Historia

All sword experts will agree with me on this: The saya (sword sheath) is the very weakest component on a Japanese sword.
The main reason is that bad sword drawing will cause the blade to try to cut INTO the sheath, eventually causing the saya to split.

Partially this is due to the glued construction but also because of the traditionally used saya material.
Honoki wood belongs to the magnolia species and is very soft wood type which is easy to carve and shave. Because of its softness, the wood will not scratch the blade if touched. Also honoki wood contains no resins or acids which can corrode the precious steel.

However the biggest down side is that constant drawing and sheathing of the sword will take its toll on the wood. Also it's too bad that the nuki-uchi and noto are the very essence of iai or batto practice.

In ancient Japan, a sheath maker (~sayashi) was just as common as a tailor or carpenter. Unfortunately the amount of craftsmen has reduced to a minimum and many modern samurai have nobody to turn to once their saya breaks.
For this reason we decided - together with the Kaneie forge - to add a safety measure to our saya.

A full hard wood saya would prevent the blade going through the saya but hard woods will always say resinous. Also, why bother drawing your sword if you can beat your opponent to death with a massive saya So let's look for a traditional solution shall we?

As you can see in the picture (maybe you even recognize this inlay method from our "how to repair a split saya" post?), a piece of (darker) hardwood has been inlaid into the saya.

This is why Kaneie is the best choice for proper Japanese martial arts swords. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise