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How to Store Your Katana

Although the katana used to be a weapon carried by people daily, today most people have katanas as part of a collection or for decoration. Although it seems like you could store them in any number of different ways, you really should store them in a very specific fashion. This helps ensure that the value of the weapon stays intact and that your intentions with the weapon remain clear, per tradition.

Things You'll Need

Horizontal stand
Vertical stand
Shirasaya

Instructions

Horizontal Stand
- 1
  Position the horizontal stand in your preferred display area. Position the shortest tier of the stand toward the front, if you have a multi-tier stand.
- 2
  Put the sword in its scabbard.
- 3
  Position the grip of the sword on the right with the blade pointing up if you want to display an aggressive intention. Position the grip of the sword on the left with the blade pointing up to show a nonhostile intent.
Vertical Stand
- 4
  Position your vertical stand in your preferred display area.
- 5
  Place the scabbard on the sword and hold it in your right hand.
- 6
  Place the grip of the sword in the bottom of the vertical stand, with the edge of the blade pointing toward the vertical support on the stand. Rest the scabbard against the vertical support to hold up the sword.
Long-Term Storage
- 7
  Take your katana out of the scabbard.
- 8
  Place the blade of the katana inside the shirasaya.
- 9
  Place the katana and the original scabbard in a safe place where they cannot get damaged.

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