Hanwei 25th Anniversary Shinto
Mar 15, 2011 3:15:14 GMT
Post by whitefeathers on Mar 15, 2011 3:15:14 GMT
This wont be too long, I don't have the time.. Too busy playing with my new Shinto. :lol:
25th Anniversary Shinto
MSRP: $1,099.00 ( i bought it used . I'm now its 3rd owner.)
Overall: 39"
Blade Length: 27"
Handle Length: 11"
Weight: 2lb 5oz ( I think this is wrong, explaining later )
Blade Steel: HWS-1S
So I'm browsing the classifieds an up pops #29 out of 250 for sale. Without any hesitation I bought it. I endured the painful wait....and then this morning it arrived. Opened up the sword bag and pulled out the beauty. First thing i noticed was how Light it felt. Then the handle/tsuka, its Not an axe handle! I unsheathed it and just stared at its awesomeness. The absolutely gorgeous hamon. I then noticed how it exactly resembled my Hanwei Nami iaito. So i grabbed that and commenced taking pictures. For being previously owned by 2 people its in amazing condition. Like new.
BLADE
Just beautiful and elegant with the o-choji hamon. Made out of the new HWS-1s steel. Its seems pretty shiny, like the stainless steel on my Nami. The hamon is stunning. I couldn't stop looking at it. There were only a couple marks on the blade from rubbing against the saya but the hamon is so hot that you don't even notice them. I don't think it has been cut with. The edge looks like it hasn't made any contact with anything.
HABAKI and SEPPA
Both are silvery looking, and the habaki fits pretty close. It has the #29 stamped on it
TSUBA
Silvery Dragon curled around the blade. It is quite textured to show the scales. Thankfully the spot where my knuckle touches is not that rough. But the edge of the tsuba is very rough. Almost hurts if you were to grab it hard.
RAYSKIN and ITO and MEKUGI
Rayskin isn't anything special. Just the regular general quality stuff. The mekugi are pretty normal too. One of them is a darker color and doesn't look like it was the original one. Ito is the same cottony stuff that my Nami is wrapped in. It is tight, solid, even diamonds, etc.
FUCHI/MENUKI/KASHIRA
More silvery dragon goodness, the kashira has the dragons head and then a claw. I find it funny looking back at the pictures how well that kashira reflects the inside of my kitchen. :lol: The menuki are supposedly dragons. ( according to the certificate )
TSUKA
Its NOT an axe handle! It is a very comfortable tapered shape. I have not disassembled it yet, so no info on the innards.
SAYA
Regular old glossy normal black saya. It does a good job of showing fingerprints. The fit to the habaki is great. I can hold the sword upside down and shake it gently and it wont fall out. The tip rattles a little bit inside but nowhere near as bad as my Practical Plus Katana and Wakizashi and Raptor. The koiguchi/kurigata/kojiri are all made with buffalo horn too.
SAGEO
I love it, its two colored and has a dragon stitched in it. Its kinda stiff but its coolness cancels that out.
HANDLING
This part is wonderful. It is like the sharp twin of my Nami iaito. I swear they feel exactly the same. I held one in each hand and the balance and weight are very similar. I switched the swords to make sure my stronger right hand wasn't favoring one, and it wasn't. That is why I don't agree with the 2 lbs 5 oz. My Nami is 1lb and 14 oz. The Shinto handles Just Like the Nami. The reason I'm so thrilled about this is that I train with the Nami almost every day. I pick up the Shinto and it was like holding an old familiar friend. So I went through some forms with it and felt like I was using the Nami until the resheathing. The kurigata is placed a little further back on the saya so that threw me off a bit. Fast and light. Not really the waifishly fragile feel of the Musashi Bamboo little more substantial than that. It doesn't have the presence of the heavy cutter like a Raptor but has the agile deadly responsiveness of a light sword.
That video is just a close look at the beautiful details
ACCESSORIES
sword bag that has stitching on it and an annoying tassel on it, the stand, cleaning kit, and certificate.
PROS
Elegant, light, beautiful
Got a good deal on it, good condition after being through 2 owners
amazing hamon, cool sageo,
handles the same as the sword I train with, and fits me well
CONS
The stand doesn't come apart. Poor guy had to ship the 'package' to me in separate boxes.
Its so pretty I don't wanna cut with it
It may not have enough 'presence' as some people would like, but thats just personal preference.
saya likes to show fingerprints, but thats just way it is with the glossy ones.
tsuba is a bit rough on the hands
Overall, great sword. I'm happy with it. If you see one for sale and want it....Grab it!
25th Anniversary Shinto
MSRP: $1,099.00 ( i bought it used . I'm now its 3rd owner.)
Overall: 39"
Blade Length: 27"
Handle Length: 11"
Weight: 2lb 5oz ( I think this is wrong, explaining later )
Blade Steel: HWS-1S
So I'm browsing the classifieds an up pops #29 out of 250 for sale. Without any hesitation I bought it. I endured the painful wait....and then this morning it arrived. Opened up the sword bag and pulled out the beauty. First thing i noticed was how Light it felt. Then the handle/tsuka, its Not an axe handle! I unsheathed it and just stared at its awesomeness. The absolutely gorgeous hamon. I then noticed how it exactly resembled my Hanwei Nami iaito. So i grabbed that and commenced taking pictures. For being previously owned by 2 people its in amazing condition. Like new.
BLADE
Just beautiful and elegant with the o-choji hamon. Made out of the new HWS-1s steel. Its seems pretty shiny, like the stainless steel on my Nami. The hamon is stunning. I couldn't stop looking at it. There were only a couple marks on the blade from rubbing against the saya but the hamon is so hot that you don't even notice them. I don't think it has been cut with. The edge looks like it hasn't made any contact with anything.
HABAKI and SEPPA
Both are silvery looking, and the habaki fits pretty close. It has the #29 stamped on it
TSUBA
Silvery Dragon curled around the blade. It is quite textured to show the scales. Thankfully the spot where my knuckle touches is not that rough. But the edge of the tsuba is very rough. Almost hurts if you were to grab it hard.
RAYSKIN and ITO and MEKUGI
Rayskin isn't anything special. Just the regular general quality stuff. The mekugi are pretty normal too. One of them is a darker color and doesn't look like it was the original one. Ito is the same cottony stuff that my Nami is wrapped in. It is tight, solid, even diamonds, etc.
FUCHI/MENUKI/KASHIRA
More silvery dragon goodness, the kashira has the dragons head and then a claw. I find it funny looking back at the pictures how well that kashira reflects the inside of my kitchen. :lol: The menuki are supposedly dragons. ( according to the certificate )
TSUKA
Its NOT an axe handle! It is a very comfortable tapered shape. I have not disassembled it yet, so no info on the innards.
SAYA
Regular old glossy normal black saya. It does a good job of showing fingerprints. The fit to the habaki is great. I can hold the sword upside down and shake it gently and it wont fall out. The tip rattles a little bit inside but nowhere near as bad as my Practical Plus Katana and Wakizashi and Raptor. The koiguchi/kurigata/kojiri are all made with buffalo horn too.
SAGEO
I love it, its two colored and has a dragon stitched in it. Its kinda stiff but its coolness cancels that out.
HANDLING
This part is wonderful. It is like the sharp twin of my Nami iaito. I swear they feel exactly the same. I held one in each hand and the balance and weight are very similar. I switched the swords to make sure my stronger right hand wasn't favoring one, and it wasn't. That is why I don't agree with the 2 lbs 5 oz. My Nami is 1lb and 14 oz. The Shinto handles Just Like the Nami. The reason I'm so thrilled about this is that I train with the Nami almost every day. I pick up the Shinto and it was like holding an old familiar friend. So I went through some forms with it and felt like I was using the Nami until the resheathing. The kurigata is placed a little further back on the saya so that threw me off a bit. Fast and light. Not really the waifishly fragile feel of the Musashi Bamboo little more substantial than that. It doesn't have the presence of the heavy cutter like a Raptor but has the agile deadly responsiveness of a light sword.
That video is just a close look at the beautiful details
ACCESSORIES
sword bag that has stitching on it and an annoying tassel on it, the stand, cleaning kit, and certificate.
PROS
Elegant, light, beautiful
Got a good deal on it, good condition after being through 2 owners
amazing hamon, cool sageo,
handles the same as the sword I train with, and fits me well
CONS
The stand doesn't come apart. Poor guy had to ship the 'package' to me in separate boxes.
Its so pretty I don't wanna cut with it
It may not have enough 'presence' as some people would like, but thats just personal preference.
saya likes to show fingerprints, but thats just way it is with the glossy ones.
tsuba is a bit rough on the hands
Overall, great sword. I'm happy with it. If you see one for sale and want it....Grab it!