Nine Circles Kurin Shoden Review ! [pic heavy]
Jan 18, 2015 22:35:23 GMT
Post by prabz on Jan 18, 2015 22:35:23 GMT
Introduction
Ive been with the community for some years now, and have been collecting swords for about 7 years.
Im also a Martial artsit, i have been training in Iaido seitai MSR for about one year now. Training i IAI has taught me quite a bit about the katana, and has changed my attitude and preferences.
I have throughout the years collected and sold many different types of swords , ranging from hanwei, cheness, masahiro,Ronin ect.
These were for display, collection and the odd backyard cutting of bottles when i was in the mood to . However since my path on Iai begun, i have changed the type of swords i buy, and the swords i sold. Me being a Iaidoka does not make me a sword expert, or suddenly given me the right to judge different blades.
In the past nine circles katanas have made their appearance on forums, with query and mystery. And aswell praise.
However there is limited info on them , and many beleived these swords were forged from Kaneie, fred chen or the same forge as Dynsasty forge.Before i brought this katana, i searches this site, and many other forums. There was no solid up to date review or mention i could find.
Which makes this review a bit more special i think.
However as a martial artist, i was looking for a shinken which feels good, and to feed my collector appetite, aswell as future potential use.
I train only with Iaito and have no plans to use this sword for intense iai practice, as im not qualified to do so. And my fingers mean alot to me. As i discover as i write this review. Using a shinken for someone like myself who is not yet qualified, brings two things.
One it means i do my techniques in Iaido more carefully, with more awareness, and .... More Slowly ! it brings a huge difference.
On the flip side, it makes me fear the tool i have in my hand , and take the object of no emotion or feeling .. more seriously.
So it was important for me to find a shinken which felt good in the hands, and which was built for the Iaidoka in mind.
Nine circles are serious about this topic. I dont know about the USA, but in the UK you can only purcahse one with a MA liscense from the BKA or recognized organization, each to their own. However i know in the past this was not the case. But i needed to provide documents before i could purchase a Kurin shoden. The service is brilliant as usual, i brought my Iaito from the same company and have had no problems.
The sword cost around £800 which comes to around $1200.00
I had the sword to my specs, which is 2.5 shaku,
I do not want to isolate the martial artist and the casual collectors in this review.
Historical overview
its a japanese sword, lol based on tokagawas apparant edict of black ito, and white same , black saya.
Full Disclosure
I have used Nine circles for most of my equipment, including iaito. My sensei knows them , and has checked out most of their equipment including swords. I have purchased japanese made iaito , which was high quality . I have full confidence in the company. Also their company
is ran by a serious martial artist, of whom you can search on their site. And i have not met him or am affiliated with him in any way.
All i know is that this company is serious about martial arts, and have supplied quality goods.
I dont wish to come here to simply praise the Kurin shoden. This is an expensive katana, that i paid full price, and sacrificed my xbox one lol
I do not know who forged this sword. ..... simple.
I emailed them about the origins, and the response was simple that its not Kaneie, but the same forge who makes there swords.
This sword has been linked with dynasty forge, fred chen, Kaneie , and Japanese smith itself.
Their has also been rumours that the forge/ Kaneie swords were made in china, and supervised by a japanese smith.
Who knows ?
They have made it clear to me that the sword is the closest thing to a japanese made shinken. Outside of Japan.
And i have been to Japan and seen shinkens in musuems. And have seen my sensei shinken, which was made in japan and cost him quite
a bit.
Id like to give a special thanks to Paul o Brian ,who has reviewed few other swords on SBG, and did an E-book of modern swords, which really gave me in depth knowldege. Plus i emailed him some time ago on the factor of this forge.
NOTE: before i start this review. I would like to humbly mention that this is my first review of a top end sword. And i am doing this under some time constraint. I have not gone into depth detail of certain features. I am very sure most of you here are better than me at reviews, and your comments feedback will be more than welcome. The reason i am doing this review, is because there isnt much information/reviews on kurin shoden on forums. And i am sure there are people out there who could do this review ten times better than me.
Initial Impressions
So the day finally arrives, i unpack the sword. Exciting as always, and i finally cut away the packaging with a kitchen knife.
And behold the sword bag, nice blue silk, same as my iaito bag which i got from them.
I then slowly take the bag down , first the Tsuka. And wow.
Silver fittings !! , my first sword with silver fittings. small thrill for me.
I chose the fittings myself , however their were a few options presented to me, dependent on size and weight, again makin the sword
more unique to me, and having a slight feeling that i could be the only one with this particular sword. Without being custom. Great
feeling to have , if only i wonder.
And then whole sword and blade. Was just simply amazing. The sword felt light, in which i grabbed my iaito to test the weight and balance.
The sword comes suprisingly with a Warranty certificate ! , a three year warranty which allows me to change the sword if any problems, except abuse.
This is the first time i have had this with a sword.
Statistics
Blade/Nagasa Length: 2.5 shaku 77.3cm
Handle/Tsuka Length: 27cm
Weight: 954g
Components
silver fittings.
Silver fittings seem to have a great look to them , i dont however know if its just that i have purchased many gold/iron fittings. But silver fittings just look great. However this may be a personal preference, but there are ups and downs. Such as stains and wear on the silver.
But the sword really looks great, and makes it stand out aswell.
The Koshira has the wavy design , and so does the fuchi. Both fittings look great, and are simple elegent designs.
Whats more important is that the seppa is tight has no movement, and is fitted well.
The habaki is not complete gold like other katanas, I expected more silver ? if that makes sense.
The Tsuba is made of iron, with a simple design. I dont plan to ever change it , however who knows. But the tsuba has contributed the sword having less weight when it comes to handling. Makes a big difference.
This particular design is great for Iaido. I find it easy to rest my thumb on the edge of the tsuba, i know its a bit of a cheat, but hey i chose the tsuba for that particular reason. However i didnt have much of a choice when it came to choosing the tsuba from nine circles, which was understandable. The tsuba also does not have the sharp finish edges, but is quite smooth and well finished.
The silver fittings have been new to the kurin shoden series as far as i am concerned. I know on older models this was not the case.
More importantly the fitttings were tight, and well constructed. I compared them to my Iaito, which is Japanese made [minosaka] And those fittings have lasted me a year with intense and weekly use. However i do wonder if discolour will ever be on the agenda few months down the line.
I however have gone against taking the blade apart, and further examination of the tang. The same is real rayskin, with two mekugi pegs.
The menuki is also silver , and is a simple elegant design, The sword fittings seem to implore nature.
The black speckled ishime saya is very well crafted, and there isnt that much rattle suprisingly. The saya is quite beutiful, comparing to other paul chen sayas of the same nature. However the cons of having a laqured saya are obvious dents and marks show up much more frequently.
Now the most important aspects.
The Ito wrapping on the tsuka is cotton, and it is very tight.
This is a very important aspect, espeically when it comes to Iai training. My other katanas, both high ends and lower ends can vary on quality of tsukas. I dont personally like the axe handle thick tsukas that you get with certain swords. I have hanwei swords that suffer from this syndrome, and it really looks unpleasant. What we need to remember is that some of the production katanas, are made for westerners who have bigger hands, and wont be effected by the tsuka thickness. Some resort to shaving the tsuka down. My Iaito , has a very thin tsuka which is tightly wrapped and feels excellent to handle. The tsuka here is somewhat just right. Not to thick , but not as thin as the iaito or even the Ronin Dojo pro that i have. However its feels ergonomical and effective when handling.
The ito cotton feels great, i dont mind leather or suade. But the feeling of this cotton is good, and more importantly is wrapped very tight.
This is something i know that Kaneie swords are good at[ not implying that this sword is definetly from them].
Tsuka is shaped well as you can see, has a slight curvature.
We must understand that this sword was sold by a serious Martial arts vendor, and would be quickly picked on by Iaidokas if faulted.
A loose ito would be the last thing Nine circles would want reported back to them.
THE BLADE
The blade is of T-10 steel high carbon, and very well polished possibly.
Now this is where it becomes difficault for me.
By contacting the vendor i really dont know where to source the sword from , maybe some of you know better about this topic.
I know Kaneie and Dynasty forge have great polishing, and similar blade styles. But i just dont know who would of forged this sword.
Il let the blade do the talking
The hamon line is beutiful, not frosted or acid enhanced as far as i know like the Hanwei swords, however there may be possibly small amounts of the hanwei treatment, is hard to tell at the moment. But at least its not as vibrant or as in your face, not to say thats always bad. I mean i own chen swords which do that and look nice at the same time.
The grain is something which can be seen quite clearly, and adds even more aesthetic value to the sword.
The kissaki is well shaped, and has the hamon running all the way up.
The shinken does have a decent sori, Not as deep as lets say the hanwei bamboo mat.
The blade thickness is just right, its not too thick nor to thin of a blade. The polishing on the sword is superb, most likely japanese stones , i dont really know due to limited info.
Handling
Now when it comes to handling the sword is incredible to say the least. It just feels so very light even at 2.5 shaku. Its heavier than my
Iaito, slightly. However when doing chiburi, or mae technique or kesgairi , the sword just feels incredible. I trust my sensei jugdement on the handling. I had the Iaido version which comes with Bo-hi, and the tachikaze just felt satisfiying when making the correct cut.
Ive handled shinkens made from higher end paul chens and other katanas. This one handles better than any i can think. Its light , it feels great in the hands , thanks to the tight Ito, and amazing balance. I will explain more in the futur about balance and handling, i have had only a week or so with the sword.
I do not plan to cut with the sword at all. Simple reason its made for Iai, however the Kurin range does offer a Tameishigir sword witha fuller. However seeing i have a ronin, and paul chen swords, the need for cutting is easily fullfilled.
CONCLUSION.
I owe high end Paul chen swords such as the Tori XL light, bamboo mat, ive previously owned the tiger, and tsunami.
However the difference comes to this.
The Kurin shoden range is aimed at martial artist, and nine circles are the only ones who sell them.
They are checked a week before being shipped, and have very high quality control as implied by the warranty, and nine circles themselves.
The sword is in the 1000 dollar range, and for that price it fits the bill. However its not folded, or made of L6 ect. The price factor may come into negative light. But then it reminds me of the price of some Paul chen blades.
Some of the production swords, are made just to sell to audiences and katana enthusiast, and being accepted by some Dojos across the map.
Nine circles shinkens concentrate on one market, which is the Martial arts community. I really cannot judge if the sword is the closest thing to a nihonto from Japan, il find that out, when my teacher handles it. He already has been impressed by the range.
This sword is indeed difficault to judge and conclude, as its availibilty is limited. And it could well be Kaneie, in which case it matches there level of excellence and great reputation. From handling characteristics and comparison with what i owe. This is by far the best shinken i have handled and had the pleasure of viewing. Its elegancy and construction make it feel light in hands, and amazing to swing. I cant comment on cutting power ect.
I dont want this review to go in a direction where im implying that this sword is great , BUT for martial artist only.
The downside is the availibilty. Which leaves me on my own it seems. Other reviews appear only on nine circles website.
So i dont know if i should tell non martial artist to invest in Kaneie swords or find a way to ge them. What matters to me is that i am
very happy with the sword.
Again, i just didnt have the information there to help me exactly to know how the sword was forged and techniques in detail.
Pros and cons
CONS
-Availabllity
-Price may be too steep just by a hundred
-Information
PROS
-Handling
-Construction
-Fittings
-Blade
-Hamon
-Quality control and warranty
Bottom Line
I have found this review difficualt and im not afraid to mention that. The limited info on sword background paints a mysterious picture,
that may not be mysterious to some well aquainted collectors.
The sword handling and first impression were just amazing for me. This could well be one of the best production blades that i have handled.
And most of this comes to the contruction and fittings , and most importantly the beutiful blade and hamon.
I am more than happy with the sword, and just he urge to pick it up and practice few seitai techniques never cease to leave me.
This is a fantastic sword. And i am a proud owner.
Please forgive me for any wrong info, or lack of info.