Sinosword Katana (picture heavy)
May 20, 2011 12:53:04 GMT
Post by masahiro560 on May 20, 2011 12:53:04 GMT
Introduction
I always wanted a true katana, it was right after seeing a Hanwei Practical Plus in singapore. However, I had no money back then.
The day came when I got $120 on christmas, However all the swords in this price range was not in my taste, I deemed them inelegant. That was two years ago, My quest to earn $300 was a modest one, but my daily allowance was only $4.
This is the conclusion of the quest of a 13 year old boy who had the dream to own the famous swords used by the samurai of feudal japan, "The Japanese Katana"
three years later, after dreaming an almost impossible dream and endless researching on what is a japanese sword. I have in my hands, not just one but two shinken. My girlfriend and I decided we would help each other out as a remembrance for each other, we are both very interested in japanese katana and she has extensive knowledge about them,. We talked and talked for hours (sometimes it reached 3 in the morning :lol: ) on what the specifications of the swords were to be, the little tidbits we would ask for and such. We settled on Sinoswords, and started designing the koshirae. Both of us are anime lovers and have seen the Shirayuki of "Kuchiki rukia". It looked pure, however we were always reminded of the White shadow ninja from Masahiro Swords (<_<). I had read the manga "Katana", it's a bizzare one, but it told the tale of two sacred swords, both were dragons, one was domineering, and one was elegant. This formed the basis for the Koshirae, and the overall spirit of the blades
Historical overview
My sword is based on the muromachi period swords, broad, wide and functional, dominating. yet still revered as elegant. The features on this sword are based on True Nihonto. It was based on the "Marshal sword" of Japanese Marshals in the era of Imperial Japan. The Kamon that appears as the horimono is my own personal Kamon. My girlfriend recommended not to use her familial kamon because walking around with hers would cheapen the sword and make it look like a tourist attraction piece made in the meiji period
Initial Impressions
The box was nice, I could feel the Dragon's Roar inside the box
The bag was nice, although the himo could be a bit longer, it's impossible tying the traditional knot with that short of a himo.
The shirasaya was inside that small bag in the third picture.
The koshirae was impressive, The tsuka was wrapped with plastic
The tsuba that was gifted to me was wrapped in tissue (it was convenient provided that I had no cloth with me at the time to hold the blade.
The sword was big enough to satisfy me. I did not feel that it looked cheap, and looked flimsy. (This is usually the case with my first time encounters with a katana).
Statistics
Give some hard data on the sword's specifications:
Blade length: 28 inches
Tsuka Length: 11
Overall Length: 40
Guard/Tsuba Width:
(red) Maryukaze - 2.5 inches x 3 inches
(blue) Tenryukaze - 3 inches
POB (Point of Balance): 5 inches from the tsuba
Weight: between 2.8 to 3 lb
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
The soul of the whole sword.
It is a t10 and 1050 kobuse laminated
Folded thirteen times. The blades are wide with fumbari and interesting hada, Some mokume and ko-mokume hada in a sea of masame hada, The blade is also of appleseed geometry with crisp lines. The Mokume hada is more concentrated on The area near the habaki on the sword with double bo-hi
The Yokote is Definitely geometric, no sign of the kissaki ground lower than the monouchi, The bo-hi termination fades out, it is not properly terminated. The ko-shinogi is not properly formed, the ko-shinogi is more appropriate for a Kamasu-kissaki, it is straight.
The Mune-machi and the Hamachi are UGLY, this is probably because the motohaba on my swords are not standard and are wide, the Habaki is not loose, nor tight, it is right there. However the habaki are casted.
The nakago is well formed with proper mei (date when the blade was started to be forged)
and the mei that gives the swords their names and who they belong to, the mei are not etched, but chiseled. (I wonder how the guy who wrote the mei felt when he was writing 魔(Ominous) on the blade )
The Nakago does not curve, and the way the nakago was terminated is not traditional, it feels awkward
I am satisfied with the horimono, They have managed to replicate the horimono as near as possible. It consists of the narcissus flower and the sun in the background
The hamon are both midare, although I asked for suguha on the tenryukaze (double so-hi) I cannot afford to wait any longer as university will keep me occupied this coming june, and considering the high rate of failure because my swords were about their standards I won't risk another blade.
The Handle/Tsuka
The Tsuka much to my dismay is axehandle, however the same is fully wrapped and not panels, the tsuka-maki job is also a wonder, it's tight, I can't budge it. There is definitely Hishi-gami in there, the diamonds are even.
The fuchi, kashira and menuki consists of dragons, made of copper. They compensate well for the balance of the sword, the overall theme of the tsuka are dragons playing in the clouds.
The Guard/Tsuba
There are about three tsuba present in this review
The first and third tsuba are of the same design, a dragon with some bushi fighting on the beach, This tsuba lacks details, not much to say. The second tsuba piqued my interest however, this one had more crisp carvings, but the gold paint makes it look alot cheaper. These tsuba are also made of copper, they are quite resilient as well.
Yay for this type of seppa
The Scabbard/Saya
What do I have to say about the Saya....
The rayskin is lacquered black and sanded down, the rest of the saya are colored with either red or blue. This dumbfounded me as how they were able to do it, I always thought they would attach the rayskin then lacquer it with the color and sand it down and put on the clear coat, this was not the case, the saya is definitely two tone, with a clear demarcation where the rayskin ends, although the sageo is ito material, I plan on making a sageo for these two swords.
Shirasaya
the shirasaya are done in the traditional octagon pattern, although bulky and not in a tear drop shape. They do well in their purpose of storing the blades, No frills no shrills, just shirasaya, unlacquered wood, the blades are safely there.
Handling Characteristics
heavy, but this thing is a monster, quite hard to do nukitsuke with, noto makes me nervous a bit.
the balance is a bit more forward if in shirasaya, but when in koshirae the swords are well balanced. Although well balanced, the swords cut nicely.
Conclusions
The sword is heavy but balanced properly, the koshirae is outstanding, they don't feel cheap. they feel functional and the tsuba doesn't feel like or looks like plastic. The kashira wiggles a bit, but nothing major. There is hishi-gami, The overall fit of the sword is nice, except for the maryukaze which has a small .5mm gap between the habaki and the seppa.
When I disassembled this sword the mekugi were... Chopsticks Mekugi, If you're a fan of Two piece habaki, I'm sure you won't be a fan of two piece Mekugi, :lol: , Although mekugi are a minor thing to fix. I have a spare here, or could fashion one out of bamboo
Pros
=Full Niku
=Hishi-gami
=Properly folded
=Nice Fittings
= Nice Polish
=Nice crisp lines
= Geometric yokote (Smexy )
=TIGHT fit, (The tsuka is there, TIGHT)
=Full same wrap
=alternating ito
=Nicely balanced
=tsuka and saya Custom fitted to my blades (due to the size of the sword)
=Proper Ubu-ha
=Fumbari
Cons
=The machi (This is perhaps to the non standard motohaba and motokasane on my blades)
=The mekugi are chopsticks and the "Two piece mekugi "
=the ko-shinogi is improperly shaped
=Habaki is not custom fitted
=The Nakago termination
The Bottom Line
Would I recommend this sword and sinosword?
Yeah. no questions asked, Although I would be very specific on what you want, if you want niku, say you want niku.
With the rest of my armory, ready for the zombie apocalypse
I always wanted a true katana, it was right after seeing a Hanwei Practical Plus in singapore. However, I had no money back then.
The day came when I got $120 on christmas, However all the swords in this price range was not in my taste, I deemed them inelegant. That was two years ago, My quest to earn $300 was a modest one, but my daily allowance was only $4.
This is the conclusion of the quest of a 13 year old boy who had the dream to own the famous swords used by the samurai of feudal japan, "The Japanese Katana"
three years later, after dreaming an almost impossible dream and endless researching on what is a japanese sword. I have in my hands, not just one but two shinken. My girlfriend and I decided we would help each other out as a remembrance for each other, we are both very interested in japanese katana and she has extensive knowledge about them,. We talked and talked for hours (sometimes it reached 3 in the morning :lol: ) on what the specifications of the swords were to be, the little tidbits we would ask for and such. We settled on Sinoswords, and started designing the koshirae. Both of us are anime lovers and have seen the Shirayuki of "Kuchiki rukia". It looked pure, however we were always reminded of the White shadow ninja from Masahiro Swords (<_<). I had read the manga "Katana", it's a bizzare one, but it told the tale of two sacred swords, both were dragons, one was domineering, and one was elegant. This formed the basis for the Koshirae, and the overall spirit of the blades
Historical overview
My sword is based on the muromachi period swords, broad, wide and functional, dominating. yet still revered as elegant. The features on this sword are based on True Nihonto. It was based on the "Marshal sword" of Japanese Marshals in the era of Imperial Japan. The Kamon that appears as the horimono is my own personal Kamon. My girlfriend recommended not to use her familial kamon because walking around with hers would cheapen the sword and make it look like a tourist attraction piece made in the meiji period
Initial Impressions
The box was nice, I could feel the Dragon's Roar inside the box
The bag was nice, although the himo could be a bit longer, it's impossible tying the traditional knot with that short of a himo.
The shirasaya was inside that small bag in the third picture.
The koshirae was impressive, The tsuka was wrapped with plastic
The tsuba that was gifted to me was wrapped in tissue (it was convenient provided that I had no cloth with me at the time to hold the blade.
The sword was big enough to satisfy me. I did not feel that it looked cheap, and looked flimsy. (This is usually the case with my first time encounters with a katana).
Statistics
Give some hard data on the sword's specifications:
Blade length: 28 inches
Tsuka Length: 11
Overall Length: 40
Guard/Tsuba Width:
(red) Maryukaze - 2.5 inches x 3 inches
(blue) Tenryukaze - 3 inches
POB (Point of Balance): 5 inches from the tsuba
Weight: between 2.8 to 3 lb
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
The soul of the whole sword.
It is a t10 and 1050 kobuse laminated
Folded thirteen times. The blades are wide with fumbari and interesting hada, Some mokume and ko-mokume hada in a sea of masame hada, The blade is also of appleseed geometry with crisp lines. The Mokume hada is more concentrated on The area near the habaki on the sword with double bo-hi
The Yokote is Definitely geometric, no sign of the kissaki ground lower than the monouchi, The bo-hi termination fades out, it is not properly terminated. The ko-shinogi is not properly formed, the ko-shinogi is more appropriate for a Kamasu-kissaki, it is straight.
The Mune-machi and the Hamachi are UGLY, this is probably because the motohaba on my swords are not standard and are wide, the Habaki is not loose, nor tight, it is right there. However the habaki are casted.
The nakago is well formed with proper mei (date when the blade was started to be forged)
and the mei that gives the swords their names and who they belong to, the mei are not etched, but chiseled. (I wonder how the guy who wrote the mei felt when he was writing 魔(Ominous) on the blade )
The Nakago does not curve, and the way the nakago was terminated is not traditional, it feels awkward
I am satisfied with the horimono, They have managed to replicate the horimono as near as possible. It consists of the narcissus flower and the sun in the background
The hamon are both midare, although I asked for suguha on the tenryukaze (double so-hi) I cannot afford to wait any longer as university will keep me occupied this coming june, and considering the high rate of failure because my swords were about their standards I won't risk another blade.
The Handle/Tsuka
The Tsuka much to my dismay is axehandle, however the same is fully wrapped and not panels, the tsuka-maki job is also a wonder, it's tight, I can't budge it. There is definitely Hishi-gami in there, the diamonds are even.
The fuchi, kashira and menuki consists of dragons, made of copper. They compensate well for the balance of the sword, the overall theme of the tsuka are dragons playing in the clouds.
The Guard/Tsuba
There are about three tsuba present in this review
The first and third tsuba are of the same design, a dragon with some bushi fighting on the beach, This tsuba lacks details, not much to say. The second tsuba piqued my interest however, this one had more crisp carvings, but the gold paint makes it look alot cheaper. These tsuba are also made of copper, they are quite resilient as well.
Yay for this type of seppa
The Scabbard/Saya
What do I have to say about the Saya....
The rayskin is lacquered black and sanded down, the rest of the saya are colored with either red or blue. This dumbfounded me as how they were able to do it, I always thought they would attach the rayskin then lacquer it with the color and sand it down and put on the clear coat, this was not the case, the saya is definitely two tone, with a clear demarcation where the rayskin ends, although the sageo is ito material, I plan on making a sageo for these two swords.
Shirasaya
the shirasaya are done in the traditional octagon pattern, although bulky and not in a tear drop shape. They do well in their purpose of storing the blades, No frills no shrills, just shirasaya, unlacquered wood, the blades are safely there.
Handling Characteristics
heavy, but this thing is a monster, quite hard to do nukitsuke with, noto makes me nervous a bit.
the balance is a bit more forward if in shirasaya, but when in koshirae the swords are well balanced. Although well balanced, the swords cut nicely.
Conclusions
The sword is heavy but balanced properly, the koshirae is outstanding, they don't feel cheap. they feel functional and the tsuba doesn't feel like or looks like plastic. The kashira wiggles a bit, but nothing major. There is hishi-gami, The overall fit of the sword is nice, except for the maryukaze which has a small .5mm gap between the habaki and the seppa.
When I disassembled this sword the mekugi were... Chopsticks Mekugi, If you're a fan of Two piece habaki, I'm sure you won't be a fan of two piece Mekugi, :lol: , Although mekugi are a minor thing to fix. I have a spare here, or could fashion one out of bamboo
Pros
=Full Niku
=Hishi-gami
=Properly folded
=Nice Fittings
= Nice Polish
=Nice crisp lines
= Geometric yokote (Smexy )
=TIGHT fit, (The tsuka is there, TIGHT)
=Full same wrap
=alternating ito
=Nicely balanced
=tsuka and saya Custom fitted to my blades (due to the size of the sword)
=Proper Ubu-ha
=Fumbari
Cons
=The machi (This is perhaps to the non standard motohaba and motokasane on my blades)
=The mekugi are chopsticks and the "Two piece mekugi "
=the ko-shinogi is improperly shaped
=Habaki is not custom fitted
=The Nakago termination
The Bottom Line
Would I recommend this sword and sinosword?
Yeah. no questions asked, Although I would be very specific on what you want, if you want niku, say you want niku.
With the rest of my armory, ready for the zombie apocalypse