunting messer, or hanger, from the late 19th to early 20th century. The thread drew 1 upvote and 4 comments.
Source: r/SWORDS — Reddit
BladeForums quiet for katana — The BladeForums Sword Discussion board has had no new katana activity in the last seven days (November 4–11). Its most recent katana thread, a question about a Swordis Shadow Dancer as a Christmas gift, last received a reply on November 3, 2026.
Source: BladeForums — Web
Hanwei Practical Plus Katana 2026 at $424.99 — Kult of Athena lists the Paul Chen / Hanwei Practical Plus Katana 2026 as "New and Improved!": differentially hardened 1566 steel, a 27-inch blade, made by Hanwei craftsmen at Dragon King Forge and pitched as an entry-level practical cutter. The listing carries a 2026 model label; no dated launch was read today.
Source: Kult of Athena — Web
Hanwei Zatoichi Stick Sword 2026 at $239.99 — Kult of Athena lists a 2026 version of the Zatoichi stick sword with a roughly 29-inch forged blade.
Source: Kult of Athena — Web
RVA Katana runs 10% off — No new product was read on RVA Katana today; the shop's homepage currently promotes 10% off with code RVA10.
Source: RVA Katana — Web
iGavel Quigley sale closed November 10; no results page yet — The iGavel sale of Japanese swords from the Michael Quigley collection closed on the morning of November 10 (Eastern). No realized-prices page was available at reading time.
Source: iGavel — Web
Tokyo Nihonto Market Index: median asking price $7,899 — The October 2026 index puts the median asking price for a genuine Japanese sword at $7,899. Antique NBTHK Hozon pieces range $5,155–$5,952, Tokubetsu Hozon $9,478–$13,902, and Juyo $31,595–$47,392; modern-made swords sit at a $5,975 median.
Source: Tokyo Nihonto — Web
Fortnite x One Piece: Buggy arrives November 13 — Buggy joins the Fortnite x One Piece collaboration on Friday, November 13, following the Zoro and Sanji skins that arrived November 7. Zoro's three-sword style has been in the loot pool as an epic melee weapon since November 1.
Source: GameBeacon — Web
CoolKatana Ghost of Tsushima replica at $258 — CoolKatana lists a 9260 spring steel clay-tempered Ghost of Tsushima replica at $258.00.
Source: CoolKatana — Web
CoolKatana "Storm of Clan Sakai" at $599 — CoolKatana lists a premium 1095 folded steel Ghost of Tsushima replica, the "Storm of Clan Sakai," at $599.00.
Source: CoolKatana — Web
SamuraiSwordMan publishes full specs — steel, hardness, and heat treatment — on every blade. If a listing anywhere won't do that, walk away.