Musashi WWII Gunto Katana
May 11, 2010 1:40:48 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2010 1:40:48 GMT
Introduction
Hello Everyone,
Today I will be reviewing the Musashi WWII Gunto Katana. Bought from SwordnArmory
www.swordnarmory.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=LP-001BR
I purchased this sword to use as a display piece because WWII katana’s interest me a bit. I think it is a pretty good replica for the $45 I spent on it.
Please bear with me, this is my first review, and I have a crappy camera and poor lighting, so I am sorry for the pictures ahead of time. Still I figure a blurry review is better than no review
Historical overview
From the manufacturer:
“This is a replica of the Type 98 Katana carried by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II“
I do not know too much about WWII katana’s yet, so I cannot gauge its accuracy at this time.
Initial Impressions
Sword arrived nicely packed from SNA in your typical Musashi sword box. Came with a standard black sword bag and was very secure in its box. Upon inspection of the blade I could tell it was of better quality than SLO objects you pick up at the flea market.
Statistics
Statistics taken from website.
• Overall Length: 38.5 "
• Blade Material: Carbon Steel
• Blade Length: 28 "
• Handle Material: Imitation Ray Skin
• Blade Thickness: 0.25 "
• Scabbard: Wooden
• Blade Width: 1.125 "
• Handle Length: 10.25 "
• Condition: Brand New
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
The blade is nothing really special, No real or fake hamon on it. Where the edge is sharpened you can tell that it was not polished over and is very rough and scratched.
The Handle/Tsuka
Has a brown cotton Ito It is pretty lose. The Same is fake, and is very painful to the eyes and very plastic looking.
The Guard/Tsuba
The tsuba appears to be your typical WWII katana tsuba. Nothing fancy here, can see some casting marks on it still, appears to be antiqued. It is also glued on the blade with the rest of the fittings.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
Again, antiqued fittings, some casting marks slightly visible. The habaki has some nice design on it, if nothing else it is different than your normal plain ones. I prefer the plain ones personally however.
The Scabbard/Saya
The Saya is an olive color. Fits the sword great, a little snug. Has some fittings on it, which are glued on and some fittings are slightly too big for it.
Handling Characteristics
No idea how a real WWII sword is supposed to handle, so I can’t compare to that. The balance is pretty far down the blade and does not feel that great compared to my Musashi Bamboo Warrior. Blade feels a little “clumsy” to me.
Test Cutting
Only Cut two bottles with it, but it did better than I expected. I have to warn you, Im not that great at cutting, im still new, so the blade could probably perform better in more experienced hands
Cut 1: No video for cut 1. First cut with the sword and it cut the bottle in half, however it wasn’t a clean cut and the plastic bottle looked almost ripped at the start of the cut then cleaned out for the rest of the cut.
Cut 2: Please excuse my video etiquette, never recorded myself cutting on camera before so it may be pretty sloppy lol. This cut was much better and more clean then the first cut.
Conclusions
Overall, for someone looking for a cheap WWII replica that isn’t some 440 stainless junk, its not a bad sword. The fittings are a little cheap and most of them are glued on, the same isn’t very pretty, but if nothing else the katana is listed as a functional katana and it doesn’t have too terrible of an edge. If you were to buy a cheap WWII replica and cut with it, this is a much better choice then a cheap SLO from the flea market.
Pros
- Cheap price for a WWII replica
- Functional blade, not a blunt
Cons
- Ugly same!
-lose Ito
- Not very balanced.
-glued on fittings, glue can break easily on them
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this sword to someone not wanting to spend more than $50 dollars on a WWII replica. As a functional replica that can be used for cutting it is okay. Nothing special, but also its not SLO junk. If you are not concerned with have a WWII replica however, I think your $45-50 dollars could be spent on some better backyard cutters than this one.
Thanks for sticking through my first review with me, and please any criticism is welcome
Reviews to come:
Munetoshi Kigan
Hanwei NinjaTo
Musashi Bamboo warrior
Hanwei ~2004 practical katana
Celbii's Reviews:
Munetoshi Ko Tonbo Wakizashi
/index.cgi?action=display&board=swordreviews&thread=16426
Musashi WWII Gunto Replcia
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=16209
Musashi Zetsurin
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=16270
Hello Everyone,
Today I will be reviewing the Musashi WWII Gunto Katana. Bought from SwordnArmory
www.swordnarmory.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=LP-001BR
I purchased this sword to use as a display piece because WWII katana’s interest me a bit. I think it is a pretty good replica for the $45 I spent on it.
Please bear with me, this is my first review, and I have a crappy camera and poor lighting, so I am sorry for the pictures ahead of time. Still I figure a blurry review is better than no review
Historical overview
From the manufacturer:
“This is a replica of the Type 98 Katana carried by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II“
I do not know too much about WWII katana’s yet, so I cannot gauge its accuracy at this time.
Initial Impressions
Sword arrived nicely packed from SNA in your typical Musashi sword box. Came with a standard black sword bag and was very secure in its box. Upon inspection of the blade I could tell it was of better quality than SLO objects you pick up at the flea market.
Statistics
Statistics taken from website.
• Overall Length: 38.5 "
• Blade Material: Carbon Steel
• Blade Length: 28 "
• Handle Material: Imitation Ray Skin
• Blade Thickness: 0.25 "
• Scabbard: Wooden
• Blade Width: 1.125 "
• Handle Length: 10.25 "
• Condition: Brand New
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
The blade is nothing really special, No real or fake hamon on it. Where the edge is sharpened you can tell that it was not polished over and is very rough and scratched.
The Handle/Tsuka
Has a brown cotton Ito It is pretty lose. The Same is fake, and is very painful to the eyes and very plastic looking.
The Guard/Tsuba
The tsuba appears to be your typical WWII katana tsuba. Nothing fancy here, can see some casting marks on it still, appears to be antiqued. It is also glued on the blade with the rest of the fittings.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
Again, antiqued fittings, some casting marks slightly visible. The habaki has some nice design on it, if nothing else it is different than your normal plain ones. I prefer the plain ones personally however.
The Scabbard/Saya
The Saya is an olive color. Fits the sword great, a little snug. Has some fittings on it, which are glued on and some fittings are slightly too big for it.
Handling Characteristics
No idea how a real WWII sword is supposed to handle, so I can’t compare to that. The balance is pretty far down the blade and does not feel that great compared to my Musashi Bamboo Warrior. Blade feels a little “clumsy” to me.
Test Cutting
Only Cut two bottles with it, but it did better than I expected. I have to warn you, Im not that great at cutting, im still new, so the blade could probably perform better in more experienced hands
Cut 1: No video for cut 1. First cut with the sword and it cut the bottle in half, however it wasn’t a clean cut and the plastic bottle looked almost ripped at the start of the cut then cleaned out for the rest of the cut.
Cut 2: Please excuse my video etiquette, never recorded myself cutting on camera before so it may be pretty sloppy lol. This cut was much better and more clean then the first cut.
Conclusions
Overall, for someone looking for a cheap WWII replica that isn’t some 440 stainless junk, its not a bad sword. The fittings are a little cheap and most of them are glued on, the same isn’t very pretty, but if nothing else the katana is listed as a functional katana and it doesn’t have too terrible of an edge. If you were to buy a cheap WWII replica and cut with it, this is a much better choice then a cheap SLO from the flea market.
Pros
- Cheap price for a WWII replica
- Functional blade, not a blunt
Cons
- Ugly same!
-lose Ito
- Not very balanced.
-glued on fittings, glue can break easily on them
The Bottom Line
I would recommend this sword to someone not wanting to spend more than $50 dollars on a WWII replica. As a functional replica that can be used for cutting it is okay. Nothing special, but also its not SLO junk. If you are not concerned with have a WWII replica however, I think your $45-50 dollars could be spent on some better backyard cutters than this one.
Thanks for sticking through my first review with me, and please any criticism is welcome
Reviews to come:
Munetoshi Kigan
Hanwei NinjaTo
Musashi Bamboo warrior
Hanwei ~2004 practical katana
Celbii's Reviews:
Munetoshi Ko Tonbo Wakizashi
/index.cgi?action=display&board=swordreviews&thread=16426
Musashi WWII Gunto Replcia
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=16209
Musashi Zetsurin
/index.cgi?board=swordreviews&action=display&thread=16270