Shopping Guide
Previously an assassin on a secret mission, he became tired of killing and gave up his reputation in order to disappear. This is the story of the main character of Rurouni Kenshin, Himura Kenshin. Vowing to never kill again, he began using a sword called Sakabato, a peculiar sword with the blade’s edge on the inward side of the sword’s curve. Thus, the edge of the blade is always facing him and not anyone else. We heard that a sword shop called Kamakura made this type of sword, so we went to investigate!
For those who are well versed in Japanese history, the name Kamakura probably stands out. Kamakura is a historically famous city which became the capital of Japan in 1192 when Minamoto no Yoritomo became the ruler of the first Shogunate. The city is also famous for its many landmarks that are known the world over including the Kamakura Buddha statue and the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine.
With its rich history, there is no better setting suited for building and selling Kenshin’s famous reverse-blade sword. The store responsible for this task is called Sankaido. Sankaido was originally a souvenir shop, but before long they began selling imitation swords and full size replicas of weapons from all over the world. The inside of the store is now brimming with replicas of weapons of all kinds, and it has now become the “headquarters for warrior cosplay”.
As soon as you enter Sankaido, you are greeted with a vast range of weapons. They don’t just sell Japanese swords, they also sell Western swords, as well as swords used by anime characters. The store is chock full of different swords on display. Such a sight makes your heart skip a beat. Being so overwhelmed with the banquet of weapons we were presented with, we had to remind ourselves of the reason for our visit: to investigate Kenshin’s reverse-blade sword. Sankaido is currently selling two versions of the famous sword. One is forged from high quality materials and is made by artisans. This version costs 35 thousand yen. The other one is their more popular version. This one is made from materials that are mass produced to keep the cost down and make it more affordable for the everyday cosplayer. The cost of this version is 16 thousand yen.
When we first held the sword, we were surprised by its heft. We were also impressed by the craftsmanship of the sword. The peak, the curvature, and the length all felt right. It was evident that a lot of materials were used to make it. Often a hole is dug on the side of the swords’s peak in order to reduce the sword's weight, but that wasn’t the case here. As a result of the weight balance being different from a normal Japanese sword, the weight of the katana’s blade is fully conveyed when carrying or holding it. This means that the force flows naturally through the core of the blade. Holding this sword, it’s hard not to earnestly think of how admirable Kenshin is to use such a sword to vanquish his enemies.
