DF 1060 Shobu Musha!
Aug 11, 2009 2:58:42 GMT
Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2009 2:58:42 GMT
Hello folks! I recently bought a Musha class 1060 from Wiwingti and today it arrived! I have spent most of the day getting to know her, much like a boy on a first date. Here are my impressions:
To the best of my knowledge, the Shobu Zukuri blade was designed as an answer to the tough, boiled leather armor of the invading Mongols of the 14th century. As a leather craftsman, I can understand this. Tooling leather is pretty tough and I can assure you that the scraps I used to let my dog chew on were exceedingly tough after they got wet in the yard and dried. If this blade was the answer for the samurai defending Japan, then I can only conclude that it must have been a great cutter, which is why I wanted one.
So off to Wiwi I went, clicked the add to cart, sent off my payment and 3 eternally long weeks later, my new blade has arrived.
Stats:
--Steel: 1060, through hardened.
--Weight: 2 lbs, 9 oz. I don't have a scale so I'll have to take their word for that.
--Nagasa: 28.5"
my measurement, 29.5".
--Tsuka: 12.5"
I agree.
--Point of balance: not listed.
my measurement, 6.5".
--Nakago: not listed.
my measurement, 8 7/8".
--Sori: not listed.
my measurement, 7/8".
--Hamon: none, real or fake.
Initial impression:
Honestly, my first thought on seeing the box (after the glee of 'it's finally here!') was: "Wow. It looks as if this never touched the hands of an ex airline baggage handler.", the way they sometimes do on arrival. It was simply a cardboard box inside a cardboard box, with the sword inside a single layer of bubblewrap. I would like to see a little more robust packaging, but also have to admit that I have never had anything broken by any shipping mishaps.
It was cradled in a blue sword bag, which was your regular run of the mill, though it was nice to get a color other than black.
This was my first sword with an other than shinogi zukuri geometry and I was very anxious to get her, wondering what she would look like once I got all her clothes off. I was not disappointed.
Beautiful, no?
Components:
Saya. The typical glossy black laquer finish. I haven't heard anyone complain about it yet and I won't be the first. It picks up finger prints just as quickly as any other gloss finish, but I have no complaints about that. It is well done and pleasing. There was a bit of saya rattle but only with inordinate shaking.
Sageo. Black and of decent quality and tightly bound. It does tend to stay in whatever position you bend it to but that does not bother me, I just find it sort of curious.
Koiguchi. Neatly finished and dyed.
Tsuba. Higo style? I've heard it called that and can't argue. It is steel or iron with a matte finish. Tightly fitted without any play. It has character, though I will admit that I like the musashi style better.
Ito. Black cotton, tightly wrapped in an alternating pattern and very grippy. I have no fear of losing grip on her. Diamonds are nice and even.
Fuchi/kashira. Appear to be of the same matte steel as the tsuba and done in a higo pattern again. I've also heard some call it musashi pattern. I dunno. It is simple yet quietly attractive. Both are tightly fit without any movement. The kashira has brass shitodome that give it a nice color contrast even though they do not fit quite flush.
Menuki. Of the sun and moon design in brass and very well done. I find them very attractive and they show attention to detail in their making. Aside from the blade, my favorite part of this sword.
Habaki. Brass and solidly fit so there is no movement but also appears to be made for a shinogi zukuri as there are gaps along the ji. Guess that's just the way it is with a different geometry. It does fit very well in the koiguchi with only very small gaps and just the right amount of grip. It doesn't fall out when turned upside down but does not require extra effort to unsheath.
Nakago. I'll call the shape suriage with an iriyama gata end, but those more learned can feel free to correct me if I'm off center. There are no nakago file marks or yasurimei. Found no defects when I removed the tsuka, which was tightly fit and took some effort to get off. No cracks in the core. I was sorta disappointed to see the signature or Mei was inscribed with semi permanent marker.
Mekugi. It has two bamboo pins in the tsuka, fit flush with the same, which is real and paneled. It is fit well and the only place I can see the wood of the core is near the kashira.
Blade. This is where it gets really sweet. I really like this geometry and the polish is above par for a sub $300 kat. It is exceptionally sharp and I felt it trying to bite me when I tested the edge with my thumb even though the pressure was a brushing sort and very light. One thing that gave me pause was some staining on one side that would not rub off. A little metal polish cleaned it right up with no trace that it had ever been there. With that done I could appreciate a mirror polish on the ji with a working satin like finish on the cutting edge. All lines are very crisp and clean with defined delineation.
A shot of the stains on ji on one side that came off with some metal polish.
Measuring sori.
And blade width. 1.25" near the habaki with a very gradual taper down to just under an inch near the kissaki.
Some random shots.
I especially like this one. No flash and yet the blade just shines.
Sweet, no?
Handling:
While the weight might seem to say this blade is heavy, it is not. It is superbly balanced and very responsive. I have heard this blade described as a beast, but it is far from it IMHO. It is robust, but it agile and handles very well. In fact, she felt quite at home in my hand from the moment I unsheathed her. I can only surmise that the removal of metal along the ji to form the geometry, when done along the entire blade length the way it is has quite a lot to do with giving it great handling.
Test cutting.
You can be sure that I wanted to do some cutting with her as soon as possible. Famed as a cutter I just had to know for myself. So I started with some light stuff. Milk jugs, which she scoffed at.
Then some heavier stuff like those amazingly tough water bottles that go flying across the yard if your form isn't just so. Some two liter bottles and some heavy detergent bottles. No sweat for this she devil.
Comfortable and confident in her now, I moved on to what I was really looking forward to. Something I thought would really give me an idea of what kind of cutter she was. Tightly rolled and soaked newspaper of differing thicknesses.
I am well satisfied. I enjoy cutting newspaper because it helps me build my form. It's odd how resilient wet newspaper can be.
When my form is correct I'm rewarded with a nearly effortless cut. When I'm off, there is usually a jarring sort of response, which is why I normally only attempt it with a forgiving blade like my Tenchi. But this was supposed to be a real cutter and I had to know. And she performed. I only flubbed 3 cuts and those all went 7/8 of the way through. Everything else was cleanly cut.
Conclusions.
The DF Shobu has lots of metal but is exceedingly well balanced making her agile and responsive. She is well crafted and strong. Because she is not ungainly I cannot call her a beast, but with the way she cuts I can say she is a beast of a cutter!
Pros:
* Easily within sub $300 category.
* Wickedly sharp.
* Tough blade.
* Very well put together and finished.
* No fake hamon.
* Superb cutter.
* Mirror polish way above par for sub $300.
* Authority in the cut without loss of responsiveness.
* Musha line is probably the best hands down for sub $300.
Cons:
* Habaki gaps due to geometry.
* Ito is not flush with fuchi on one side.
* Shitodome do not fit perfectly flush on kashira.
*Stains on ji.
Bottomline:
I can't believe it's a sub $300 kat. If you are a cutter or collector of any sort, BUY THE DF SHOBU!!!!!! It is worth every hard earned penny!
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.
Troy/Shoboshi
To the best of my knowledge, the Shobu Zukuri blade was designed as an answer to the tough, boiled leather armor of the invading Mongols of the 14th century. As a leather craftsman, I can understand this. Tooling leather is pretty tough and I can assure you that the scraps I used to let my dog chew on were exceedingly tough after they got wet in the yard and dried. If this blade was the answer for the samurai defending Japan, then I can only conclude that it must have been a great cutter, which is why I wanted one.
So off to Wiwi I went, clicked the add to cart, sent off my payment and 3 eternally long weeks later, my new blade has arrived.
Stats:
--Steel: 1060, through hardened.
--Weight: 2 lbs, 9 oz. I don't have a scale so I'll have to take their word for that.
--Nagasa: 28.5"
my measurement, 29.5".
--Tsuka: 12.5"
I agree.
--Point of balance: not listed.
my measurement, 6.5".
--Nakago: not listed.
my measurement, 8 7/8".
--Sori: not listed.
my measurement, 7/8".
--Hamon: none, real or fake.
Initial impression:
Honestly, my first thought on seeing the box (after the glee of 'it's finally here!') was: "Wow. It looks as if this never touched the hands of an ex airline baggage handler.", the way they sometimes do on arrival. It was simply a cardboard box inside a cardboard box, with the sword inside a single layer of bubblewrap. I would like to see a little more robust packaging, but also have to admit that I have never had anything broken by any shipping mishaps.
It was cradled in a blue sword bag, which was your regular run of the mill, though it was nice to get a color other than black.
This was my first sword with an other than shinogi zukuri geometry and I was very anxious to get her, wondering what she would look like once I got all her clothes off. I was not disappointed.
Beautiful, no?
Components:
Saya. The typical glossy black laquer finish. I haven't heard anyone complain about it yet and I won't be the first. It picks up finger prints just as quickly as any other gloss finish, but I have no complaints about that. It is well done and pleasing. There was a bit of saya rattle but only with inordinate shaking.
Sageo. Black and of decent quality and tightly bound. It does tend to stay in whatever position you bend it to but that does not bother me, I just find it sort of curious.
Koiguchi. Neatly finished and dyed.
Tsuba. Higo style? I've heard it called that and can't argue. It is steel or iron with a matte finish. Tightly fitted without any play. It has character, though I will admit that I like the musashi style better.
Ito. Black cotton, tightly wrapped in an alternating pattern and very grippy. I have no fear of losing grip on her. Diamonds are nice and even.
Fuchi/kashira. Appear to be of the same matte steel as the tsuba and done in a higo pattern again. I've also heard some call it musashi pattern. I dunno. It is simple yet quietly attractive. Both are tightly fit without any movement. The kashira has brass shitodome that give it a nice color contrast even though they do not fit quite flush.
Menuki. Of the sun and moon design in brass and very well done. I find them very attractive and they show attention to detail in their making. Aside from the blade, my favorite part of this sword.
Habaki. Brass and solidly fit so there is no movement but also appears to be made for a shinogi zukuri as there are gaps along the ji. Guess that's just the way it is with a different geometry. It does fit very well in the koiguchi with only very small gaps and just the right amount of grip. It doesn't fall out when turned upside down but does not require extra effort to unsheath.
Nakago. I'll call the shape suriage with an iriyama gata end, but those more learned can feel free to correct me if I'm off center. There are no nakago file marks or yasurimei. Found no defects when I removed the tsuka, which was tightly fit and took some effort to get off. No cracks in the core. I was sorta disappointed to see the signature or Mei was inscribed with semi permanent marker.
Mekugi. It has two bamboo pins in the tsuka, fit flush with the same, which is real and paneled. It is fit well and the only place I can see the wood of the core is near the kashira.
Blade. This is where it gets really sweet. I really like this geometry and the polish is above par for a sub $300 kat. It is exceptionally sharp and I felt it trying to bite me when I tested the edge with my thumb even though the pressure was a brushing sort and very light. One thing that gave me pause was some staining on one side that would not rub off. A little metal polish cleaned it right up with no trace that it had ever been there. With that done I could appreciate a mirror polish on the ji with a working satin like finish on the cutting edge. All lines are very crisp and clean with defined delineation.
A shot of the stains on ji on one side that came off with some metal polish.
Measuring sori.
And blade width. 1.25" near the habaki with a very gradual taper down to just under an inch near the kissaki.
Some random shots.
I especially like this one. No flash and yet the blade just shines.
Sweet, no?
Handling:
While the weight might seem to say this blade is heavy, it is not. It is superbly balanced and very responsive. I have heard this blade described as a beast, but it is far from it IMHO. It is robust, but it agile and handles very well. In fact, she felt quite at home in my hand from the moment I unsheathed her. I can only surmise that the removal of metal along the ji to form the geometry, when done along the entire blade length the way it is has quite a lot to do with giving it great handling.
Test cutting.
You can be sure that I wanted to do some cutting with her as soon as possible. Famed as a cutter I just had to know for myself. So I started with some light stuff. Milk jugs, which she scoffed at.
Then some heavier stuff like those amazingly tough water bottles that go flying across the yard if your form isn't just so. Some two liter bottles and some heavy detergent bottles. No sweat for this she devil.
Comfortable and confident in her now, I moved on to what I was really looking forward to. Something I thought would really give me an idea of what kind of cutter she was. Tightly rolled and soaked newspaper of differing thicknesses.
I am well satisfied. I enjoy cutting newspaper because it helps me build my form. It's odd how resilient wet newspaper can be.
When my form is correct I'm rewarded with a nearly effortless cut. When I'm off, there is usually a jarring sort of response, which is why I normally only attempt it with a forgiving blade like my Tenchi. But this was supposed to be a real cutter and I had to know. And she performed. I only flubbed 3 cuts and those all went 7/8 of the way through. Everything else was cleanly cut.
Conclusions.
The DF Shobu has lots of metal but is exceedingly well balanced making her agile and responsive. She is well crafted and strong. Because she is not ungainly I cannot call her a beast, but with the way she cuts I can say she is a beast of a cutter!
Pros:
* Easily within sub $300 category.
* Wickedly sharp.
* Tough blade.
* Very well put together and finished.
* No fake hamon.
* Superb cutter.
* Mirror polish way above par for sub $300.
* Authority in the cut without loss of responsiveness.
* Musha line is probably the best hands down for sub $300.
Cons:
* Habaki gaps due to geometry.
* Ito is not flush with fuchi on one side.
* Shitodome do not fit perfectly flush on kashira.
*Stains on ji.
Bottomline:
I can't believe it's a sub $300 kat. If you are a cutter or collector of any sort, BUY THE DF SHOBU!!!!!! It is worth every hard earned penny!
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.
Troy/Shoboshi