30 in Lacquered Hardwood Saya Scabbard Sheath for Japanese Samurai Katana Swords

I expected a cheap saya, though the shipping made it not so cheap. Gladly mine had no scratches. It's not durable by any means, the wood used is quite light, though it's less likely to mess with the edge. Quite a bit of rattle, but the blades (typical LongGuan-type shinken) lock-in well.The inside doesn't look that great on mine. The spine portion has very rough wood work, it was clearly not sanded well, wood looks very rough. I would have to apply a thin and long veneer strip onto the back for better looks and less wood on my blade when I pull it out.It's perfectly fine for display. I usually oil lightly the interior wood with a thin oil, like "3 in 1" to keep the wood from cracking. Over-time the oil from the blade will get absorbed more, so it's only something I do once with a new saya for a shinken.No horn, no included sageo. No bronze little pieces / shitadome. Very plain. Which is not a bad thing in itself.I went with the matte lacquer, I think it's generally more resilient to little dents than extremely thinly lacquered glossy-type saya you would most likely get from China. I would use a glossy one for display, but certainly not for Iaido or Tameshigiri, or taking it to a Dojo, because how easy cheap glossy saya dent. Matte are not that much better in that regard, but better nonetheless.All-in-all, I wish they had a hardwood or/and light wood untreated type saya available, so I could apply varnish on my own and then put a layer of poly over it. Hardwoods are heavier and you need to be more careful for the edge of the sword not to get into contact with it, as it may dull the blade over-time more so light wooden saya.Contacting your shinken manufacture for a replacement is also a good move, depending on how much they ask.I don't regret the purchase, but for the price paid, they should have at least included horn, or at least some hard plastic, kurigata (the "hook") and a thin reinforcement for the opening.Something to note about saya sent directly from China -- in my experience they have less dents, as saya from Amazon warehouses that are not really checked well in terms of QC and often times arrive with dents. A price to pay for faster and less expensive shipping.Pro Tip: get some fast drying "extra strong" black nail polish to cover the dents. It may not look very pretty, but helps to prevent cracks in the lacquer to form around the dent.Also, you could spray the entire saya with oil-based polyurethane, just make sure to apply thin layers, let them dry for over a day, and then repeat a few times. That will make a very resilient saya, though it takes a couple of tries to get this done right. Most issues come with accumulation of poly from over-application, you can use a soft sponge to carefully take off the excess, or a soft spongy paint brush, while the poly is still fresh, and it shouldn't leave any tell-tale signs afterwards.

The image has two swords. The top Katana and the bottom Wakizashi. I purchased the Shirasaya for my Katana. The original shirasaya carried the scars of over two decades of activity. I was embarrassed to carry it anywhere, let alone display is.I found the shirasaya and the chord on Amazon! I could not believe that even the pattern matched my Wakizashi! After watching a couple of YouTube videos on how to tie the chord, I managed to bring back the beauty of matching Shirasayas and they both command a prominent presence in my home.The workman's ship is excellent. A deeply laqued color protects the inked pattern. It is a perfect fit for my Katana.It arrived quickly and extremely well packed to prevent damage in transit from China. I could not be more pleased