A Vietnamese professional maker of martial arts weapons and an architect have set their minds on making “katanas” (steel swords), one of Japan’s most technically demanding traditional swords, out of their infatuation with the weapon and artwork.

Since the 1980s, when martial art sects were allowed to resume operation, a number of martial art masters have owned traditional Japanese weapons such as the “bokken” (wooden swords), “jo” (wooden sticks) and “katana” (steel sword), which they bought during trips to other countries or were gifted by their Japanese colleagues.

The Vietnamese masters then hired skilled carpenters and ironsmiths to make them for local martial art practitioners to use.

With time, the craft of making such weapons as practice tools has grown in parallel with the sects’ development.

The ‘katana’ dream

Tran Nguyen Phi Vu in District 4 is among the few trusted martial arts weapon makers in Ho Chi Minh City. He learned the craft from his uncle-in-law, who made prop weapons for local “cai luong” (southern traditional music performance) troupes.

After his uncle-in-law passed away, Vu has developed his current Phi Vu business in making martial arts weapons since.

With his 22 years of experience, Vu can now craft various kinds of martial arts weapons, which meet masters’ fastidious demands.

Since Vovinam (Vietnam’s traditional martial arts) developed into the Vovinam World Federation, he usually has his hands full working on export orders.

Vu has crafted several kinds of Japanese swords since 1998, including the “bokken,” “jo” and “katana.”

He finds the katana the most technically challenging.

The “katana” is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands.

The sword was popular starting the 8th century in Japan and has historically been associated with the “samurai” of feudal Japan.

Vu said he has made a large number of “bokken,” but only about 30 “katanas” so far.

He admitted that the 30 katanas he has made remain “incomplete replicas.” 

Vu shared that he has long cherished his dream of crafting a real katana masterpiece and is set on fulfilling the dream as his career’s pinnacle.

The architect who crafts the ‘katana’

Local architect Hoang Phung Vo is among local enthusiasts of the katana, which is widely known for its gorgeous looks, remarkable sharpness and technical challenges involved.

He said that when he was young, he would try his hand dismantling mechanic equipment in his father’s workshop. 

“Though I don’t like martial arts, I’m infatuated about rationality and love to do research on people’s body coordination. I find all these through Japanese culture and swords,” Vo shared.

He explained that the katana has a standard aerodynamic shape, including the curvature and length of the sword, which is absolutely fit for people’s body maneuvers and coordination.

Based on his knowledge on the sword gained from books and the Internet, he decided to make a katana of his own.

However, he encountered immense difficulty when actually getting started. It took him almost seven years from the moment he decided to craft a katana to his first tap of the hammer.

In his free time, he roamed steel and material markets throughout Ho Chi Minh City to look for high-quality steel, bronze, sting-ray skin and stone to make sword cases, strings and sharpening tools.

Vo then arranged his work schedule and home affairs to dedicate a large amount of time to the making of his katana.

It took him quite long to persuade his uncle with carpentry skills and his unemployed brother to join the mission.

To a total layman, making a real traditional katana verges on the impossible, as its blade is made from steel of different hardness, and different layers need to be forged to make a single unit.

Vo had no choice but to start with the modern katana, which is made from South Korea’s SWD steel.

His furnace is placed on his family’s land in Dong Nai Province’s Bien Hoa City, some 30km from Ho Chi Minh City. In the summer of 2005, after two months shuffling between Bien Hoa and the city, Vo and his partners completed their first, 22-detail katana.

Vo found tempering the steel sword one of the most technically-demanding tasks.

A layer of clay is applied onto the blade to create patterns before the blade is baked in the furnace in the dark to easily monitor the steel’s brightness.

The patterns must be opaque and can only be seen at certain angles.

Sharpening the blade is also a challenging part of the process, which takes the craftsman high concentration, peace of mind and acute perception. This part can make or mar the entire process.

The local martial arts community marveled at Vo’s first katana when he posted the photos of his “brainchild” on the Internet.

Local enthusiasts of Japanese swords began to place orders with him, but the architect was selective in his choice of clients.

“Malicious people can turn a single chopstick into a weapon, so I must be responsible in who my clients are and what they will do with my swords. Also, the katana is both an artistic masterpiece and my way of training myself,” Vo explained.

With his sharp intuition, Vo picked among his clients and met them to decide if he would make the swords for them.

From 2005 to 2011, Vo and his group made a total of 13 katanas. Each of them was an artwork in itself, bearing Vo’s name and the owners’ details on the sword.

In 2011, as his brother got married and needed room to build his house, Vo’s furnace was closed.

With his hectic work schedule at his daytime job, Vo is biding his time to resume his "katana" crafting.

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