You can also try forge welding wrought iron to a core of a 10XX steel. The grade of the wrought iron may give you problems with lower grades wanting to crumble on you. You will also have to work the bar at near welding temperatures to help keep things from coming apart. I don't know where I read that wrought iron was easy to work with but I've found it to be a pain in the neck, especially when it starts to thin out. However, if you are successful you can etch the final product to give an interesting texture to the blade. As Ed said, there are several ways to attack the problem. You may want to try a Google search for san mia and see if you can find threads where others have made san mia blades.
Doug