Musashi 1060 Kissaki-MoroHa Zukuri Katana
Oct 27, 2011 3:36:18 GMT
Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2011 3:36:18 GMT
Introduction:
I've been pretty (well... extremely) indecisive about what I wanted to get for my first sword, I eventually decided to save up for something at the higher end (for me at least). One day I was looking at cheap Musashi katanas and I saw their MoroHa Zukuri. I'd never seen a katana with that kind of blade geometry before, and somehow it instantly appealed to me. I ordered one from trueswords.com on Sunday and it arrived today, Wednesday. My internet use and free time in general is quite limited right now, so no pictures until this weekend.
Historical overview:
From what I've read, MoroHa Zukuri blade geometry was one of the transition points between the early double-edged stabbing blades and tachi. It was uncommon on katana but not unheard of. And honestly those are the only facts about the geometry that I know.
Full Disclosure:
I had never handled a sword in my life before today (at least not one that was in any condition to be swung around). I'm not affiliated with True Swords or Musashi in any way and this is my first time buying from them.
Initial Impressions:
The sword arrived quickly, packed safely into two cardboard boxes with a nice little cotton sword bag. It came with a certificate of authenticity that resembled the "sword papers" I've seen on Nihonto websites. I don't know if production katana makers usually include such a certificate but it seemed like a nice touch to me.
Statistics:
Blade/Nagasa Length: 27.5"
Handle/Tsuka Length: 10.75"
Overall Length: 40.75"
Guard/Tsuba Width: 3"
POB (Point of Balance): not sure, but it *feels* like it's right at the habaki
COP (Center of Percussion): not sure
Weight: not sure, around 2 pounds
Components:
The Blade/Nagasa:
The blade was the real selling point for me. The shape is almost perfectly even, the fit of the habaki is absolutely perfect as far as I can tell. This is probably due more to the fact that the components are mass produced than anything else, but the end result is nice. The hamon is somewhat faint and fades away towards the tip of the sword. The false edge has no hamon so I assume that it is not meant to be sharpened, and so it will remain false as long as it's in my possession.
The Handle/Tsuka:
The tsuka is properly waisted, with real samegawa panels and very nice to hold. The only negative thing about it is the ito, which like the other Musashi 1060 katanas is synthetic and very shoelacey. However, it is very tight and alternates properly. The mekugi on my sword were very tight, and I almost seriously damaged the bottom one disassembling the sword, but that's just to be expected on a production katana (and when an amateur is dissembling the sword with a rubber mallet and a peg... :? ). I couldn't get the mekugi back in all the way and so I can't cut with it anymore until I get that taken care of. The also taper, and so only fit into the tsuka properly when inserted from the correct side. The tsuka itself was just... snug and slid on and off without too much hassle after the first inch. There was glue on it but only for a few inches close to the tsuba, and it flaked right off. The tsuka had no cracks in it, but the two halves were joined diagonally in a very odd way that I'll have to show when I get pictures up. The tang was filed and had Mr. Sam Sung's name in English on one side and in Chinese (or perhaps Japanese) on the other. The serial number was also engraved into the tang and to my delight matched the number on the fancy certificate that came with the sword.
The Guard/Tsuba:
The certificate describes the tsuba as copper, but I'm almost certain that it's a solid piece of brass. Black paint is sort of... slathered over the face of the tsuba, I'm guessing to make it look like an iron tsuba with gold inlays. Quite frankly, it would have looked much better if they had just polished up the brass and left it as that. The details are very nice by themselves and no casting flaws are visible. I would remove the paint myself, but I'm afraid that it is actually copper and the gold coloration will come off with the paint (it does look very much like the metal is brass though).
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira:
The fuchi and kashira are both brass and very nicely detailed, though they too are partially covered in black paint. The menuki are plastic unfortunately, but they look okay for what they are.
The Scabbard/Saya:
The saya is nice and glossy black. The throat is just a tad too tight, I can slide the sword out with my thumb but it has to be forced a little to go the last centimeter or so completely into the saya. I consider that a good thing, because I know the sword will never fall out. The sageo is very loose and shoelacy, but it will be easy enough to tie a new one.
Handling Characteristics:
I have to say again that I've never handled a sword as a weapon. The balance was close to the guard and easy to control. It was heavier than I expected a sword to be but must be lighter than the other Musashi 1060's (which were already described as light) because of the double bo-hi and the false edge. After a few test cuts I began to realize how awesome the handling really was so on to...
Test Cutting:
I decided to cut the cardboard boxes that the sword came in almost immediately aft I got it. The first cut (to my great surprise) was absolutely effortless; I overestimated how much force it would take and buried the tip of my shiny new sword in the ground. This sword is much easier to cut with than I ever thought it would be- the rest of my cuts were just as easy and ruler straight. I should also note that, in hitting the ground (which was not done lightly), the sword scraped against a few pebbles and such but the blade was not damaged in any way, not even scratched. Not exactly impressive, but I'm glad that it's tough enough to handle a few inevitable accidents.
Conclusions:
Pros:
-very high quality blade for the price with a real hamon
-very sharp out of the box
-light and well balanced, extremely easy to cut with
-overall secure construction
-low price
-real same panels
-properly waisted tsuka
Cons:
-ugly black paint on the fittings
-plastic menuki
-shoelacey ito and loose sageo
-some parts of the assembly were too tight
The Bottom Line:
I was disappointed a bit in the look of the fittings, but as an $80 sword and my first sword it's absolutely perfect. It's a well built light cutter, that's all I'll ever expect of it. Musashi is definitely a great value for anyone like me that's just getting into the world of functional swords.
I've been pretty (well... extremely) indecisive about what I wanted to get for my first sword, I eventually decided to save up for something at the higher end (for me at least). One day I was looking at cheap Musashi katanas and I saw their MoroHa Zukuri. I'd never seen a katana with that kind of blade geometry before, and somehow it instantly appealed to me. I ordered one from trueswords.com on Sunday and it arrived today, Wednesday. My internet use and free time in general is quite limited right now, so no pictures until this weekend.
Historical overview:
From what I've read, MoroHa Zukuri blade geometry was one of the transition points between the early double-edged stabbing blades and tachi. It was uncommon on katana but not unheard of. And honestly those are the only facts about the geometry that I know.
Full Disclosure:
I had never handled a sword in my life before today (at least not one that was in any condition to be swung around). I'm not affiliated with True Swords or Musashi in any way and this is my first time buying from them.
Initial Impressions:
The sword arrived quickly, packed safely into two cardboard boxes with a nice little cotton sword bag. It came with a certificate of authenticity that resembled the "sword papers" I've seen on Nihonto websites. I don't know if production katana makers usually include such a certificate but it seemed like a nice touch to me.
Statistics:
Blade/Nagasa Length: 27.5"
Handle/Tsuka Length: 10.75"
Overall Length: 40.75"
Guard/Tsuba Width: 3"
POB (Point of Balance): not sure, but it *feels* like it's right at the habaki
COP (Center of Percussion): not sure
Weight: not sure, around 2 pounds
Components:
The Blade/Nagasa:
The blade was the real selling point for me. The shape is almost perfectly even, the fit of the habaki is absolutely perfect as far as I can tell. This is probably due more to the fact that the components are mass produced than anything else, but the end result is nice. The hamon is somewhat faint and fades away towards the tip of the sword. The false edge has no hamon so I assume that it is not meant to be sharpened, and so it will remain false as long as it's in my possession.
The Handle/Tsuka:
The tsuka is properly waisted, with real samegawa panels and very nice to hold. The only negative thing about it is the ito, which like the other Musashi 1060 katanas is synthetic and very shoelacey. However, it is very tight and alternates properly. The mekugi on my sword were very tight, and I almost seriously damaged the bottom one disassembling the sword, but that's just to be expected on a production katana (and when an amateur is dissembling the sword with a rubber mallet and a peg... :? ). I couldn't get the mekugi back in all the way and so I can't cut with it anymore until I get that taken care of. The also taper, and so only fit into the tsuka properly when inserted from the correct side. The tsuka itself was just... snug and slid on and off without too much hassle after the first inch. There was glue on it but only for a few inches close to the tsuba, and it flaked right off. The tsuka had no cracks in it, but the two halves were joined diagonally in a very odd way that I'll have to show when I get pictures up. The tang was filed and had Mr. Sam Sung's name in English on one side and in Chinese (or perhaps Japanese) on the other. The serial number was also engraved into the tang and to my delight matched the number on the fancy certificate that came with the sword.
The Guard/Tsuba:
The certificate describes the tsuba as copper, but I'm almost certain that it's a solid piece of brass. Black paint is sort of... slathered over the face of the tsuba, I'm guessing to make it look like an iron tsuba with gold inlays. Quite frankly, it would have looked much better if they had just polished up the brass and left it as that. The details are very nice by themselves and no casting flaws are visible. I would remove the paint myself, but I'm afraid that it is actually copper and the gold coloration will come off with the paint (it does look very much like the metal is brass though).
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira:
The fuchi and kashira are both brass and very nicely detailed, though they too are partially covered in black paint. The menuki are plastic unfortunately, but they look okay for what they are.
The Scabbard/Saya:
The saya is nice and glossy black. The throat is just a tad too tight, I can slide the sword out with my thumb but it has to be forced a little to go the last centimeter or so completely into the saya. I consider that a good thing, because I know the sword will never fall out. The sageo is very loose and shoelacy, but it will be easy enough to tie a new one.
Handling Characteristics:
I have to say again that I've never handled a sword as a weapon. The balance was close to the guard and easy to control. It was heavier than I expected a sword to be but must be lighter than the other Musashi 1060's (which were already described as light) because of the double bo-hi and the false edge. After a few test cuts I began to realize how awesome the handling really was so on to...
Test Cutting:
I decided to cut the cardboard boxes that the sword came in almost immediately aft I got it. The first cut (to my great surprise) was absolutely effortless; I overestimated how much force it would take and buried the tip of my shiny new sword in the ground. This sword is much easier to cut with than I ever thought it would be- the rest of my cuts were just as easy and ruler straight. I should also note that, in hitting the ground (which was not done lightly), the sword scraped against a few pebbles and such but the blade was not damaged in any way, not even scratched. Not exactly impressive, but I'm glad that it's tough enough to handle a few inevitable accidents.
Conclusions:
Pros:
-very high quality blade for the price with a real hamon
-very sharp out of the box
-light and well balanced, extremely easy to cut with
-overall secure construction
-low price
-real same panels
-properly waisted tsuka
Cons:
-ugly black paint on the fittings
-plastic menuki
-shoelacey ito and loose sageo
-some parts of the assembly were too tight
The Bottom Line:
I was disappointed a bit in the look of the fittings, but as an $80 sword and my first sword it's absolutely perfect. It's a well built light cutter, that's all I'll ever expect of it. Musashi is definitely a great value for anyone like me that's just getting into the world of functional swords.