Mekugi are the tapered bamboo pegs that secondarily secure the handle to the tang of the katana.
Traditionally and in the case of higher quality swords the handle was shaped to friction fit onto the tang. One tapered mekugi would then be inserted near the front hand position to provide a security measure to the handle coming loose and to further tighten the assembly together. To remove the handle the mekugi must be removed first.
Many katana these days feature 2 mekugi, purely a personal preference for the sword owner on a high quality sword. For collectors and practitioners that want the most traditionally constructed swords though, they are usually stuck with this construction method and don't have a choice.
We have now available a limited run variant of several of the Kaneie Sword Art forge's katana with a single mekugi. Having inspected several Kaneie sword's tang and handle construction we are confident in Kaneie's ability to produce a perfectly sound, traditionally constructed sword.
Swords available now from Kaneie with one mekugi:
Royal Chrysanthemum
Wave T10 Katana
Budo I Heavy Cutting Katana