Post by nddave on Sept 11, 2011 5:40:58 GMT
Hi everyone,
So it was my birthday last month and to treat myself I purchased the musashi shirakawa series 1060 differentialy hardened dragon katana with the burgundy saya. The shirakawa series has been around for awhile, with its claim to fame being the bamboo or as its sometimes known the bamboo warrior katana. The dragon katana is a piece from a newer line of shirakawa with reduced weight and blade length.
OVERALL STATS
Overall length: 39"
Blade length: 28" including habaki
Kissaki: 1.75"
Tsuba: 3"
Tsuka length: 10.75"
Saya length: 29.75"
Weight: 2.15lbs without saya
Balance point: 5" above tsuba
SHIPPING, DELIVERY, PACKAGING:
I purchased the katana from sna on friday. The processing took an extra day due to extra orders but still the shipping was fast, actually a day earlier than expected. I received the sword on thursday.
The sword came in two boxes. The first a brown shipper, the second was the red and black musashi box. The sword was secured by two styrofoam blocks and housed inside a black cotton sword bag. The blade had a good coating of oil and on inspection had no flaws.
BLADE:
Overall I was rather impressed by the blade. Good polish, even bo-hi, and decent polish on the kissaki. The hamon was impressive. I expected it to be frosted like my hanwei was but I like the natural look to it that the frosting takes away.
The blade width tapers down to the kissaki more than I expected. Most katana I've handled or owned tended to be a little wider at the tip, or more even with the rest of the blade. I don't think it has any effect on the durability, just a little different than what I'm used to.
The kissaki is actually well done compared to other production katana. Nice polish and evenly sharpened. The hamon can be seen flowing up to the tip.
The thickness of the blade is about mid range. Not meaty like a hanwei but not too thin like a masahiro. The blade has a decent spring to it, but I fear too strong a target would cause a set. The edge out of the box was surprisingly quite sharp. I gave it a quick paper test, which it easily passed. So to have a little harder test I tried the test with tracing paper. The blade snaged halfway through, but the fact it bit into the paper is a pretty good testament to the sharpness. The edge blends well into the blade with no sign of a secondary bevel.
The habaki is brass and fits the blade correctly. Its polished smooth and has the rounded shape rather than the flat square shape seen on most budget katana. overall an exceptional blade. The only complaint from me was that the overall length was not 27". Technically the length from the habaki is 27" but still I expected it to be 27" overall.
TSUBA:
The tsuba is a circular shape with a very attractive dragon design. sna described it as steel but I believe it to be made of iron.
It had the usual black rub off coating found on most musashi tsuba that will leave stains on your hands. A quick polish with some steel wool remedied that though. Plus the natural dark grey color of the metal blends well with the rest of the fittings.
The overall construction of the tsuba impressed me. Nice and even dimensions, the cutouts were cleanly done also. The only minor problem was the protruding dragon head and a few other parts are kind of sharp on your hand. Aside from that a great tsuba.
TSUKA:
The Tsuka upon inspection was good. A quality hard wood was used and the shape fits my hands well. No cracks or damage of any kind and menuki holes were done clean. The only problem was the disassembly was difficult due to the tsuka being too snug.
The only real disappointment was the quality of the ito. It is the cheap, rough, fuzzy cotton most lower end manufacturers use. It was to be expected but still disappointing. The bright side is that its even and tight. Great tsukamaki job in my opinion.
The samegawa is paneled but of good quality. The nodes are medium sized and color and texture are even throughout the panel on both sides.
The fuchi and kashira are iron as well and feature a matching dragon theme. They fit the tsuka well and are nice and comfortable to the eye and hand. The menuki are the typical smoked bamboo pegs used and are set in diagonally. The mekugi are possibly brass or painted die cast. They are the typical musashi spear design used on most musashi models.
Overall a well made tsuka, if only the ito was of better quality.
SAYA:
The saya in my opinion is the most impressive and beautiful saya I've seen or owned. It fits the blade well with no rattle. It is quite snug at the mouth, but snug is definatly better than loose. Constructed with a heavy hardwood and laquered smooth. The color is a deep burgundy that resembles cherry wood. The koguchi is black horn and was fitted perfectly to the saya.
The sageo is black cotton and is of better quality than the ito. If the tsuka was wrapped with the sageo's quality of cotton I would'nt have had any complaints. Overall a great saya that in my opinion, its quality exceeds the price of the sword itself.
HANDLING:
So onto handling, I was overall impressed with how it responded in hand. The balance is superb. Definite blade presence without being too blade heavy or too light.
So the big question is, is it lighter than other musashi katanas? Well I don't know... Is it lighter than my hanwei was? Definatly. Is it lighter than my 1045? I believe so. I cant really weigh it myself, unless I hold it on the scale with me. Which isn't the most accurate method, and probably not worth posting. It feels lighter but that could be due to the great balance.
The tsuka doesn't cramp your hand like the thicker hanwei styled tsuka, nor does it feel too rounded like some others.
As a cutter I'd still say stick with lighter targets. I put it through a few milk jugs and 2lts with no resistance, actually it sailed through them better than any sword I've owned.
PROS:
Quality blade and great edge
Natural hamon
Well made and attractive fittings
Tight and even ito
Superb saya
Great balance and handling
CONS:
Poor quality ito
Dragon on tsuba has a few sharp spots
Tsuka is a little too tight for disassembly
Blade wasn't 27" like I expected. But this is more personal preference and doesn't negate the overall katana
In closing the pros definatly out shine the cons. This is a great katana for anyone looking for a functional light cutter with a few minor flaws in the category of aesthetics. Would I buy another musashi? Sure. But I wont because I honestly expect this one to last awhile. Musashi has proven to me they can hold their own in the sword buyers market. so is this katana truly different than the ones before? I'm not 100% sure. I think its new only by design as it seems very similar to the bamboo reviewed before.
You can find this katana on three musashi vendor's sites. trueswords has it, musashiswords has it, but the best price at $74.98 is at sna. Plus they're the only ones who carry the model with the burgundy saya. Honestly for the price you can't go wrong. the title for it at sna is: Handmade Musashi 1060 Katana Samurai Sword Dragon Brown.
Thanks for reading, D