What steel grade and construction are used in red handle katana?
Updated Feb 2026
Red handle katana in this collection are built from Manganese Steel and 1045 carbon steel - both high-carbon grades appropriate to quality Japanese sword collecting. Manganese Steel is particularly well suited to this application because its exceptional surface hardness and deep, consistent finish quality provide a neutral and visually refined blade backdrop that allows the red handle to carry the full color interest of the piece without competing with a complex blade surface. 1045 carbon steel provides reliable full-tang construction at an accessible price point with consistent blade quality. In both cases, full-tang construction is maintained: the blade steel runs from kissaki tip through the complete handle body, secured by a mekugi retention pin. The red ito handle wrapping is applied over the standard ray-skin handle core in the traditional diagonal wrapping pattern, with the wrapping quality and tightness consistent with the overall construction standard of the piece. The menuki ornaments that accent the handle in the diamond spaces of the ito wrapping are also included.