How to Hang a Samurai Sword: Not Just For “Karate Kid” Enthusiasts Anymore
"I love your sword display," she said...
Sweep the leg! Okay, that’s a terrible place to start with these instructions. We’ll need you to avoid any leg sweeping until AFTER your samurai sword is safely mounted on the wall.
Usually, samurai swords don’t just come with their own scabbard, they also come with some form of showcase or rung that they can rest on, not entirely dissimilar to a gun rack. For those who are displaying a katana sword too, you should technically hang them together, the katana below the samurai—this is both the tradition as well as the most visually appealing way to hang swords, as the katana is shorter than the samurai.
If you did not get your samurai and/or katana swords with a wall-mountable rack, you can buy really cool ones at SwordsOfMight.com for really affordable prices. For less than $20, you can display single or multiple swords on the wall. Of course, you’ll want to shop around to find the color, finish, and number of rungs if you have more than one sword to display. If you want to get really nutty with this project, you can even have things like your family crest, kanji, or other engravings into the wood on the area above the swords. This adds a unique and personal touch to your samurai sword wall rack, helping it stand apart from one that could just be in any house. The more you personalize it, the better a piece of authentic decor it is for your home (or dojo, just in case you have a dojo… we want a dojo.)
You’ll want to hang a samurai sword or any other sweet swords, throwing star displays, nunchucks, and other weaponry and medieval knickknacks out of the reach of children. Yes, even you “I live alone, kids never come here” guy—because as soon as you hang that sucker at three feet, five inches, you’ll start dating a chick with kids. That’s how life works. Don’t you get that yet? Back to square one, Grasshopper!
Beyond the safety measures, you also want to pick out a place where your samurai sword can have the attention showered upon it that it clearly deserves. But that also means that you’ll need to keep it well maintained. Yes, “I don’t need to dust” Guy, that means you’ll need to invest in a quality dusting device that can handle the delicate intricacies of your samurai sword scabbard. DO NOT use random cleaning products on scabbards, blades, or handles of your swords. Because each sword is different, check with the source where you purchased (or perhaps earned) your samurai sword as to what you should use. Cleaning methods and solutions will vary based on metal types, and for the sheath, what materials they are comprised of, as they can differ greatly depending on where they are from in the world.
Once you have picked out your spot, purchased your wall mountable sword rack, cleaned and prepped your sword(s) for display, break out your YOUHANGIT Designer Kit and apply one YOUHANGIT squishy thingy to either side of the back where the hanging hardware is. Squish against the wall with the handsfree YOULEVEL sitting on top of the sword display when you see the bubble is right in the middle of the blue liquid. You’ll then pull away from the wall and see the perfect marks. Make sure you use screw anchors—the last thing you need is one too many sake bombs, a bump against the wall, and a sword coming down on your head—or onto the head of that cool girl who told you she was into MMA who finally came over for sushi. You even vacuumed!
Follow these instructions, stay on top of your practice, and read plenty of Bruce Lee quotes to keep yourself alert and centered. You’re several steps closer to having that dojo after all. We want to come over and check out your nunchucks… BEFORE the sake bombs, please.