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CAS Iberia/Hanwei describes their line of Japanese swords as;
"The expanding C.A.S./Hanwei line of Samurai weapons continues to promote the availability of authentically crafted pieces at realistic prices. The Katana, Wakizashi, Tanto and Naginata in this line display features usually found only in original pieces, giving knowledgeable users and collectors a unique opportunity to own a weapon of a quality usually found only in private collections, museums or the Orient.
In both the forged steel and the folded steel series, the grip construction features genuine ray skin covered wood, wrapped very tightly in the traditional pattern to display the ray skin and the menuki. The tsuba are meticulously crafted in traditional themes, which are repeated in the fuchi, kashira, and menuki. The deeply lacquered wood scabbards have authentic polished horn fittings, and protective bags and maintenance kits are supplied with each piece.
Blades in the forged steel series (Shinto, Golden Oriole, Musashi Miyamoto) are hand forged from high-carbon (0.95%) steel. In the folded steel series (Kami, Orchid, Tiger, Bushido) the blades are hand forged and folded from ASSAB K-120C Swedish steel. The steel manufacturing process provides an excellent dispersion of carbides, resulting in a very tough steel with outstanding edge-holding properties.
The traditional clay-tempering process is used for both series, to produce an edge hardness of HRC 60 and a back hardness of HRC 40. The hard edge provides an excellent cutting capability, while the more resilient body of the blade allows it to absorb the shock of the cutting stroke. After forging and heat treating each blade is hand polished, revealing both the hamon (temper line) and, in the case of the folded steel series, the linear folding pattern. The katana in both series have long tangs and are fitted with two mekugi (bamboo pegs) for greater security."