Musashi Swords Fujin Katana
Mar 16, 2009 7:58:52 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2009 7:58:52 GMT
Musashi Swords [shadow=red,left,300]Fujin [/shadow]Katana
Review By Jared Pollard, Seattle, WA
Forged by the artisans of Chris Zhou (Zhou Zheng Wu), this sword features a differentially tempered (40/55HRC) 1095 high carbon steel blade. The handle features a single bamboo peg (which is traditional) and is wrapped over with real ray skin panels and black cotton cord ito. The tsuba is cast from copper featuring a relief of a samurai warrior. The saya is covered with high quality black piano paint.
Specs
dim: 42.5" (w/ tsuba)
29.5" blade
11" handle
weight: 2lbs 8oz
Price: $247-$287+
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The overall layout of the katana package is beautiful. The case has a blue and gold dragon theme and upon opening, it reveals its nice red satin lining and contents:
I've been a member of this forum for almost two years. It took me one year of searching, stashing ($$$), and prioritizing to finally pay homage to the war gods...with my new Fujin Katana! And now I'm finally getting around to writing a review (jeez!
Fit & Finish
The Tsuka
The tsuka parts have a good balance between aesthetics and functionality. The single bamboo peg holds everything tightly together (though I wish it was double pegged). The ito wrap is very tight and the diamonds look good! The ray skin panels feel a little like plastic but then again this is my first sword...
The brass fuchi and kashira are painted black with a centered golden fish design. The menuki looks like it could be a hawk so I guess they were going with a bird-catching-fish theme...
And now the best part of the handle...
The Blade
(the pics could be better...)
The blade is straight with a nice, even fuller (bo-hi) and a great high polish. The only complaint I have with the blade is the polish of the kissaki- it seems like they were too eager to finish the tedious polishing process and did a quick run over (though it's not that bad).
They did a great job on the hamon, its pattern is uniform, subtle and beautiful
Testing
Ok, when I first got this sword I immediately grabbed some paper to see how sharp this baby really was. It sheared through that paper like butter- I videotaped it but like I said I'm really procrastinating this review so all my videos of test cutting have been "relocated" to a far away land (Colorado ). So you'll just have to take my word for it (for now).
I tested it on a few water bottles and it went through cleanly (though I batted one bottle away with a poor cut).
Throughout the 8 months I've had this I've cut through a pumpkin, watermelon, the cardboard box it came in (sheared from almost top to bottom with one cut), about six water bottles, paper, my annoying neighbor (playing , and that's about it unfortunately. I live in an apartment complex so finding a "legal" place to cut close by is difficult. I intend to do more major cutting later on so when I do, I'll post the results.
Overall this blade handles well; has an authoritative cut but is easy to wield (with the blood groove helping I'm sure). From the little cutting I've done the blade has received no damage but for a few light cosmetic scratches Since this is 1095 steel, I know the edge will stay sharp for a long time. Also the blade has a strong profile-not too thin where chipping would occur (I'll post some more pics soon).
Conclusion
If you're looking for a differentially hardened katana with great bang for the buck, this is it! It might be a little too much for me though since I'm a beginner, but I'm glad I bought it anyway.
The sword is amazing to look at and a lot of fun to handle. The handle parts are simple yet beautiful and very functional with the tight wrap and secure fit. The blade is straight and durable with the high quality steel and mirror polish. At $247 for a traditional katana with this much quality; it's almost a steal ($50 cheaper now than when I got it too and I think it's cheaper than the Kaze)
The Verdict
Historical Accuracy: ?
Fit and Finnish: 4/5 (-1 kissaki)
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 4/5 (-1 for non-mono steel & 1 peg)
Value for the Money: 5/5
Overall: 4/5 (Excellent)
Where to Buy
I bought this off the Musashi website (www.musashiswords.com) for $297 with the discount. They lowered the price so now when you enter SBG15 at checkout, it'll come to $247-which is the cheapest price I've found.
Also if you're dissatisfied with the pictures on this review (as I am), go to the Musashi site to see the much better, clearer images