Munetoshi Korean Sword, "Yuki" Review
Jan 19, 2010 8:47:42 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 8:47:42 GMT
Introduction
Good Evening SBG,
This is the second in my series of reviews of the Munetoshi sword line. Tonight I am reviewing the Yuki, Munetoshi’s Korean sword/mat cutter. The Yuki is the namesake of the Yuki line of swords, which are all very light blades. It retails from Sword N Armory for $139.98 and can be found here: www.swordnarmory.com/Yuki-Spring-Steel-Munetoshi-Gumdo-Korean-Sword-p/kh-181.htm .
I was very excited when I first saw this blade and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. It wasn’t the koshirae, it wasn’t the temper; it was the geometry. It’s fairly rare to see a full-length sword done in hira-zukuri geometry, and I found it very intriguing. The balance is good and, paired with the koshirae, makes for an interesting Japanese/Korean fusion piece.
Historical overview
As far as I’m aware, there is very little (if any) historical basis for this sword. As I mentioned, it is extremely rare to see full-length blade of substantial age with this geometry. To the best of my knowledge, it is based on the cutting swords found in some Gumdo schools.
Initial Impressions
Again, I have no input on shipping; however, my sword was hand-picked and inspected by someone other than myself; our tsukamakishi. It was the one that stuck his fancy, so it was the one that I decided to both review and buy.
The box was nothing special; cardboard and Styrofoam. It included extra seppa and mekugi, as well as the paperwork for the sword. Box and Styrofoam were discarded before I even left work. It also came with the standard black cloth bag made of cotton.
The first thing I noticed is that the tsuka is a little chunky, and that the saya is really wide. The saya, however, has to be wide on these blades. They are wide and thin and are reminiscent of a razor on steroids! There is an etched hamon I’m not fond of, but I’ll be having it removed (hint: watch the Sword Customization Projects section for a thread on this Yuki soon).
Statistics
Nagasa Length: 27”
Tsuka Length: 10.25”
Overall Length: 38.5”
Tsuba Width: 3”
POB (Point of Balance): 4.5”
Weight without Saya: 1.8 Lb.
Components
To-shin
The blade is katana length, and is hira-zukuri. So it’s like a skinny little tanto that joined the track team and grew into this long, willowy big-sword. My roommate (who also owns one) likens it to a factory textile blade that has been given a nakago and koshirae. All silliness aside, it is the thinnest blade I have seen in this length and in incredibly, dangerously, almost sinfully sharp.
I’m not fond of the etched hamon, but in the grand scheme of etched hamons, they are about par for the course and not terrible. I will be having the one on my sword removed because I’m just not a fan. The sword is through hardened to a spring temper. It has a 27” nagasa, which is the lower end of my preference range, the upper being 29”.
I really love the habaki! The symbol is the Munetoshi brand ka-mon.
Tsuka
The tsuka shape is interesting. It starts off slightly larger than the fushi, then slowly gets wider. It ends being almost too wide for the kashira. It’s a little on the chunky side overall, but not uncomfortable. The ito is cotton and the samegawa is real. The menuki are bright brass shishi and the fuchigashira are the line/stipple that are pretty common to this brand. The real cotton is a nice touch and the crossovers go the correct (alternating) way. The menuki and fushigashira are just sort of there. They’re doing their job.
Tsuba
The tsuba is a sukashi tomoe style, and it’s pretty well done. It’s blackened steel and looks pretty nice. Its 3” across and well shaped.
Fuchigashira
The fushigashira are brass in the line/stipple design that I’ve seen on several other Munetoshi. They serve their purpose but are not my favorite koshirae. They could be higo style and I’d be very happy.
Saya
The saya is lacquered black and is very wide to accommodate the blade. It’s pretty well-made; it’s survived ‘Midori’s Stress Test’ which was me bumping it on two doorjambs and then it sliding off my desk and landing on our wood floor at home. It doesn’t have a scratch, dent, chip, or any sign that this has happened to it, which is phenomenal for a glossy lacquer paint job. So I would say it’s resilient and well-done.
The kurigata has brass shitodome and looks nice on the saya. The sageo is cotton, the same material as the ito, which is not my favorite thing in the world. The koiguchi is rimmed with buffalo horn.
The sword fits well into the saya and does not rattle. It is easy to draw and resheathe, which is nice, though I advise watching your fingers!
Handling Characteristics
This sword was designed to perform like the light hira-zukuri blades that are frequently used in Gumdo schools. The balance is spot on, and it feels as if you may as well be wielding a feather it’s so light. It’s a very quick blade and feels alive in the hands, though it’s a touch light for my taste. I could get used to that, but I feel I’d be getting a bit indulgent if I did.
Test Cutting
(Video forthcoming. I'll post it here when I get it! ;D)
This sword is waifishly light and wickedly sharp. So what was the first thing we did with it? Soaked some mats and cut them up! The sword cuts mats without even trying, and, as Tom K. so aptly put it, it ‘feels like cheating’. So while it is a blade I’ll definitely be adding to my regular cutting arsenal, I’m going to make a conscious effort not to get spoiled and rotate my blades out. I don’t want my beloved shinogi-zukiris collecting dust!
Conclusions
For under $150.00, I believe the overall presentation was pretty good. The tsuka could definitely use some work but that’s my only real beef with the sword. The tsuba is nice for the price and the blade performs above and beyond all expectations I had of it. The things I would like to see change are the shape of the tsuka, higo style fushigashira, no aesthetic hamon and sageo that was…well, sageo.
Pros
Hira-zukuri geometry and spring temper make for a wicked mat cutting blade
Saya lacquer is incredibly well done
Itomaki crossovers alternate, which is correct
Real rayskin
The price!
Cons
Tsuka shape leaves room for improvement
Fushigashira do not add to the sword beyond functionality
Sageo same material as ito
The Bottom Line
I would buy this sword again, would buy from Sword N Armory again, and would recommend this sword to someone looking for a light, fast cutter at a very affordable price. It performs fantastically; the spring temper makes the hira-zukuri geometry more forgiving and is a mat cutter unlike anything I’ve seen prior.
--Midori.
Good Evening SBG,
This is the second in my series of reviews of the Munetoshi sword line. Tonight I am reviewing the Yuki, Munetoshi’s Korean sword/mat cutter. The Yuki is the namesake of the Yuki line of swords, which are all very light blades. It retails from Sword N Armory for $139.98 and can be found here: www.swordnarmory.com/Yuki-Spring-Steel-Munetoshi-Gumdo-Korean-Sword-p/kh-181.htm .
I was very excited when I first saw this blade and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. It wasn’t the koshirae, it wasn’t the temper; it was the geometry. It’s fairly rare to see a full-length sword done in hira-zukuri geometry, and I found it very intriguing. The balance is good and, paired with the koshirae, makes for an interesting Japanese/Korean fusion piece.
Historical overview
As far as I’m aware, there is very little (if any) historical basis for this sword. As I mentioned, it is extremely rare to see full-length blade of substantial age with this geometry. To the best of my knowledge, it is based on the cutting swords found in some Gumdo schools.
Initial Impressions
Again, I have no input on shipping; however, my sword was hand-picked and inspected by someone other than myself; our tsukamakishi. It was the one that stuck his fancy, so it was the one that I decided to both review and buy.
The box was nothing special; cardboard and Styrofoam. It included extra seppa and mekugi, as well as the paperwork for the sword. Box and Styrofoam were discarded before I even left work. It also came with the standard black cloth bag made of cotton.
The first thing I noticed is that the tsuka is a little chunky, and that the saya is really wide. The saya, however, has to be wide on these blades. They are wide and thin and are reminiscent of a razor on steroids! There is an etched hamon I’m not fond of, but I’ll be having it removed (hint: watch the Sword Customization Projects section for a thread on this Yuki soon).
Statistics
Nagasa Length: 27”
Tsuka Length: 10.25”
Overall Length: 38.5”
Tsuba Width: 3”
POB (Point of Balance): 4.5”
Weight without Saya: 1.8 Lb.
Components
To-shin
The blade is katana length, and is hira-zukuri. So it’s like a skinny little tanto that joined the track team and grew into this long, willowy big-sword. My roommate (who also owns one) likens it to a factory textile blade that has been given a nakago and koshirae. All silliness aside, it is the thinnest blade I have seen in this length and in incredibly, dangerously, almost sinfully sharp.
I’m not fond of the etched hamon, but in the grand scheme of etched hamons, they are about par for the course and not terrible. I will be having the one on my sword removed because I’m just not a fan. The sword is through hardened to a spring temper. It has a 27” nagasa, which is the lower end of my preference range, the upper being 29”.
I really love the habaki! The symbol is the Munetoshi brand ka-mon.
Tsuka
The tsuka shape is interesting. It starts off slightly larger than the fushi, then slowly gets wider. It ends being almost too wide for the kashira. It’s a little on the chunky side overall, but not uncomfortable. The ito is cotton and the samegawa is real. The menuki are bright brass shishi and the fuchigashira are the line/stipple that are pretty common to this brand. The real cotton is a nice touch and the crossovers go the correct (alternating) way. The menuki and fushigashira are just sort of there. They’re doing their job.
Tsuba
The tsuba is a sukashi tomoe style, and it’s pretty well done. It’s blackened steel and looks pretty nice. Its 3” across and well shaped.
Fuchigashira
The fushigashira are brass in the line/stipple design that I’ve seen on several other Munetoshi. They serve their purpose but are not my favorite koshirae. They could be higo style and I’d be very happy.
Saya
The saya is lacquered black and is very wide to accommodate the blade. It’s pretty well-made; it’s survived ‘Midori’s Stress Test’ which was me bumping it on two doorjambs and then it sliding off my desk and landing on our wood floor at home. It doesn’t have a scratch, dent, chip, or any sign that this has happened to it, which is phenomenal for a glossy lacquer paint job. So I would say it’s resilient and well-done.
The kurigata has brass shitodome and looks nice on the saya. The sageo is cotton, the same material as the ito, which is not my favorite thing in the world. The koiguchi is rimmed with buffalo horn.
The sword fits well into the saya and does not rattle. It is easy to draw and resheathe, which is nice, though I advise watching your fingers!
Handling Characteristics
This sword was designed to perform like the light hira-zukuri blades that are frequently used in Gumdo schools. The balance is spot on, and it feels as if you may as well be wielding a feather it’s so light. It’s a very quick blade and feels alive in the hands, though it’s a touch light for my taste. I could get used to that, but I feel I’d be getting a bit indulgent if I did.
Test Cutting
(Video forthcoming. I'll post it here when I get it! ;D)
This sword is waifishly light and wickedly sharp. So what was the first thing we did with it? Soaked some mats and cut them up! The sword cuts mats without even trying, and, as Tom K. so aptly put it, it ‘feels like cheating’. So while it is a blade I’ll definitely be adding to my regular cutting arsenal, I’m going to make a conscious effort not to get spoiled and rotate my blades out. I don’t want my beloved shinogi-zukiris collecting dust!
Conclusions
For under $150.00, I believe the overall presentation was pretty good. The tsuka could definitely use some work but that’s my only real beef with the sword. The tsuba is nice for the price and the blade performs above and beyond all expectations I had of it. The things I would like to see change are the shape of the tsuka, higo style fushigashira, no aesthetic hamon and sageo that was…well, sageo.
Pros
Hira-zukuri geometry and spring temper make for a wicked mat cutting blade
Saya lacquer is incredibly well done
Itomaki crossovers alternate, which is correct
Real rayskin
The price!
Cons
Tsuka shape leaves room for improvement
Fushigashira do not add to the sword beyond functionality
Sageo same material as ito
The Bottom Line
I would buy this sword again, would buy from Sword N Armory again, and would recommend this sword to someone looking for a light, fast cutter at a very affordable price. It performs fantastically; the spring temper makes the hira-zukuri geometry more forgiving and is a mat cutter unlike anything I’ve seen prior.
--Midori.