We at Cheness Incorporated want to promote the traditional Japanese sword martial arts. We don't just make katanas that sells, our katanas are always designed with practical applications and cutting in mind.

Our founders are all practitioners of Iaido and Kendo, even our lowest ranking members possesses degrees of Nidan or above (Second degree black belt equivalent). We practice with and test with our own equipment and constantly strive to improve our products through our training.

This is why we don't bother with making display swords that are non functional like all the other sword manufacturers. And we don't follow trends of building the latest movie sword or other imitations and wall hangers.

Our forge specializes in making blades and nothing else. We have made and continuously practice making blades using traditional Japanese hand forging methods as well as modern steel treatment techniques. Over time we have become experts at forging monosteel swords, wrapped core steel, sandwiched steel, folded steel, Damascus forge, and cicada forge.

Because of this, we don't necessarily build our own fittings and may share some of the fittings with other sword companies. But never confuse our blade with anyone else's. This is where we excel.

Our swords are NEVER stainless steel as many other sword makers use (Stainless steel being too soft for our applications and dangerous in use). We always hand forge with 1045 to 1065 carbon steel and we always quench our swords in water or oil. We understand the function to the art and we selectively clay our hamon by hand for function and esthetics.

The motivation for us forming our company is not to be the biggest sword maker, but rather, to provide an economical means of entry into the traditional Japanese sword martial arts by focusing on the fundamental requirements of a functional cutting katana without the heavy branding and marketing.

We understand the high cost of entry for a beginner purchasing their first functional katana. The major cause of this dilemma being that other well know importers of production live katanas demand an exceedingly high margin for their products. Many times up to 80% (Meaning they would charge $5 or more for every $1 they put into making a sword).

We strive to eliminate this barrier to the best of our abilities by minimizing our own margins without compromising the functionality and durability of our blades.

What we want is to let everyone who wants to participate in our favorite martial art be able to afford to own one of our blades.