Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is an overview of a recent katana project that was finished up..
This katana is a special and unique blade. The blade itself was made by Bob Engnath. For those of you who don’t know that name, he was a prolific and accomplished knife and sword maker. There are a number of stories about his contributions to the knife and sword community but what I always found most interesting was that he provided some guidance to many of the makers that I enjoy today. I am not sure how old the blade is but likely 20 or 30 years old. I purchased this blade second hand and I am not sure how the previous owner acquired it. It was likely sold by Bob at a show or maybe from a custom order. I am guessing the blade is made from 1050 or 1075. Bob was known to work with 1050 quite often and his heat treatment was considered to have very good results.
The polishing and habaki were done by Josiah Boomershine. He does a great job polishing modern and antique blades. His habaki are also excellent.
The fittings are mostly antique. The fuchi/kashira are very nice. The tsuba is also an antique. The menuki are modern pieces.
The mount was done by a professional. The saya has horn koiguchi, kojiri, and kurikataa. Done in black gloss. The tsuka is black leather in a katatemaki wrap.
The assembly and polish are new but there are little imperfections you can find. The fittings are old and have blemishes. The blade has a few minor scuffs that can show in the right light. It is not perfect but it is in very good condition. I have not used this for cutting or anything other than a bit of iaido.
In terms of feeling, the blade feels like an iaito. It has a very japanese feel. Which you might expect but is absent in many reproductions. This has a good curvature, proper tip, and is a little more petite than most reproduction swords. It fit antique furniture quite well and feels agile in the hand. I am sure it could deliver a good cut, but I have not tested it.
There is a bat theme in the fittings and like any kind of art, you can interpret it how you like. From a historical perspective bats symbolized good luck and longevity. The spider webs would symbolize duality and patience.
A more modern interpretation might be a spooky theme or the sword Bat Man would use if he traveled back in time to feudal japan.
Handle/Tsuka Length: 10.75”
Blade/Nagasa Length: 28.25” (without habaki)
Sori: .977”
Moto-haba: 1.186”
Motokasane: .257”
Saki-haba: .710”
Sakikasane: .213”
Weight: 2lb 4.6oz
POB: 6.25” from tsuba
Why does it cost so much?
Bob’s work does not come up for sale often but when it does it tends to sell well. Bob used to make swords for hundreds of dollars, now those same blades sell for thousands. Without being a fan of his work, there is the simple fact that Bob knew how to make a good sword. His work shows a strong understanding of japanese swords and the craftsmanship is quite good. If you wanted to order a custom blade like this from another smith, it would likely be a few thousand to get something similar. The polish and habaki are not cheap, the polish and habaki cost a couple thousand. The antique fittings are also nice and cost a few thousand. Then mounting the sword is another expense.
Sword Stand by Enso Workshop - etsy.com/shop/EnsoWorkshop
Music provided by - Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com
Link to the Facebook spot - facebook.com/MatthewJensenSwordReview
Link to the Twitch spot - twitch.tv/sword_friend_matt
Link to the Patreon spot - patreon.com/Krunan
Link to the TicTock spot -.tiktok.com/@SwordFriendMatt
Link to the Instagram spot - instagram.com/matthewjensenswordguy
Link to the YouTube Membership spot - youtube.com/channel/UCxfT3TItCH6rNgvQXqYfU1A/join
Link to my eBay sales page - ebay.com/usr/krunangree
This is an overview of a recent katana project that was finished up..
This katana is a special and unique blade. The blade itself was made by Bob Engnath. For those of you who don’t know that name, he was a prolific and accomplished knife and sword maker. There are a number of stories about his contributions to the knife and sword community but what I always found most interesting was that he provided some guidance to many of the makers that I enjoy today. I am not sure how old the blade is but likely 20 or 30 years old. I purchased this blade second hand and I am not sure how the previous owner acquired it. It was likely sold by Bob at a show or maybe from a custom order. I am guessing the blade is made from 1050 or 1075. Bob was known to work with 1050 quite often and his heat treatment was considered to have very good results.
The polishing and habaki were done by Josiah Boomershine. He does a great job polishing modern and antique blades. His habaki are also excellent.
The fittings are mostly antique. The fuchi/kashira are very nice. The tsuba is also an antique. The menuki are modern pieces.
The mount was done by a professional. The saya has horn koiguchi, kojiri, and kurikataa. Done in black gloss. The tsuka is black leather in a katatemaki wrap.
The assembly and polish are new but there are little imperfections you can find. The fittings are old and have blemishes. The blade has a few minor scuffs that can show in the right light. It is not perfect but it is in very good condition. I have not used this for cutting or anything other than a bit of iaido.
In terms of feeling, the blade feels like an iaito. It has a very japanese feel. Which you might expect but is absent in many reproductions. This has a good curvature, proper tip, and is a little more petite than most reproduction swords. It fit antique furniture quite well and feels agile in the hand. I am sure it could deliver a good cut, but I have not tested it.
There is a bat theme in the fittings and like any kind of art, you can interpret it how you like. From a historical perspective bats symbolized good luck and longevity. The spider webs would symbolize duality and patience.
A more modern interpretation might be a spooky theme or the sword Bat Man would use if he traveled back in time to feudal japan.
Handle/Tsuka Length: 10.75”
Blade/Nagasa Length: 28.25” (without habaki)
Sori: .977”
Moto-haba: 1.186”
Motokasane: .257”
Saki-haba: .710”
Sakikasane: .213”
Weight: 2lb 4.6oz
POB: 6.25” from tsuba
Why does it cost so much?
Bob’s work does not come up for sale often but when it does it tends to sell well. Bob used to make swords for hundreds of dollars, now those same blades sell for thousands. Without being a fan of his work, there is the simple fact that Bob knew how to make a good sword. His work shows a strong understanding of japanese swords and the craftsmanship is quite good. If you wanted to order a custom blade like this from another smith, it would likely be a few thousand to get something similar. The polish and habaki are not cheap, the polish and habaki cost a couple thousand. The antique fittings are also nice and cost a few thousand. Then mounting the sword is another expense.
Sword Stand by Enso Workshop - etsy.com/shop/EnsoWorkshop
Music provided by - Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com
Link to the Facebook spot - facebook.com/MatthewJensenSwordReview
Link to the Twitch spot - twitch.tv/sword_friend_matt
Link to the Patreon spot - patreon.com/Krunan
Link to the TicTock spot -.tiktok.com/@SwordFriendMatt
Link to the Instagram spot - instagram.com/matthewjensenswordguy
Link to the YouTube Membership spot - youtube.com/channel/UCxfT3TItCH6rNgvQXqYfU1A/join
Link to my eBay sales page - ebay.com/usr/krunangree
