Wado Ichimonji - The One Road of Harmony, sometimes called "Ghost". It has a white hilt and scabbard and is the smallest of Zoro's swords, the one he places in his mouth for attacking. It was Kuina's sword.

Sandai Kitetsu - Third Generation Demon-Splitter. Sandai is a cursed Wazamono sword, its previous owners all having met with a horrible fate. It has a red hilt and red scabbard with gold trim. Zoro has said that this sword is a "problem child" and doesn't "obey" him like the others do sometimes.

Shuusui - Clear Autumn Water. This is another one of the world's 21 legendary swords, an O-wazamono. The hilt and scabbard are jet black. The character he won the sword from is named "Ryuma". This is noteworthy because Monsters was an early Oda story created prior to the start of One Piece. In it, a samurai named Ryuma from a world similar to Japan killed a dragon terrorizing the people...with a sword similiar to this one.

Previous Katana

Zoro has presumably destroyed countless swords (all except Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu). He will sometimes use whatever swords he can find in a battle, grabbing a marine officer's cutlass or fallen enemy's katana to finish a fight if one of his has broken or he doesn't have his own weapons on hand.

[no image yet] - submit?

Nose Storm - Zoro made Sogeking into his sword at one point when they were chained together with sea stone cuffs. He gave a sword to Sogeking and told him to be still while he swung him as the katana.

Yubashiri - Snow Run/Running Snow. Somewhat amusing name because the sheath was black (with gold trim). Some single-panel marine with a rust fruit completely destroyed this sword during the Buster Call. It was a terrific blow to him as he had been given it for free by Ippon-Matsu and it was a Wazamono like Sandai Kitetsu. He carried the hilt with him until he won Shuusui from Ryuuma.

Wazamono Swords

Japanese swords have long been noted for their sharpness (wazamono, "the swords which cut well"). This was judged by testing the cutting ability of the sword on bodies of condemned criminals (tests were made on older men or strong, fit men to see how well the blade would cut). The practice of test cutting is called tameshigiri. The bodies were mounted on a cutting stand and specific slices were made, the executioners carefully recording the data for reference. The sword was judged on how many bodies were severed with each type of cut, the parts of the subjects being ranked with areas that were harder to cut than others. The Yamada family were noted as testers of the blades and compiled one of the lists (I shall use that one here as it is the most frequently used).

Saijo O-wazamono - (best cutting swords) The sword cut off the part completely.

O-wazamono - (excellent cutting swords) The sword cut off the part about 90%.

Yoki-wazamono - (very good cutting swords) The sword cut off the part about 80%.

Wazamono - (good cutting swords) The sword cut off the part about 70%.

Today Japanese swords are tested by cutting tied bundles of straw or bamboo - not on bodies, of course. Even back then the executioners did not always test swords on bodies.

Iki-dameshi was a live body test

Shinin-dameshi was a dead body test

Katamono-dameshi was a test where they would cut a hard object (iron or something similar)

Notare - "the wave"

Have you ever wondered why Zoro's swords have a "wave pattern" on them? It's not purely an aesthetic design by the artist himself. The patterns on the katana reflect the excellent legendary swords he uses.

After final tempering katana show different types of crystallization on the edge of the temper pattern. Called Nie and Nioi, these are basically crystals that are made up of either martensite or troostite. The temper line (hamon) is made up of these 2 types of structures. Generally, Nie is the larger crystal formation and is easily seen by the naked eye. Nioi is much smaller. There are many types of known hamon patterns but in general only two types: straight (suguha) and undulating (midare).

Exceptionally well made Japanese swords also have what is known as "hataraki" or activity within the hamon, like Zoro's swords in the image. Notare was used from the late Kamakura period to present day, but ko-notare was seen in earlier periods as part of some hamons. You can tell his blade is a great one by the way the hamon shines out when he points the blade and light hits it.

Token no Wazamono Ichiran

List of Wazamono, Yamada Asaemon (see footnotes)

This list can be seen just about anywhere if you search the net, but I'm including it because Zoro wants this site to have the information, too. I have checked all of this and it is as close as I can get it. And, as always if there are any mistakes please send an email - be kind, however, and back up your findings with literary proof, etc.

Saijo O-wazamono

• Nagasone Okisato or Kotetsu
• Nagasone Okimasa
• Hatsu Nidai Kanemoto
• Izumi no kami Kanesada
• Sendai Shodai Kunikane
• Soboro Sukehiro
• Shodai Tadayoshi
• Mutsu no Kami Tadayoshi
• Tatara Nagayuki
• Sanzen Shodai Nagamichi
• Osafune Hidemitsu
• Osafune Motoshige

O-wazamono

• Takatenjin Kaneaki
• Kashu Shodai Kanewaka
• Kanenori
• Iyo Dairoku Shodai Katsukuni
• Horikawa Kunihiro
• Izumi no kami Shodai Kunisada
• Horikawa Kuniyasu
• Higo no kami Shodai Kuniyasu
• Shodai Tsushima no kami Sadashige
• Yosazaemon Yusada
• Fujishiro Yusada
• Tsuda Sukehiro
• Omi Daijo Tadahiro
• Echigo no kami Nidai Kanesada
• Fujishima Tomoshige
• Echizen no kami Nobuyoshi
• Suishinshi Masakiyo
• Shuri Ryo Shigemitsu
• Sakyo Ryo Yasumitsu
• Ichidaira Yasuyo
• Mihara Masaie

Yoki-wazamono

• Osafune Nidai Iesuke
• Wakasa no kami Ujinobu
• Jiro Saemon Katsumitsu
• Ukyo Susumu Katsumitsu
• Sandai Kanesada
• Seki Kanefusa
• Seki Kanetsune
• Kouzukenosuke Kaneshige
• Echizen Kaneue
• Echizen Kanenori
• Aizu Kanesada
• Echigo no kami Kunihiro
• Nidai Yamashiro no kami Kunitsutsu
• Yamashiro Dairoku Shodai Kunitsugu
• Okayama Kunimune
• Daiyogo Kunishige
• Musashi Dairoku Shodai Koreichi
• Iga no kami Sadatsugu
• Nanki Shodai Shigekuni
• Tsudayoshi Sukenao
• Osafune Sukemitsu
• Yokoyama Sukesada
• Osafune Tadamitsu
• Ichi Saoshi Tadatsuna
• Settsu no kami Shodai Tadayuki
• Mutsu Tadashige
• Soshu Shodai Shigehiro
• Tsushima no kami Tsunehiro
• Tango no kami Naomichi
• Osafune Shodai Norimitsu
• Sukeuemon Norihiro
• Osafune Shonidai Norimitsu
• Osafune Hidesuke
• Omi no kami Shodai Hisamichi
• Kanehusa Shoshin
• Itakura Shonidai Masatoshi
• Yamato Dairoku Shodai Masanori
• Oshu Masanaga
• Hioki Mitsuhira
• Sakyo Susumu Munemitsu
• Hioki Munehiro
• Omiya Munekage
• Shonidai Yasutsugu
• Yamato no kami Yasusada
• Bicchu no kami Yasuhiro
• Takada Yukinaga
• Kyo Shonidai Yoshimichi
• Osaka Shonidai Yoshimichi
• Musashi no kami Yoshikado
• Ise Dairoku Yoshihiro

Wazamono

• Sasaki Kazuhiro(Second)
• Yamato Dairoku Shodai Ujishige
• Kashu Shonidai Katsuie
• Aizu Shodai Kanetomo
• Echizen Kaneue
• Musashi no kami Kanenaka
• Sakushu Kanekage
• Tsutsui Tsutsukuni
• Gorozaemon Kiyomitsu
• Katsube Kiyomitsu
• Hachimanyama Kiyohira
• Hachiman Daiyoku Kiyomitsu
• Nio Kiyomi
• Iga no kami Shodai Kanemichi
• Izumi no kami Shonidai Kanemichi
• Dewa Dairoku Kunimichi
• Sesshu Kunimitsu
• Onikamimaru Kunishige
• Sagami no kami Kunikore
• Kawachi no kami Shonisandai Kunisuke
• Yamashiro no kami Shonidai Kunikiyo
• Aizu Kunisada
• Sagami no kami Kunitsuna
• Takai Kuniyoshi
• Sugawara Kunitake
• Suzuki Sadanori
• Izumi no kami Sadashige
• Kaga no kami Sadahiro
• Yamato Dairoku Sadayuki
• Inoue Makai
• Dohi Maryo
• Maitada Shigeyoshi
• Harima Dairoku Shodai Shigetaka
• Shinkoku Kunitsutsu
• Shinkoku Shigesada
• Takada Shigeyuki
• Tsuda Sosho Mei Sukehiro
• Sesshu Suketaka
• Dewa no kami Sukenobu
• Bizen no kami Yukoku
• Hizen Shodai Tadakuni
• Yondai Tadayoshi
• Inaba Shodai Tadakuni
• Shodai Tsuguhira
• Shimosaka Tsuguhiro
• Higo no kami Teruhiro
• Shimohara Terushige
• Mutsu no kami Shodai Toshinaga
• Yamashiro no kami Shodai Toshinaga
• Musashi no kami Tomotsune
• Ro Nagatsuna
• Takai Shodai Nobuyoshi
• Hoki no kami Shonidai Nobutaka
• Juro Saemon Harumitsu
• Kinshiro Hisamichi
• Yamashiro no kami Shodai Hidenori
• Wakasa no kami Hiromasa
• Hoki no kami Hirotaka
• Hojoji Masahiro
• Ecchu no kami Masatoshi
• Bizen Shodai Masahiro
• Bicchu Dairoku Masanaga
• Kanefusa Masatsugu
• Takada Shodai Subeyuki
• Kazusa Dairoku Munemichi
• Mutsu no kami Muneshige
• Kawachi no kami Motoyuki
• Senjuin Shigekuni
• Sekido Morihisa
• Kawachi no kami Yasunaga
• Nidai Yasunori
• Bizen Shodai Yukihiro
• Izumo Dairoku Shonidai Yoshitake
• Yamato no kami Shonidai Yoshimichi
• Kozukenosuke Yoshimasa
• Ueno no kami Yoshikuni
• Onizuka Yoshikuni

Mixed

• Osafune Arimitsu
• Sasaki Shodai Ichimine
• Kashu Ieyoshi
• Kashu Ietada
• Seki Kanekuni
• Hachiya Kanesada
• Seki Kanenori
• Seki Kanenori
• Seki Kaneoto
• Seki Kanemichi
• Sagami no kami Kaneyasu
• Ueno no kami Kanesada
• Simousa Dairoku Kanemasa
• Komatsu Kanemaki
• Takaki Tsutsusada
• Kawachi no kami Tsutsusada
• Namihira Kiyosa
• Akasaka Senjuin Kuninaga
• Uta Kunifusa
• Satsuma Kunihira
• Kawashima Kunihira
• Hojoji Kuniyoshi
• Matsuyama Kuniteru
• Yamato no kami Kuniyuki
• Nisshu Kunitomi
• Namihira Shigeyoshi
• Nanki Nidai Shigekuni
• Iga Shizumasa
• Seki Jumei
• Musashi Sukero
• Dewa no kami Sukeshige
• Shichibe Yusada
• Ecchu no kami Takahira
• Echigo no kami Tadamichi
• Mutsu no kami Shodai Tameyasu
• Shimosaka Tametoshi
• Soshu Tsunaie
• Osafune Shonidai Tuneie
• Mutsu no kami Terumasa
• Takada Teruyuki
• Seki Nagatoshi
• Settsu no kami Shodai Nagashige
• Osafune Hiromitsu
• Ueno no kami Hisakuni
• Senjuin Hironaga
• Aki Shodai Hirotaka
• Shinano no kami Shodai Hirotsutsu
• Namihira Hiroyasu
• Dotanuki Masakuni
• Mihara Masachika
• Ishimichi Masatoshi
• Bungo no kami Shozen
• Sagami no kami Shodai Masatune
• Wakasa no kami Michinori
• Shimousa Dairoku Muneyoshi
• Taira Morikata
• Soshu Yasuharu
• Shimohara Shodai Yasushige
• Yamato no kami Yasuyuki
• Fujishima Yukimitsu
• Darani Yoshiie
• Harima no kami Yoshinari
• Sanjo Yoshikuni
• Osafune Toshimitsu

---

"The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords." 1997, Japan: Kodansha International, compiled by Kokan Nagayama, translated by Kenji Mishina. ISBN: 978-4-7700-2071-0 / 4-7700-2071-6

"Kaihokenshaku" 1805, Japan, Yamada Asaemon.