Closer B 2

A prop sword drawn in the Japanese tradition: the long, shallow curve of a katana, the sort of blade a costume needs in order to look finished rather than merely worn. The proportions are theatrical rather than martial, made to be seen across a convention hall or held steady for a photograph. Cosplayers building a samurai, a ronin or an anime swordsman are the obvious audience, though plenty of these end up on a wall bracket long after the convention weekend is over. Filled, primed and painted, a printed blade of this kind takes on the deep, hard lacquered look that stage swords rely on at arm's length. It sits with the other blade props in the catalogue as a display and costume item, and should be treated as exactly that: a piece of dressing, not a weapon.