# Communities > Modern-era Swords and Collecting Community > Modern Production Katanas >  Kogarasu-Maru

## Cole Chang

Ever since I saw the double edged katana by Cold Steel, I've been intriqued by it but always thought it was out of my price range.  Now that CS has dropped their prices and my local dealer is offering it to me at $500 CAD, I'm finding it hard to resist.  I remember someone here saying that the CS sword was a copy of Dynasty Forge's Kogarasu-Maru.  That led me to google the name and I found Anthony Woo's custom Kogarasu-Maru.  I won't bother posting the link or pic cause the thread is already in this forum.  I guess my question to the community here is...what the heck is the Kogarasu-Maru?  Is it historically accurate?  Wikipedia seems to think so which means that there's about a 50% chance that it is real.

I absolutely love Anthony's custom sword and I think he's a lucky guy to have it.  I personally can't afford one so I think I'll have to settle for CS's production one.

If anyone here has more info about this katana, I would love to read it.

Thanks!
Cole

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## Timo Qvintus

Yup, it's "historically accurate". Another name for it is "kissaki moroha", which I think roughly translates into "double-edge tip" or something like that.




> "Kogarasu-maru" is a name of one very famous sword in curved kissaki-moroha-zukuri. It was a treasure of the Taira family in 12th century, and now in the imperial collection.


from http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/styles.html

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## Gary S

A picture of the original...
http://www.sho-shin.com/yam1a.htm

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## jonpalombi

> Ever since I saw the double edged katana by Cold Steel, I've been intrigued by it but always thought it was out of my price range.  Now that CS has dropped their prices and my local dealer is offering it to me at $500 CAD, I'm finding it hard to resist.  I remember someone here saying that the CS sword was a copy of Dynasty Forge's Kogarasu-Maru.  
> Thanks!
> Cole


Hey Cole,
               Actually, Cold Steel and Dynasty Forge are *both* made by Huanuo Forge.  I believe that Last Legend katanas are as well.  Or so I have been told by people in-the-know.  Fred Chen of Huanuo Forge is the force behind these distributors.  Cold steel only sells the mono steel versions, while Dynasty Forge sells both the mono-steel and forge-folded examples.  While they aren't as fancy as the Bugei/Hanwei (Paul Chen) version, they are easier on the pocket book.  I bought my Dynasty Forge (folded steel) Kogarasu Maru from Mantis Swords.   :Big Grin:   They are currently having their *30% off* inventory reduction sale.  Their mono steel version is $350.00, that's  on sale for $245.00!  Why pay twice that for the same sword, with a Cold Steel label on the box?  :Gag: 

Be well and practice often,  Jon Palombi

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## Cole Chang

Thanks, I'll check that out.  Maybe I can use it to get my local dealer to drop the price a little more!

Cole

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## John Maddox Roberts

In some of my sword books I've seen the original identified as Amakuni's "Little Crow." I have no idea what the name is supposed to mean or refer to. Supposedly, the semi-legendary smith Amakuni created it as the first Japanese sword with a curve, though oddly retaining the partial double edge and the centered point. It is now impossible to separate truth from legend, but the original is certainly very ancient, dating to Taira times, and is one of the most unique swords in the world.

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