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How to Dismantle a Katana

The katana was the primary weapon of the samurai warrior of Japan, hence it is commonly known as a samurai sword. It was worn in combination with the short sword known as a wakizashi and the knife known as the tanto. Unlike many swords of the period, katanas were designed to be disassembled for occasional maintenance.

Things You'll Need

Towels (to wrap around the blade) Rubber mallet brass punch small brass hammer small wood block

Instructions

- 1
  Place the brass punch on the retaining pin (mekugi) located about half way down the handle (tsuka) and use the small brass mallet to tap the pin out. The mekugi is usually a bamboo pin placed through the handle to hold it onto the blade. It might be concealed under the wrapping. On many swords, the mekugi is tapered and will only come out one way. Be sure to check the diameter on each side to determine the right side to tap.
- 2
  Remove the handle. If it does not come off easily, give it a few taps on the end with the rubber mallet to loosen it up. Use the towels to wrap around the blade if you attempt to pull a stubborn handle off. This will greatly reduce the risk of cutting yourself.
- 3
  Remove the spacers (seppa) and the handguard (tsuba). There are two spacers. One is between the the handle and the handguard and the other is between the handguard and the blade collar (habaki). Make note of which one goes where as they are not always the same size.
- 4
  Remove the blade collar. At times, the blade collar might be difficult to remove and can be easily damaged if removed incorrectly. Take the small block of wood and place it against the blade with the end resting on the top of the blade collar. Tap the block of wood gently with the rubber mallet. Once the collar is removed, your katana is now dismantled.

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