Cheness Kaze Ko-Katana
Sept 22, 2007 17:47:05 GMT
Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2007 17:47:05 GMT
I have been interested in a shortened katana for some time. I had one from Oni Forge but I didn't care for the fact it was in a full length saya (shameless plug for full review here). That was to be my last sword purchase for a while. Well, in the beginning of August, Cheness announced the arrival of a new shipment including a few new models. One of those items was the Kaze Ko-Katana. It would be a perfect match to the full sized Kaze I already had. I was ready to place my order but prices were not yet available. I sent an email to Paul at SBG to see if he would be selling them. He assured me that SBG would be selling them and he would let me know when a price was available. I checked the Cheness website everyday for what seemed like forever until finally... a price. My order to the SBG Store was on its way.
As expected when ordering from the SBG Store, the newly released Cheness Kaze Ko-Katana arrived quickly and without incident. Customer service is top-notch from both Paul at SBG and Paul at Cheness. The box was kind of cute resting against my door. It was so small compared to the boxes my other swords have arrived in. My other ko-katana were sheathed in standard length saya requiring a full sized box. The display box is proportioned to the short 34" over all length.
Notice anything odd in this photo?
The instant I gripped Kaze Ko, I notice that something felt different.
Notice anything odd in this photo?
It occurred to me after about 3 seconds... the menuki were at the palms of my hands, not the finger tips as I am used to. Hmmm... Feels kind of nice. I was wondering if this was an error on my tsuka or if all the Kaze Ko Katana were wrapped like this. I sent an email to Paul Chen at Cheness to find out from the source. I sent the following photo:
Here is Mr. Chen's response:
As I previously stated, SBG and Cheness provide excellent customer service.
Ko-Katana Specifications
On occasion, my measurements differ from those listed by the manufacturer. I have included both for comparison.
The Blade of the Kaze Ko has the same visible, natural hamon as its big brother. This is a result of the differentially clay hardening process that Cheness does with this 9260 blade that, according to Cheness, "closely resembles the behavior of a traditionally constructed blade." In the right light, the hamon pops out. I think the polish on the Kaze Ko is a bit better than the Kaze I bought back in December 2006. There is a small flaw or scratch in the blade. It appears that this was done after polishing, poor handling perhaps. It looks like it was hit or rubbed with piece of metal. The marks are deep enough that I can actually feel them. Most of the other specks seen in the photo on the right are most likely dust from the paper towel I used to remove the protective greese from the blade. There are some other minor markings in the blade that the polishing failed to remove completely. I assume they are a result of the normal production process.
The curve of the blade is smooth and the kissaki appears to be nicely done. The polishing does not feel like it was done uniformly one each side of the blade though. When running a cloth down the blade, there seems to be a sight roll over on the edge. It's just enough to feel a little grab on the cloth here and there.
The tsuka is tightly wrapped with black cotton ito. The wrap is uniform but the cotton is a bit fuzzy. It probably just needs some sweat and oil from my hands worked into it. The tsuka is held to the nakago by two mekugi. Cheness states that the new Kaze series has an upgraded tsuka. One of the upgrades is that "one of the two bamboo mekugi pins has been replaced with a copper pin as an added safety measure." The pin looks a bit more like brass than copper to me. I have not removed the tsuka because I am a little leary of removing the metal pin. Ok, I know this metal pin is a major concern for some people. I have just tried to remove the pin. I used a steel punch and a hard rubber mallet. After a few, very hard hits the pin had not seemed to move enough for me to feel successful. Rather than force it, I decided to stop. Maybe this is another reasoning for the use of the metal pin; to keep non-professional people, such as myself, from removing, and possibly damaging the tsuka.
The tsuba is the standard Kaze style. I did notice that the finish was different than on my older Kaze. The Kaze Ko is on the left. You can see that the finish is much more smooth than on my older Kaze to the right. The older tsuba seems to have been sprayed or coated with a textured finish while the new tsuba has a smooth patina of some sort. I think the new finish looks much better. You may not be able to tell very well from the photo below, but it also looks like the seppa have been changed. They are larger for one thing but I think they are now made of copper rather than what appears to be brass on the old one.
The new finish on the tsuba looks nice. Some of the inside corners still have some scaling or corrosion on them though. They may have just been missed in the process. I scraped at it some with a dental pick and it is pretty tough to get off.
The Cheness Kaze Ko-Katana feels very solid in my untrained hands. There is one flaw in the fit though. The tsuba is a tiny bit loose... Bummer... If I decide to remove the tsuka, I will try to add a shim to tighten things up. It won't take much.
Does it cut?
Yeah, it cuts.
If you are looking for a small katana, what are you waiting for? Buy the Kaze Ko-Katana.
Historical Accuracy: I am not educated enough in traditional katana to provide a rating
Fit and Finish: 4/5
As much as I hate to give a rating of 4, the slightly loose tsuba was a real downer. There was also that scratch in the blade.
Handling: 5/5
At just over 2 pounds, it's no light weight, but the short blade makes it feel very agile.
Structural Integrity: 5/5 as far as I know
Rating based mainly on tests from others on the Kaze.
Value for Money: 4.999/5
Dang tsuba...
Looks like that makes the overall rating 4.75/5. I guess that would round up to 5/5 depending on your use of significant figures.
As expected when ordering from the SBG Store, the newly released Cheness Kaze Ko-Katana arrived quickly and without incident. Customer service is top-notch from both Paul at SBG and Paul at Cheness. The box was kind of cute resting against my door. It was so small compared to the boxes my other swords have arrived in. My other ko-katana were sheathed in standard length saya requiring a full sized box. The display box is proportioned to the short 34" over all length.
Notice anything odd in this photo?
The instant I gripped Kaze Ko, I notice that something felt different.
Notice anything odd in this photo?
It occurred to me after about 3 seconds... the menuki were at the palms of my hands, not the finger tips as I am used to. Hmmm... Feels kind of nice. I was wondering if this was an error on my tsuka or if all the Kaze Ko Katana were wrapped like this. I sent an email to Paul Chen at Cheness to find out from the source. I sent the following photo:
Here is Mr. Chen's response:
Hi Mark,
Thank you for your photos.
I had not noticed the spec change... but apparently, the Kaze Ko katana are all mounted with reverse of the gyaku menuki.
My standard had been the gyaku menuki ("reverse menuki" on the finger tip side) instead of the traditional mounting (in the palm side). The Kaze Ko Katana is a brand new item and apparently had been mounted with the traditional menuki (in the palm side).
My apologies for the error... I will change my description on my listings ASAP.... But as this is a batch-wide issue.... I am unable to replace your sword with a gyaku menuki mounted one.... at least not until the new batch arrives in 3 months or so. Please let me know what you would like to do.
Again, my apologies.
(FYI.... traditional location for the menuki is in the palm side. The menuki location moved to the fingertip side in later era for aesthetics reasons and became the standard for most iaido dojos today (this mounting is called gyaku menuki.... literally translated, it means "reverse menuki"). So, even though the reverse configuration is now the mainstream, but the traditional configuration actually has the menuki in the palm side).
Best Regards,
Paul Chen
Cheness Incorporated
www.chenessinc.com
As I previously stated, SBG and Cheness provide excellent customer service.
Ko-Katana Specifications
On occasion, my measurements differ from those listed by the manufacturer. I have included both for comparison.
Cheness Inc. Specs. Blade = Differentially Hardened 9260 Silicon Alloy Carbon Spring Steel. Overall Length (+saya) = 34" Nagasa = 21" Tip of kissaki to tsuba Sori = N/A Weight (+saya) = 1 lbs. 12 oz. Weight = N/A Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira = Cast Iron Cheness Kaze Tsuba POB = 2" from tsuba Tsuka/Ho = 10.5" Wood Tsuka/Ito = Black Cotton Mekugi = 1 bamboo plus 1 copper pin Same' = Real Ray Skin Panel Wrap Saya = 22" Black Glossy Lacquered Medium Hardwood | My Specs. Blade = Who am I to argue? Overall Length (+saya) = 34" Nagasa = 20" Tip of kissaki to mune-machi (notch) Sori = 0.5" Weight (+saya) = 2 lbs. 10 oz. Weight = 2 lbs. 1 oz. Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira = I concur POB = 3.25" from tsuba Tsuka/Ho = 10.25" Tsuka/Ito = Black Cotton Mekugi = 1 bamboo plus 1 ridged pin that looks like brass to me Same' = I concur Saya = Black gloss finish |
The Blade of the Kaze Ko has the same visible, natural hamon as its big brother. This is a result of the differentially clay hardening process that Cheness does with this 9260 blade that, according to Cheness, "closely resembles the behavior of a traditionally constructed blade." In the right light, the hamon pops out. I think the polish on the Kaze Ko is a bit better than the Kaze I bought back in December 2006. There is a small flaw or scratch in the blade. It appears that this was done after polishing, poor handling perhaps. It looks like it was hit or rubbed with piece of metal. The marks are deep enough that I can actually feel them. Most of the other specks seen in the photo on the right are most likely dust from the paper towel I used to remove the protective greese from the blade. There are some other minor markings in the blade that the polishing failed to remove completely. I assume they are a result of the normal production process.
The curve of the blade is smooth and the kissaki appears to be nicely done. The polishing does not feel like it was done uniformly one each side of the blade though. When running a cloth down the blade, there seems to be a sight roll over on the edge. It's just enough to feel a little grab on the cloth here and there.
The tsuka is tightly wrapped with black cotton ito. The wrap is uniform but the cotton is a bit fuzzy. It probably just needs some sweat and oil from my hands worked into it. The tsuka is held to the nakago by two mekugi. Cheness states that the new Kaze series has an upgraded tsuka. One of the upgrades is that "one of the two bamboo mekugi pins has been replaced with a copper pin as an added safety measure." The pin looks a bit more like brass than copper to me. I have not removed the tsuka because I am a little leary of removing the metal pin. Ok, I know this metal pin is a major concern for some people. I have just tried to remove the pin. I used a steel punch and a hard rubber mallet. After a few, very hard hits the pin had not seemed to move enough for me to feel successful. Rather than force it, I decided to stop. Maybe this is another reasoning for the use of the metal pin; to keep non-professional people, such as myself, from removing, and possibly damaging the tsuka.
The tsuba is the standard Kaze style. I did notice that the finish was different than on my older Kaze. The Kaze Ko is on the left. You can see that the finish is much more smooth than on my older Kaze to the right. The older tsuba seems to have been sprayed or coated with a textured finish while the new tsuba has a smooth patina of some sort. I think the new finish looks much better. You may not be able to tell very well from the photo below, but it also looks like the seppa have been changed. They are larger for one thing but I think they are now made of copper rather than what appears to be brass on the old one.
The new finish on the tsuba looks nice. Some of the inside corners still have some scaling or corrosion on them though. They may have just been missed in the process. I scraped at it some with a dental pick and it is pretty tough to get off.
The Cheness Kaze Ko-Katana feels very solid in my untrained hands. There is one flaw in the fit though. The tsuba is a tiny bit loose... Bummer... If I decide to remove the tsuka, I will try to add a shim to tighten things up. It won't take much.
The Kaze Ko fits very well in the saya. I prefer to have a snug fit and not have the katana fall out if turned upside down. I feel this is safer since my katana are mainly for display. One thing I noticed is that the koiguchi (saya opening) is not lacquered like the saya of my older Kaze. I do not know if this makes any difference though. |
Does it cut?
Yeah, it cuts.
If you are looking for a small katana, what are you waiting for? Buy the Kaze Ko-Katana.
Historical Accuracy: I am not educated enough in traditional katana to provide a rating
Fit and Finish: 4/5
As much as I hate to give a rating of 4, the slightly loose tsuba was a real downer. There was also that scratch in the blade.
Handling: 5/5
At just over 2 pounds, it's no light weight, but the short blade makes it feel very agile.
Structural Integrity: 5/5 as far as I know
Rating based mainly on tests from others on the Kaze.
Value for Money: 4.999/5
Dang tsuba...
Looks like that makes the overall rating 4.75/5. I guess that would round up to 5/5 depending on your use of significant figures.