"Budo" Katana
Feb 2, 2013 1:16:44 GMT
Post by frankthebunny on Feb 2, 2013 1:16:44 GMT
Hung Shing True Sharp "Budo" Katana
Josh Marlan
Cottontail Customs
Limbo, USA
2-1-2013
This review is long overdue and honestly, if not for a mistake made by the USPS, it might not have been done at all.
Ricky Chen aka Dadochen aka the man behind Hung Shing True Sharp swords, sent me the last Budo-series katana of the 2012 run to look over and review for this forum.
I, among many of us here, have been following the progression of since the beginning and one thing seems obvious to me at least, they have never stopped trying to improve their offerings. I had done some work on one of the first of the original "Wind Glider" series katana and I can say that there is really nothing at all the same between the two whatsoever. I know they were of two different geometries but blade shape is only one of the many factors making up a complete sword.
I did not feel that I needed to include a test cutting section to this review since there are certainly plenty of these tests and videos already existing proving the capabilities of this sword. From Ricky himself cutting hundreds of mats, bottles, and bamboo poles to well respected cutters such as Marc Ridgeway, Johnwalter, Mike Harris, and many others proving over and over again how durable and of course how very sharp these swords are.
Full Disclosure
I am not being paid to review this sword by or anyone else and I'm not receiving any other form of compensation whatsoever. The only reason I was sent this Budo is because I wanted to finally get one up close to inspect and see for myself if it was all that and lived up to the praise it's received by many.
Stats
Overall length - 40 3/8"
Blade length - 27 1/4" (to mune-machi)
Blade length - 28 3/4" (to tsuba)
Tsuka length - 11 1/2"
Width at habaki - 1 1/4"
width at yokote - 7/8"
Thickness at habaki - 1/4"
Thickness at yokote - 3/16"
Type of kissaki - Chu
Length of kissaki - 1 3/8"
Sori - 3/4"
POB (from tsuba) - 6 1/2"
Weight (w/o saya) - 2.45 Lbs
Weight (w/saya) - 3.13 Lbs
Aesthetics Overview
This Budo isn't an overly "pretty" sword where you just want to primp and preen it with gentle fingers and rice cloth all day long but then again it's definitely no ugly, juiced up, tree whacker either. It sits comfortably somewhere right in the middle of the two, with handsome looks and plenty of muscle to go around.
the saya is more or less a typical black affair with an applied partial samegawa collar. The koshirae is dojo grade quality black iron wave theme tsuba, fuchi and kashira.
The real standout for me is ...
The Tsuka
The tsuka on this Budo is a great example of what we all hope for in a production level katana but rarely receive. First of all I noticed how nicely tapered the shape is, not pudgy or bloated nor anorexic and fragile, but strong, sleek, and sexy. It could also never be mistaken for an "axe handle".
Because of the shape it is comfortable to hold and provides a perfect grip even in the hardest dry swings, which in my opinion are tougher on my hands sometimes than swinging with contact.
The ito is high quality black silk and the hinerimaki style is properly executed with tight alternating crossovers. Often on production tsuka, there is a sacrifice of aesthetics for tightness (or vice versa) but the wrap here is as tight as can be without looking strained or stringy. One big reason for this is that hishigami are used which are necessary for maintaining the shape of the diamonds under the stress of tightening the ito. The other reason is that the tsukamaki-shi wrapping these swords has many years of experience with obvious talent and skill, another rare thing for affordable swords.
Another rarity is the quality of the samegawa panels under the ito. Each tsuka is adorned with a set of clean thick pieces of ray skin with the omote side sporting a large emperors node. The rest of the smaller nodes are the perfect size for holding the ito in place and while not a pristine white, they are not yellowed and dirty or even fragmented like many other swords on the market.
Also worth mentioning are the well executed end knots. Neat, tight, and secure while placed on the traditionally proper sides as well.
The Core
This is where so many katana fall short despite how pretty they look or how sharp and strong the blade is. A cracked or fragile tsuka core will cause your cutting practice to come to a screeching halt and could be potentially dangerous. I have unfortunately removed way too many tsuka from very respectable swords only to find a variable horror show of issues including small to large cracks, thin walls, cheap wood, excess of sugar deposits, and even foul smelling rotting wood!
while a tiny crack that won't travel might not send your blade sailing over the fence and into your neighbors dog, any of these other flaws will most likely end in an epic fail at some point.
I admit I was nervous when removing the tsuka on this sword only because I have so often been greeted with one issue or another, but as soon as I removed the fuchi I was instantly relieved. Solid, healthy, and clean as a whistle.
Take a look -
Koshirae
I personally don't feel that the fittings on a daily cutting sword need to be expensive antiques or fancy hand-cut one-off's but at the same time shouldn't be made of a cheap alloy that could fail under pressure of constant impact.
A simple but strong iron set is all you really need and this is what we have here. A wave theme is found on the mokko style tsuba with a raised rim. The fuchi and kashira share the same wave theme and are coated with either a powder coat or very tough enamel in semigloss black.
To assure a tight fit to the nakago, you can see that the nakago-ana is peened cleanly.
The menuki are nicely detailed catfish in black which goes well with the overall water theme.
The seppa are good quality thick brass pieces with a satin finish. The habaki is also made of thick brass which is common on many swords but what stood out to me was the exceptional fit of this one. There are zero gaps which will help prevent water and dirt from getting down inside and the fit is tight and precise without needing pliers or a hammer to remove.
Notice how well the munemachi fits in the habaki
The Saya
Ok, as mentioned earlier, the saya of this Budo is not a masterpiece and the finish would not soon be mistaken for the finish on a Steinway piano, but for a daily cutter it is acceptable. the important thing is that the fit is good with very little movement.
The koiguchi and kojiri seem to be made of buffalo horn but I'm pretty sure the kurikata is made of wood. The saya comes with a nice thick synthetic silk dual color sageo.
The partial samegawa inlay is decent but was sanded down a little too low in a couple of spots. The overall clear coat finish has typical orange peel effect but this is common and found on about 90% of production saya. Top quality lacquer jobs require top dollar and would bump the price a good deal higher. A good thing about a rougher finish is not having to worry about actually using the saya, placing it in your obi or even laying it down on the ground if need be. Even your clumsy friends can hold it without you holding your breath and sweating an inevitable clunk or thwak.
Overall, I'd say decent and functional but nothing very special here.
The Blade
This is where the Budo really shines (pun intended)
I must admit that I'm not entirely certain of the steel used for these blades and I'm not about to go searching through the 20 page posts for the answer but I do know that it was carefully developed by and their forge to be the strongest possible for edge retention while still being flexible and forgiving for the amateur cutter (or even the pro cutter who just f*@#'ed up)
The style of this blade is the common shinogi-zukuri which is perhaps the most popular style of the modern day practitioner and collector.
This particular blade sports my personal favorite style of hamon, the suguha hamon. It is well done considering how deceptively difficult it really is to create a straight and even line. The hamon is clear and prominent without being in your face "frosty".
The angles and lines of the blade are crisp and even while the planes are flat and smooth. For those who prefer neat lines and a fine razor edge, this would do nicely.
The kissaki has a real "geometric yokote" or in other words, you can feel a definite and crisp planer/angular shift from the yokote line to the tip of the kissaki. This feature although not necessary to cut with, is one of the most sought after features on a blade and as I've said before, rarely found on an affordable sword. From what I've seen here on the forum, it's on most of our wish lists. The boshi is clear and with a nice turnback which makes the kissaki really stand out in an impressive way without the fugly cross polishing job too often present.
The ji has a nice satin polish showing active hada while the shinogi-ji is in more of a mirror/burnished polish.
I was also happy to see that the nakago of the blade was not neglected which is sadly the case a lot of the time.
It is thick and strong with a clean termination and nicely cut ha and mune machi. the mekugi ana are well placed and free of annoying burrs and slides smoothly and easily into the core.
The sharpness of the edge is pretty much legendary at this point and even though I am no longer able to work on swords due to a bad cut by a Budo, I consider myself lucky that I still have my finger and I would also want nothing less if I were cutting regularly.
Handling, Weight and Balance
Again, this is where I loose interest in even some of the more pricey swords I've inspected. I have picked up some really gorgeous swords with excellent steel and all the features your eyes usually want only to find that I mistakenly picked up a brick.....oh wait, no, it was the sword!
Poor overall balance can ruin an otherwise great sword and it's not all about weight or POB. Weight, POB, blade length, and tsuka length can have a lot to do with how comfortable the sword swings and cuts. A tip heavy blade can make some impressive cuts but will not be so much fun to use after a few swings, especially on your wrists. A light sword will feel like a light saber but will not perform as well or as consistently as a heavier but better balanced sword.
When I hold the Budo I feel like it has the power I need to cut through thick and tough targets while still being maneuverable enough to maintain the proper form and recover without busting a tendon. I do have other swords which I feel handle better but I do not do extensive cutting with them and even when I do cut, it's usually just plastic bottles.
If I were to be cutting on a regular basis I would want an all around powerful yet agile cutter, and honestly, since my form is farrrrrrrrrr from perfect, my first choice would really be a strong user friendly yet good looking sword like the Budo.
Final Thoughts
I am impressed by what you get for the price in this package. I am usually more interested in the overall aesthetics of a katana because I rarely get the chance to actually cut but I do know however, that just a pretty face does not a quality sword make. As I've progressed in customizing over the years I've learned more and more about doing things the proper way and not taking shortcuts. A great katana needs to be great from the inside out and only attention to all the aspects will produce a worthy sword. I feel that for the price, the Budo addresses what's necessary to make it an aesthetically pleasing yet strong and dependable workhorse katana. It can also can cut all day long without becoming tiresome or without the fear of ruining the blade on an off angle cut.
It will also look great up on the display rack if impressing your friends is at all important to you
Like any sword that wasn't made just for you, with a little work this katana can be modified using different fittings or colors. The thing is though, you are finally able to have a serious cutting blade in a package that doesn't need a face lift. Superior metal, deferentially heated blade, impressive hamon, unique features, and professional quality tsukamaki over a solid core...what else do you want?
Thanks for reading
-Josh
Josh Marlan
Cottontail Customs
Limbo, USA
2-1-2013
This review is long overdue and honestly, if not for a mistake made by the USPS, it might not have been done at all.
Ricky Chen aka Dadochen aka the man behind Hung Shing True Sharp swords, sent me the last Budo-series katana of the 2012 run to look over and review for this forum.
I, among many of us here, have been following the progression of since the beginning and one thing seems obvious to me at least, they have never stopped trying to improve their offerings. I had done some work on one of the first of the original "Wind Glider" series katana and I can say that there is really nothing at all the same between the two whatsoever. I know they were of two different geometries but blade shape is only one of the many factors making up a complete sword.
I did not feel that I needed to include a test cutting section to this review since there are certainly plenty of these tests and videos already existing proving the capabilities of this sword. From Ricky himself cutting hundreds of mats, bottles, and bamboo poles to well respected cutters such as Marc Ridgeway, Johnwalter, Mike Harris, and many others proving over and over again how durable and of course how very sharp these swords are.
Full Disclosure
I am not being paid to review this sword by or anyone else and I'm not receiving any other form of compensation whatsoever. The only reason I was sent this Budo is because I wanted to finally get one up close to inspect and see for myself if it was all that and lived up to the praise it's received by many.
Stats
Overall length - 40 3/8"
Blade length - 27 1/4" (to mune-machi)
Blade length - 28 3/4" (to tsuba)
Tsuka length - 11 1/2"
Width at habaki - 1 1/4"
width at yokote - 7/8"
Thickness at habaki - 1/4"
Thickness at yokote - 3/16"
Type of kissaki - Chu
Length of kissaki - 1 3/8"
Sori - 3/4"
POB (from tsuba) - 6 1/2"
Weight (w/o saya) - 2.45 Lbs
Weight (w/saya) - 3.13 Lbs
Aesthetics Overview
This Budo isn't an overly "pretty" sword where you just want to primp and preen it with gentle fingers and rice cloth all day long but then again it's definitely no ugly, juiced up, tree whacker either. It sits comfortably somewhere right in the middle of the two, with handsome looks and plenty of muscle to go around.
the saya is more or less a typical black affair with an applied partial samegawa collar. The koshirae is dojo grade quality black iron wave theme tsuba, fuchi and kashira.
The real standout for me is ...
The Tsuka
The tsuka on this Budo is a great example of what we all hope for in a production level katana but rarely receive. First of all I noticed how nicely tapered the shape is, not pudgy or bloated nor anorexic and fragile, but strong, sleek, and sexy. It could also never be mistaken for an "axe handle".
Because of the shape it is comfortable to hold and provides a perfect grip even in the hardest dry swings, which in my opinion are tougher on my hands sometimes than swinging with contact.
The ito is high quality black silk and the hinerimaki style is properly executed with tight alternating crossovers. Often on production tsuka, there is a sacrifice of aesthetics for tightness (or vice versa) but the wrap here is as tight as can be without looking strained or stringy. One big reason for this is that hishigami are used which are necessary for maintaining the shape of the diamonds under the stress of tightening the ito. The other reason is that the tsukamaki-shi wrapping these swords has many years of experience with obvious talent and skill, another rare thing for affordable swords.
Another rarity is the quality of the samegawa panels under the ito. Each tsuka is adorned with a set of clean thick pieces of ray skin with the omote side sporting a large emperors node. The rest of the smaller nodes are the perfect size for holding the ito in place and while not a pristine white, they are not yellowed and dirty or even fragmented like many other swords on the market.
Also worth mentioning are the well executed end knots. Neat, tight, and secure while placed on the traditionally proper sides as well.
The Core
This is where so many katana fall short despite how pretty they look or how sharp and strong the blade is. A cracked or fragile tsuka core will cause your cutting practice to come to a screeching halt and could be potentially dangerous. I have unfortunately removed way too many tsuka from very respectable swords only to find a variable horror show of issues including small to large cracks, thin walls, cheap wood, excess of sugar deposits, and even foul smelling rotting wood!
while a tiny crack that won't travel might not send your blade sailing over the fence and into your neighbors dog, any of these other flaws will most likely end in an epic fail at some point.
I admit I was nervous when removing the tsuka on this sword only because I have so often been greeted with one issue or another, but as soon as I removed the fuchi I was instantly relieved. Solid, healthy, and clean as a whistle.
Take a look -
Koshirae
I personally don't feel that the fittings on a daily cutting sword need to be expensive antiques or fancy hand-cut one-off's but at the same time shouldn't be made of a cheap alloy that could fail under pressure of constant impact.
A simple but strong iron set is all you really need and this is what we have here. A wave theme is found on the mokko style tsuba with a raised rim. The fuchi and kashira share the same wave theme and are coated with either a powder coat or very tough enamel in semigloss black.
To assure a tight fit to the nakago, you can see that the nakago-ana is peened cleanly.
The menuki are nicely detailed catfish in black which goes well with the overall water theme.
The seppa are good quality thick brass pieces with a satin finish. The habaki is also made of thick brass which is common on many swords but what stood out to me was the exceptional fit of this one. There are zero gaps which will help prevent water and dirt from getting down inside and the fit is tight and precise without needing pliers or a hammer to remove.
Notice how well the munemachi fits in the habaki
The Saya
Ok, as mentioned earlier, the saya of this Budo is not a masterpiece and the finish would not soon be mistaken for the finish on a Steinway piano, but for a daily cutter it is acceptable. the important thing is that the fit is good with very little movement.
The koiguchi and kojiri seem to be made of buffalo horn but I'm pretty sure the kurikata is made of wood. The saya comes with a nice thick synthetic silk dual color sageo.
The partial samegawa inlay is decent but was sanded down a little too low in a couple of spots. The overall clear coat finish has typical orange peel effect but this is common and found on about 90% of production saya. Top quality lacquer jobs require top dollar and would bump the price a good deal higher. A good thing about a rougher finish is not having to worry about actually using the saya, placing it in your obi or even laying it down on the ground if need be. Even your clumsy friends can hold it without you holding your breath and sweating an inevitable clunk or thwak.
Overall, I'd say decent and functional but nothing very special here.
The Blade
This is where the Budo really shines (pun intended)
I must admit that I'm not entirely certain of the steel used for these blades and I'm not about to go searching through the 20 page posts for the answer but I do know that it was carefully developed by and their forge to be the strongest possible for edge retention while still being flexible and forgiving for the amateur cutter (or even the pro cutter who just f*@#'ed up)
The style of this blade is the common shinogi-zukuri which is perhaps the most popular style of the modern day practitioner and collector.
This particular blade sports my personal favorite style of hamon, the suguha hamon. It is well done considering how deceptively difficult it really is to create a straight and even line. The hamon is clear and prominent without being in your face "frosty".
The angles and lines of the blade are crisp and even while the planes are flat and smooth. For those who prefer neat lines and a fine razor edge, this would do nicely.
The kissaki has a real "geometric yokote" or in other words, you can feel a definite and crisp planer/angular shift from the yokote line to the tip of the kissaki. This feature although not necessary to cut with, is one of the most sought after features on a blade and as I've said before, rarely found on an affordable sword. From what I've seen here on the forum, it's on most of our wish lists. The boshi is clear and with a nice turnback which makes the kissaki really stand out in an impressive way without the fugly cross polishing job too often present.
The ji has a nice satin polish showing active hada while the shinogi-ji is in more of a mirror/burnished polish.
I was also happy to see that the nakago of the blade was not neglected which is sadly the case a lot of the time.
It is thick and strong with a clean termination and nicely cut ha and mune machi. the mekugi ana are well placed and free of annoying burrs and slides smoothly and easily into the core.
The sharpness of the edge is pretty much legendary at this point and even though I am no longer able to work on swords due to a bad cut by a Budo, I consider myself lucky that I still have my finger and I would also want nothing less if I were cutting regularly.
Handling, Weight and Balance
Again, this is where I loose interest in even some of the more pricey swords I've inspected. I have picked up some really gorgeous swords with excellent steel and all the features your eyes usually want only to find that I mistakenly picked up a brick.....oh wait, no, it was the sword!
Poor overall balance can ruin an otherwise great sword and it's not all about weight or POB. Weight, POB, blade length, and tsuka length can have a lot to do with how comfortable the sword swings and cuts. A tip heavy blade can make some impressive cuts but will not be so much fun to use after a few swings, especially on your wrists. A light sword will feel like a light saber but will not perform as well or as consistently as a heavier but better balanced sword.
When I hold the Budo I feel like it has the power I need to cut through thick and tough targets while still being maneuverable enough to maintain the proper form and recover without busting a tendon. I do have other swords which I feel handle better but I do not do extensive cutting with them and even when I do cut, it's usually just plastic bottles.
If I were to be cutting on a regular basis I would want an all around powerful yet agile cutter, and honestly, since my form is farrrrrrrrrr from perfect, my first choice would really be a strong user friendly yet good looking sword like the Budo.
Final Thoughts
I am impressed by what you get for the price in this package. I am usually more interested in the overall aesthetics of a katana because I rarely get the chance to actually cut but I do know however, that just a pretty face does not a quality sword make. As I've progressed in customizing over the years I've learned more and more about doing things the proper way and not taking shortcuts. A great katana needs to be great from the inside out and only attention to all the aspects will produce a worthy sword. I feel that for the price, the Budo addresses what's necessary to make it an aesthetically pleasing yet strong and dependable workhorse katana. It can also can cut all day long without becoming tiresome or without the fear of ruining the blade on an off angle cut.
It will also look great up on the display rack if impressing your friends is at all important to you
Like any sword that wasn't made just for you, with a little work this katana can be modified using different fittings or colors. The thing is though, you are finally able to have a serious cutting blade in a package that doesn't need a face lift. Superior metal, deferentially heated blade, impressive hamon, unique features, and professional quality tsukamaki over a solid core...what else do you want?
Thanks for reading
-Josh