Cold Steel's Emperor Series Katana is styled to reflect some of the most distinctive hallmarks of Japanese sword design. We use only traditional materials for our Tsuba (guard), Fuchi (collar), and Kashira (pommel) - Each piece is expertly made and finely crafted in nickel-silver. The Habaki (blade collar) is also hand-made from nickel-silver and the hilt is covered in same (ray skin) and tightly wrapped in the traditional style with black silk cord. A beautiful Menuki (a small, ornamental sculpture inserted between the ray skin and the cord wrappings) further enhances the handles appearance. All of our Emperor swords feature fully sharpened 1060 carbon steel blades that are heat treated to a tough spring temper. The blade is then carefully hand-finished with a beautiful mirror polish applied to the fuller.