Making Enma, Zoro's Katana from One Piece

My most ambitious project to date, it was a wild ride for sure.
If you're a One Piece fan, let me know in the comments if I did your blade justice :D

Check out my links below:
My Instagram: @jhublades
Joey's Instagram: @photosby_hu

Shop Equipment I Recommend:

My Camera Equipment:
Main Lens: Panasonic Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 Macro O.I.S. Lens

My Shop Equipment:
Forging Press: 25 Ton Press from Coal Iron Works
Forge: 2-Burner Habanero from Chile Forge
Grinder: KMG-TX from Beaumont Metalworks
Anvil: 365lb Sichelschmidt und Schlasse
Heat Treating Oven: Paragon KM36T

Music:
Epidemic Sound

CHAPTERS:
---------------------------------------------------------
0:00 - Intro
0:14 - Forging the Blade
7:35 - Rough Grinding and Normalizing
9:04 - Claying the Spine
11:02 - Quenching the Blade and Final Grinding
13:27 - A Series of Unfortunate Events
18:20 - The Turning Point
19:44 - Field Trip
21:02 - Making the Habaki
27:22 - Making the Tsuba (Guard)
29:40 - Making the Tsuka (Handle)
32:49 - Making the Seppa (Spacer)
36:03 - Polishing the Blade
37:30 - More Handle Work
39:22 - Etching the Hamon
40:37 - Finalizing the Fittings
43:19 - Wrapping the Handle
44:21 - Final Reveal
45:25 - Sharpening and Testing

[jhublades]

Thanks for watching guys! Here’s some common questions (and answers) and some shameless self promotion:
Check out my Instagram @jhublades as well for behind the scenes content

Questions you may have:
1. Why no saya?
- I did not make a saya because I started the project on July 24th, and I needed this video to line up with either episode 1071 or 1072 of the anime. I blew a bunch of time on the restarts and just didn’t have any left for a nice saya.

2. Why no butt cap?
- I wanted every aspect of this sword to be as good as I can make it. I had some thin brass sheet and very little knowledge of how these were actually made. If I put one on, it would be lackluster and wouldn’t have matched the level of polish on every other part.

3. Why no depth on the guard?
- Enma has some grooves on its guard in the anime. The only way I could think of to get them into the guard involved a sandwich construction, a mill, or days of hand carving. None of those options sounded that great to me so I left it as is. I actually tried carving it out with the dremel but it looked like dogshit😅

4. Do I think this blade is actually worthy of being called a katana?
- Both yes and no. There’s so much precedence for the sword that there’s no way I can make a katana that’s actually up to par with the masters of Japan. I have accepted that, and am trying to treat everything like it’s a study, a learning process. Maybe someday I can make a blade that can stand next to those of the masters that came before me.

[lordhughmungus]

You think a dangerous sword is cursed? No! That's a sign of great quality! When the weak fear a sword and call it cursed, that is a badge of honor!

[vvinitt]

Awesome 🔥 surely zoro oden and oda would love it

[tjmccall]

Your a legend for this. Oden and Zoro would be proud

[kayta]

you really are the legendary swordsmith who forged enma

[SnazzyBeard]

Now we need a featured video of it cutting a mountain in half. 😮 Awesome work!

[ladymanga]

As a jeweller, watching you struggle with the habaki and tsuba reminded me of learning to work with base metals. I highly recommend using a scriber for marking your metal in future. You could also use circle ruler templates to make curves and circles.

[PhileusActual]

This is absolutely amazing!! That blade is PERFECT! The hamon is beautiful and really subtle like you said. Well done mate!!

[devindodge]

I respect that you are willing to start again. You have the spirit of a true master. The final product is gorgeous.

[osirisatot]

Glad to see another blacksmithing YouTuber that narrates the videos. I worry about ashi lines too so I make sure they don't go too close to the edge, I'm never trying to replicate anything from an anime though. It came out fantastic, and I love the purpleheart.

[cetriolioboy]

out of all my years of youtube never in my life have i ever seen such a masterpiece made with such perfection in every aspect, never has a video itself drawn me to write an encouraging comment, and never have i seen someone deserving of a like and follow until today, the way you didnt stop until perfection was achieved really expresses the masterpiece you have made as a one piece fan and someone who can appreciate true art you have both shown what it is to truely show passion to something in a passionless world and you have shown the one piece community a fucking awesome sword. i hope to see more projects like this one done with as much care, and if i do see art done with this much care i hope to see you reap the rightful reward to your masterpieces. please keep up the good work

[jammielee]

When I first checked out your website after seeing you on Forged in Fire, I couldn't believe how expensive (and sold out!) the knives were. Now, watching the care and attention you put into the creation of your blades, I see they're worth every penny. Beautiful work!

[zacharyjustice]

I really appreciate your approach. I especially liked how detailed you were; talking temperatures, traditional techniques, mentioning work-hardening and how to work with it, etc. I also liked how you showed how you started over. Shows you care about your work.

[NamTeGank]

I don't know why i cried at the end.. Maybe the way you are dedicated to your art moves me quite a lot. You must be a happy guy. I'm blessed to have found your channel/video. Thanks man !

[hollinger]

I just received my first “real” katana for Christmas so I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of katana content and I’m so glad I found this channel. Fantastic work and documentation!!

[pork]

This is the first time watching you, am a mechanic and woodworker and can really respect your work.

[vyomcodm]

From the handle to the blade
The Guard

LITETALLY everything looks SOO beautiful

You forged a real beuty

[hamdajalled]

If the Live Action ever makes it to Wano, I know exactly who i want to make Enma for them, I love how much effort and passion you put into this and I think you should be very proud of yourself.

[christianolson]

I can’t believe you had the haki to wield that man! Out of all of the impressive things that happened in this video, that’s the most impressive thing!

Jokes aside, very well done my friend. That’s just awesome!

[ripperdjak]

Love purple heart. Actually have a ring made for me that has it inside. The ring maker said it's one of the most difficult woods to work with because of how hard it is.
Loving this entire video