By the next morning-I’m always surprised and pleased when companies respond so promptly-I had answers to my questions: I sent an email to their support team ( ) to ask these questions. I wish ROM provided a lot more information on their website for customers to easily find while they are selecting components.

What metal is used to make the tsuba and habaki that I selected?.

What wood is used for the scabbard I chose?.

What is the percentage of carbon used in a carbon steel blade?.

ROM’s website rarely provides any details about the materials that they use. I only have one complaint about the process for selecting the parts of a katana: lack of information. That’s acceptable, given the challenges in shipping these days.

ROM’s website says that it should take 7 to 10 days, and mine arrived 12 days later. Once I made my choices, I simply had to sit back and wait for my custom-made katana to arrive. While I was tempted to find some Japanese characters that meant strength or power or something else cool, in the end, I chose to be more pragmatic and simply add my initials. I chose white in order to contrast with the black ito.įinally, I had the option to add an engraving to the blade. Ninth, I had to the color of the samegawa, which is the material that covers the handle. This cord is made from cotton, which is affordable and somewhat durable if there had been a choice to use silk, I would have selected that instead, as good silk is more durable. I chose a black color to match the blade. The sageo is attached to the scabbard and is used to tie it the sash (or belt) of the wearer. The ito is the cord used to wrap around the handle, giving it a good grip. The habakis don’t come as matching pairs with the tsubas, which is unfortunate, so I chose a color that appeared to be as close as possible to the tsuba.Įighth, I had to choose the color and material for the ito and sageo. Seventh, I had to choose the habaki, which is the collar that helps the blade fit into the scabbard. I hoped that this color would contrast nicely with the wooden saya and the color of the ito. Again, ROM has so many choices, and I went with a nickel-colored tsuba depicting a heron hunting in the water. Sixth, I had to choose the tsuba, which is the guard that protects the hand. In the end, I chose a simple wooden look, one that is more subtle than flashy.

There are so many choices of colors and styles. Since I wasn’t familiar with these materials, I did some research to learn which one I wanted:įifth, I had to choose the saya, which is the scabbard. ROM has five different types of steel alloy. Second, I had to choose the blade material. I don’t have any little kids at home, so there’s no real threat of injuring anyone (except myself, I suppose). First, I had to choose whether I wanted the blade to be sharp or not, and I chose sharp. There are ten choices that I had to make when customizing my katana. If not, then click on the custom katana link and get ready to have some fun designing your own. If you find one that’s exactly what you want, then great, as you can save a little money this way. If you go to ROM’s katana page, you will find a host of katanas that are ready-to-go. The katana I designed is 48.3 ounces, which is just over 3 pounds. The exact specs will depend upon the choices that you make, but the length will be the same:

A katana in a saya (scabbard) Hardware specs

Parts of a katana sageo