Hanwei Tori iaito
May 6, 2010 21:42:08 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 6, 2010 21:42:08 GMT
I recently purchased this iaito second-hand although it had barely been used. It originally came from Wiwingti Sword Supply. The previous owner of this particular sword didn't quite connect with it. To him, it was a bit light, and somehow uncomfortable to handle. He also was not happy with the rough, grainy faux hamon these swords come with. It is very pronounced and like sandpaper.
I had always liked the look of the Toris, having handled a Tori Elite katana at the UBC Moyoushi last year. This sword is the iaito version of that sword.
The blade is 'case tempered' forged stainless steel. I really like that it is in fact steel rather than zinc/aluminum alloy. And this blade is almost 100% maintenance free.
The deep and wide bo-hi creates a very audible tachi-kaze as well as lightening the blade to bring the overall weight of the katana to just under 2 pounds.
I have been practicing iai for a couple of years with a dulled , carbon steel katana which has more weight so handling this iaito at few ounces lighter makes a big difference. I really like the weight and balance of it. The kissaki has the same polish as the rest of the blade ( no counter-polish) and the yokote is geometric.
The tsuka ito is brown leather and I think that material being thick and less able to mold into shape like cotton or silk creates a thicker and more fluctuant surface that takes some getting used to. Overall the tsuka feels quite bulky, but as I have lost a lot of grip ability in my right hand, particularly on small diameters, this suits me fine.
I did notice , however, that there are several joints in the ito rather close together in one area of the wrap. Hopefully this won't become a problem in the future.
The same panels are an elegant black but it makes the black and gold menuki a bit hard to make out ( except the gold area, of course). The mekugi also stood out noticeably so I painted the ends of the pegs with black hobby paint.
The Flying Crane themed fuchikashira and tsuba are quite nice and are set off with small gold and silver details and the seppa are a better quality than many katanas I have, as is the habaki.
The saya on this Tori iaito has a nice rattan wrap in black lacquer over a dark brown, textured finish. The kurigata, koiguchi and kojiri are buffalo horn and the sageo is a beautiful, thick silk in dark brown.
Like the previous owner, I was perplexed by the exceedingly rough and ugly fake hamon on this sword. I addressed this by taking some very fine grit wet/dry sandpaper to the hamon making it almost as smooth as the rest of the blade, but still quite visible. I then polished the entire blade again with Metal Glo to bring the shine back. The result is much more aesthetically pleasing and nicer to the touch.
Here are dimensions and specks for this katana, from the Hanwei website;
Overall: 38 ½”
Blade Length: 27”
Handle Length: 10 ½”
Weight: 1lb 15oz
Point of Balance: 5"
Width at Guard: 1.21"
Width at Tip: .86"
Thickness at Guard: .24"
Thickness at Tip: .13"
Sori: 3/4"
As my first and only production iaito, I have nothing to compare this to, but after handling heavier and more tip-heavy swords for iai, I can honestly say that I really like the handling and balance of this iaito. It feels quite agile and I have much more control during kirioroshi and chiburi.
One thing I didn't really like, was that I found the kurigata to be too close to the koiguchi ( about 3") as I am used to a longer space for my hand. I'm sure I will get used to it as I practice more with this sword.
MSRP from Hanwei is $599, although you can find it cheaper from most vendors and as this was previously owned, I got a good deal and am very happy with it.
PROS:
-light and agile, well balanced.
-maintenance-free stainless blade
-stainless steel blade more like a real shinken than aluminum
-premium fittings and materials
-deep and wide bo-hi creates great audible feedback
CONS:
-leather ito a bit bulky
-ugly, grainy-feeling fake hamon. Really terrible.
-position of kurigata ( for me, at least)
I had always liked the look of the Toris, having handled a Tori Elite katana at the UBC Moyoushi last year. This sword is the iaito version of that sword.
The blade is 'case tempered' forged stainless steel. I really like that it is in fact steel rather than zinc/aluminum alloy. And this blade is almost 100% maintenance free.
The deep and wide bo-hi creates a very audible tachi-kaze as well as lightening the blade to bring the overall weight of the katana to just under 2 pounds.
I have been practicing iai for a couple of years with a dulled , carbon steel katana which has more weight so handling this iaito at few ounces lighter makes a big difference. I really like the weight and balance of it. The kissaki has the same polish as the rest of the blade ( no counter-polish) and the yokote is geometric.
The tsuka ito is brown leather and I think that material being thick and less able to mold into shape like cotton or silk creates a thicker and more fluctuant surface that takes some getting used to. Overall the tsuka feels quite bulky, but as I have lost a lot of grip ability in my right hand, particularly on small diameters, this suits me fine.
I did notice , however, that there are several joints in the ito rather close together in one area of the wrap. Hopefully this won't become a problem in the future.
The same panels are an elegant black but it makes the black and gold menuki a bit hard to make out ( except the gold area, of course). The mekugi also stood out noticeably so I painted the ends of the pegs with black hobby paint.
The Flying Crane themed fuchikashira and tsuba are quite nice and are set off with small gold and silver details and the seppa are a better quality than many katanas I have, as is the habaki.
The saya on this Tori iaito has a nice rattan wrap in black lacquer over a dark brown, textured finish. The kurigata, koiguchi and kojiri are buffalo horn and the sageo is a beautiful, thick silk in dark brown.
Like the previous owner, I was perplexed by the exceedingly rough and ugly fake hamon on this sword. I addressed this by taking some very fine grit wet/dry sandpaper to the hamon making it almost as smooth as the rest of the blade, but still quite visible. I then polished the entire blade again with Metal Glo to bring the shine back. The result is much more aesthetically pleasing and nicer to the touch.
Here are dimensions and specks for this katana, from the Hanwei website;
Overall: 38 ½”
Blade Length: 27”
Handle Length: 10 ½”
Weight: 1lb 15oz
Point of Balance: 5"
Width at Guard: 1.21"
Width at Tip: .86"
Thickness at Guard: .24"
Thickness at Tip: .13"
Sori: 3/4"
As my first and only production iaito, I have nothing to compare this to, but after handling heavier and more tip-heavy swords for iai, I can honestly say that I really like the handling and balance of this iaito. It feels quite agile and I have much more control during kirioroshi and chiburi.
One thing I didn't really like, was that I found the kurigata to be too close to the koiguchi ( about 3") as I am used to a longer space for my hand. I'm sure I will get used to it as I practice more with this sword.
MSRP from Hanwei is $599, although you can find it cheaper from most vendors and as this was previously owned, I got a good deal and am very happy with it.
PROS:
-light and agile, well balanced.
-maintenance-free stainless blade
-stainless steel blade more like a real shinken than aluminum
-premium fittings and materials
-deep and wide bo-hi creates great audible feedback
CONS:
-leather ito a bit bulky
-ugly, grainy-feeling fake hamon. Really terrible.
-position of kurigata ( for me, at least)