Huawei Katana - Choji Hamon - PIC HEAVY
Feb 1, 2015 9:21:01 GMT
Post by Cottontail Customs on Feb 1, 2015 9:21:01 GMT
Huawei Choji Hamon Katana
A review by
Josh Marlan
North Carolina, USA
2/1/2015
Introduction/Full disclosure
This is a review of a Huawei-Sword choji katana I purchased from their ebay store. I was browsing their inventory as I often do and I spotted this particular one-off and once my eyes locked onto the brilliant hamon, I was doomed. I was actually able to put it off for about four hours kind of hoping it would be gone by the time I came back but alas, it was still there and it was [loudly] calling my name.
I purchased this sword with my own money by clicking the "buy it now" button, without any discounts or special privileges. I am not receiving any compensation from the manufacturer for doing this review, nor am I receiving any karma from my fellow forumites. Just me reviewing a sword.
Specifications
Steel - T10
Sugata - shinogi-zukuri, no hi
Tempering/Heat treating - differential hardening, clay tempred & water quenched
Hamon - Choji, saka choji or possibly juka choji, hitatsura (with tobiyaki and hamon on mune)
Polish - listed as tameshigiri polish
Boshi - ya got me??
Kissaki - chu, geometric
Nagasa - 28" to mune machi
Mune - iori
Sori - tori, 18mm/.7"
Motohaba - 32mm
Sakihaba - 23.5mm
Motokasane - 7.5mm
Sakikasane - 5.1mm
Weight w/saya - 3.04 oz
Weight w/out saya - 2.47 oz
Pob - 5.5" from tsuba
Tsuka Length - 10 7/8"
Nakago Length - 9 1/2" from habaki
Tsuba - steel
Habaki - copper
Seppa - copper
Fuchi/Kashira - Brass
Menuki - Brass
Initial Impression
Well, the first thing I really wanted to see after opening the package was the hamon of course. I did take note of the bag, saya and tsuka but I have seen so many of the same type of features on other Huawei katana so kind of glossed over these until later on. It did feel very well balanced in my hands and drew and seated nicely in it's saya but yeah, the hamon... the hamon. See my unboxing video below.
Tsuka
The tsuka of this katana is approximately 11" long from tsuba to end of kashira and is tightly wrapped in black synthetic silk tsuka-ito.
Nothing spectacular here. I personally dislike synthetic because it feels very rough and is harsh on my hands and just plain looks bad to me. The tsukamaki alternates and utilizes paper hishigami but as you can see, the end knots are not on the correct sides and there is an overlap at the rim of the kashira. This is due to improper tsuka length per the ito used.
The tsuka is also a bit round and on the thick side for me and would probably make my hands feel fatigued after cutting for a only little while. It's around 30mm thick.
The core is healthy with no cracks
The samegawa is decent quality for an ebay sword showing small to medium size nodules lacquered black
The mekugi are actually pretty nice. They are of a hard bamboo and clean and strong.
The menuki are a pair of shiny brass Chrysanthemums of fairly decent quality & detail. They are also a properly paired set which is somewhat rare on these ebay swords.
The Fuchi and Kashira are made of brass and have a design of what looks like a Fiddlehead fern but I could be mistaken. They are coated in a semi-gloss black paint with an ishime texture.
The seppa are made of copper and feature stamped coin edges
The habaki on this sword is made of thick copper. It fits the blade very well and has virtually no gaps and no movement at all.
My only gripe here is the habaki mune on the omote side is just a tad more shallow than the blade mune but not enough to cause it to catch upon drawing.
From underneath
The tsuba is made of steel and coated in a satin black paint. It's a crescent moon design and while not the most refined tsuba I've seen on these swords, it is simple and strong and will do it's job just fine.
It weighs in at approximately 3.4 oz and measures 82mm high by 81mm wide and is 4mm thick. The fit to the nakago is very good with no movement whatsoever.
The saya is wood with a black gloss on brown matte lacquer finish which is listed as Cha-ishime but it's really just a typical Chinese production "splatter" effect finish. It feels nice and looks nice enough with no evident flaws visible. It feels substantial without being too heavy or bulky and much better than those that feel as though they're made of balsa wood.
It has genuine buffalo horn kurikata, kojiri and koiguchi. The kurikata has average brass shitodome and a black synthetic silk sageo of medium budget quality with no fraying. I'm not sure what's up with the flattened sides halfway down but they don't stand out too much to be an eyesore.
The star of the saya show is definitely the koiguchi. I was immediately impressed with how clean and even it was with just the right amount of wood and horn. You don't usually see koiguchi this well done on swords of this price range. If it had a slight bowl shaped rim, it would be the best I've seen on any production sword.
I've seen this type of lacquer finish chip eventually but this saya should be serviceable for a good long time and provide adequate protection for it's blade.
The Blade
I will start off saying that this, for me, is what this purchase was all about. I will wind up changing the tsukamaki and fittings at some point anyway and they were never really a consideration. My favorite hamon style has always been a nice neat suguha but once and a while I am drawn to other types. I have been noticing Huawei's fondness of choji variants and their skill at making some pretty attractive ones lately.
I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to hamon or skilled at classifying them accurately so I might be wrong when I call it a saka choji or juka choji. It's hard for me to tell the difference without doing a lot more research. I do see a lot of tobiyaki and the hamon seems to be spotted along the mune as well. Here are some of the pictures from the actual ebay listing, which uses much better lightling than I had.
And here are a bunch of my own pictures.... a lot of pictures
There is plenty of visible activity going on in the hamon, including nie and nioi and ashi.
I even found this cat with sunglasses just hanging out in here
I can't even classify the boshi on this one, it's kind of doing it's own thing. Someone else feel free to chime in here. The kissaki is well polished for a production blade and has a definite plane shift and pleasant fukura and ko-shinogi.
Just in time for Valentine's Day. Anyone else see the heart or is it just me? <3
The blade has a nice tori sori and the sori carries into the nakago
The nakago is neat and decently shaped with a cleanly done ha and mune machi
The mekugi-ana each have slight burring on one side from being drilled after the tsuka is mounted.
The iori mune runs dead even all the way to the very tip of the kissaki
The blade has slight niku and comes to a well shaped and very sharp edge.
It was difficult as usual for me to get any clear shots of the surface grain but it's very tight and looks typical for T10 with a streaky polish.
Fit and Finish
There isn't a lot to say here other than as a whole, this package is pretty standard for Huawei's offerings in the $250 and up category. Other than the outstanding blade/hamon and the surprisingly impressive koiguchi, the rest is not much to write home about. It's all put together tightly and nothing rattles or wiggles. The tsuka was easy enough to remove and replace as were the mekugi.
Handling
This sword was a pleasure to handle. It's very well balanced, maneuvering easily but with authority. It should make for a very comfortable cutting sword as far as the weight and balance are concerned and once I thin out and re-wrap the tsuka, it will be a lot of fun to use. It feels alive in my hands, which is something difficult to explain but I have handled both heavier and lighter swords that felt quite dead. I think Huawei knows more about making a good sword than just the aesthetics which is a good thing for those looking for more than just a display piece.
Cutting
I hope to get out and do some cutting with this sword as soon as the weather complies. I will be sure to update this review when I do.
Picking Nits
I knew before I purchased this sword that I was going to pretty much ditch most of the koshirae eventually but I'll still point out where I think it fell short or where it could improve. The tsuka shaping can stand to go on a diet. I don't personally like fat tsuka and while this one has a decent Higo/hiachi profile, the thickness is uncomfortable for me and I prefer a much more streamline tsuka shape.
The tsukamaki is tight and functional but I would like to see them do a better job on the end knots. Many don't notice or even care about small things like this, especially if used mostly for regular cutting, but I hate when the knots are reversed and or sloppy. The tsukamaki is beyond any other ebay seller however, though this isn't saying a lot (some of the others look like a three-fingered monkey with arthritis wrapped them!) As I stated above, I also really dislike, wait, I HATE synthetic silk ito with a passion! It's coarse and dull and ugly and I'll be ripping this off my tsuka as soon as I finish typing this review.
The fittings are generic and kind of ugly but in a subtle, non artsfeng gaudy way. The casting lines have been ground flat and show clearly under the cheap paint. I do like that the f&k are brass and not pot metal or zinc alloy but I would like to see steel or bronze or copper instead. Not much else to pick on really, at least not for this price point.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
I bought this katana because I just couldn't resist the wild hamon and it's even more impressive and captivating in person. I don't really have any other swords that have a blade like this and was part of the reasoning behind adding yet one more sword to my collection. It will be quite the looker once it's all done up in new clothes and despite it's pretty looks, will definitely be cutting with the rest of them. I'm happy I jumped on it when I did because I think I would have wound up resenting the one who did buy it or I would have just kicked myself in the butt a few times for being too slow.
It's a well balanced and fun to handle beauty of a production katana in my opinion and will keep me happy and my urge to buy more pretty swords satisfied. For at least a few weeks anyway; the key is to not visit ebay for a while.
I really do think Huawei is making some very good swords for the money, aesthetically pleasing and well handling and functional. There are few ebay sellers that come close to their level of skill and workmanship imho and they are becoming a first choice for me when it comes to a good foundation to build on. They offer something for almost anyone's taste and wallet (within the budget sword world of course).
Thanks for reading
-Josh
Watch my unboxing video of this katana (if you're into boring unboxing videos that is )
Josh Marlan
North Carolina, USA
2/1/2015
Introduction/Full disclosure
This is a review of a Huawei-Sword choji katana I purchased from their ebay store. I was browsing their inventory as I often do and I spotted this particular one-off and once my eyes locked onto the brilliant hamon, I was doomed. I was actually able to put it off for about four hours kind of hoping it would be gone by the time I came back but alas, it was still there and it was [loudly] calling my name.
I purchased this sword with my own money by clicking the "buy it now" button, without any discounts or special privileges. I am not receiving any compensation from the manufacturer for doing this review, nor am I receiving any karma from my fellow forumites. Just me reviewing a sword.
Specifications
Steel - T10
Sugata - shinogi-zukuri, no hi
Tempering/Heat treating - differential hardening, clay tempred & water quenched
Hamon - Choji, saka choji or possibly juka choji, hitatsura (with tobiyaki and hamon on mune)
Polish - listed as tameshigiri polish
Boshi - ya got me??
Kissaki - chu, geometric
Nagasa - 28" to mune machi
Mune - iori
Sori - tori, 18mm/.7"
Motohaba - 32mm
Sakihaba - 23.5mm
Motokasane - 7.5mm
Sakikasane - 5.1mm
Weight w/saya - 3.04 oz
Weight w/out saya - 2.47 oz
Pob - 5.5" from tsuba
Tsuka Length - 10 7/8"
Nakago Length - 9 1/2" from habaki
Tsuba - steel
Habaki - copper
Seppa - copper
Fuchi/Kashira - Brass
Menuki - Brass
Initial Impression
Well, the first thing I really wanted to see after opening the package was the hamon of course. I did take note of the bag, saya and tsuka but I have seen so many of the same type of features on other Huawei katana so kind of glossed over these until later on. It did feel very well balanced in my hands and drew and seated nicely in it's saya but yeah, the hamon... the hamon. See my unboxing video below.
Tsuka
The tsuka of this katana is approximately 11" long from tsuba to end of kashira and is tightly wrapped in black synthetic silk tsuka-ito.
Nothing spectacular here. I personally dislike synthetic because it feels very rough and is harsh on my hands and just plain looks bad to me. The tsukamaki alternates and utilizes paper hishigami but as you can see, the end knots are not on the correct sides and there is an overlap at the rim of the kashira. This is due to improper tsuka length per the ito used.
The tsuka is also a bit round and on the thick side for me and would probably make my hands feel fatigued after cutting for a only little while. It's around 30mm thick.
The core is healthy with no cracks
The samegawa is decent quality for an ebay sword showing small to medium size nodules lacquered black
The mekugi are actually pretty nice. They are of a hard bamboo and clean and strong.
The menuki are a pair of shiny brass Chrysanthemums of fairly decent quality & detail. They are also a properly paired set which is somewhat rare on these ebay swords.
The Fuchi and Kashira are made of brass and have a design of what looks like a Fiddlehead fern but I could be mistaken. They are coated in a semi-gloss black paint with an ishime texture.
The seppa are made of copper and feature stamped coin edges
The habaki on this sword is made of thick copper. It fits the blade very well and has virtually no gaps and no movement at all.
My only gripe here is the habaki mune on the omote side is just a tad more shallow than the blade mune but not enough to cause it to catch upon drawing.
From underneath
The tsuba is made of steel and coated in a satin black paint. It's a crescent moon design and while not the most refined tsuba I've seen on these swords, it is simple and strong and will do it's job just fine.
It weighs in at approximately 3.4 oz and measures 82mm high by 81mm wide and is 4mm thick. The fit to the nakago is very good with no movement whatsoever.
The saya is wood with a black gloss on brown matte lacquer finish which is listed as Cha-ishime but it's really just a typical Chinese production "splatter" effect finish. It feels nice and looks nice enough with no evident flaws visible. It feels substantial without being too heavy or bulky and much better than those that feel as though they're made of balsa wood.
It has genuine buffalo horn kurikata, kojiri and koiguchi. The kurikata has average brass shitodome and a black synthetic silk sageo of medium budget quality with no fraying. I'm not sure what's up with the flattened sides halfway down but they don't stand out too much to be an eyesore.
The star of the saya show is definitely the koiguchi. I was immediately impressed with how clean and even it was with just the right amount of wood and horn. You don't usually see koiguchi this well done on swords of this price range. If it had a slight bowl shaped rim, it would be the best I've seen on any production sword.
I've seen this type of lacquer finish chip eventually but this saya should be serviceable for a good long time and provide adequate protection for it's blade.
The Blade
I will start off saying that this, for me, is what this purchase was all about. I will wind up changing the tsukamaki and fittings at some point anyway and they were never really a consideration. My favorite hamon style has always been a nice neat suguha but once and a while I am drawn to other types. I have been noticing Huawei's fondness of choji variants and their skill at making some pretty attractive ones lately.
I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to hamon or skilled at classifying them accurately so I might be wrong when I call it a saka choji or juka choji. It's hard for me to tell the difference without doing a lot more research. I do see a lot of tobiyaki and the hamon seems to be spotted along the mune as well. Here are some of the pictures from the actual ebay listing, which uses much better lightling than I had.
And here are a bunch of my own pictures.... a lot of pictures
There is plenty of visible activity going on in the hamon, including nie and nioi and ashi.
I even found this cat with sunglasses just hanging out in here
I can't even classify the boshi on this one, it's kind of doing it's own thing. Someone else feel free to chime in here. The kissaki is well polished for a production blade and has a definite plane shift and pleasant fukura and ko-shinogi.
Just in time for Valentine's Day. Anyone else see the heart or is it just me? <3
The blade has a nice tori sori and the sori carries into the nakago
The nakago is neat and decently shaped with a cleanly done ha and mune machi
The mekugi-ana each have slight burring on one side from being drilled after the tsuka is mounted.
The iori mune runs dead even all the way to the very tip of the kissaki
The blade has slight niku and comes to a well shaped and very sharp edge.
It was difficult as usual for me to get any clear shots of the surface grain but it's very tight and looks typical for T10 with a streaky polish.
Fit and Finish
There isn't a lot to say here other than as a whole, this package is pretty standard for Huawei's offerings in the $250 and up category. Other than the outstanding blade/hamon and the surprisingly impressive koiguchi, the rest is not much to write home about. It's all put together tightly and nothing rattles or wiggles. The tsuka was easy enough to remove and replace as were the mekugi.
Handling
This sword was a pleasure to handle. It's very well balanced, maneuvering easily but with authority. It should make for a very comfortable cutting sword as far as the weight and balance are concerned and once I thin out and re-wrap the tsuka, it will be a lot of fun to use. It feels alive in my hands, which is something difficult to explain but I have handled both heavier and lighter swords that felt quite dead. I think Huawei knows more about making a good sword than just the aesthetics which is a good thing for those looking for more than just a display piece.
Cutting
I hope to get out and do some cutting with this sword as soon as the weather complies. I will be sure to update this review when I do.
Picking Nits
I knew before I purchased this sword that I was going to pretty much ditch most of the koshirae eventually but I'll still point out where I think it fell short or where it could improve. The tsuka shaping can stand to go on a diet. I don't personally like fat tsuka and while this one has a decent Higo/hiachi profile, the thickness is uncomfortable for me and I prefer a much more streamline tsuka shape.
The tsukamaki is tight and functional but I would like to see them do a better job on the end knots. Many don't notice or even care about small things like this, especially if used mostly for regular cutting, but I hate when the knots are reversed and or sloppy. The tsukamaki is beyond any other ebay seller however, though this isn't saying a lot (some of the others look like a three-fingered monkey with arthritis wrapped them!) As I stated above, I also really dislike, wait, I HATE synthetic silk ito with a passion! It's coarse and dull and ugly and I'll be ripping this off my tsuka as soon as I finish typing this review.
The fittings are generic and kind of ugly but in a subtle, non artsfeng gaudy way. The casting lines have been ground flat and show clearly under the cheap paint. I do like that the f&k are brass and not pot metal or zinc alloy but I would like to see steel or bronze or copper instead. Not much else to pick on really, at least not for this price point.
Pros
- Outstanding and unique choji hamon
- Great blade shape and sori
- Excellent handling and balance
- Very nice saya and horn parts
Cons
- Tsuka shape/thickness
- Average fittings
- Reversed end knots and synthetic silk ito
Conclusion
I bought this katana because I just couldn't resist the wild hamon and it's even more impressive and captivating in person. I don't really have any other swords that have a blade like this and was part of the reasoning behind adding yet one more sword to my collection. It will be quite the looker once it's all done up in new clothes and despite it's pretty looks, will definitely be cutting with the rest of them. I'm happy I jumped on it when I did because I think I would have wound up resenting the one who did buy it or I would have just kicked myself in the butt a few times for being too slow.
It's a well balanced and fun to handle beauty of a production katana in my opinion and will keep me happy and my urge to buy more pretty swords satisfied. For at least a few weeks anyway; the key is to not visit ebay for a while.
I really do think Huawei is making some very good swords for the money, aesthetically pleasing and well handling and functional. There are few ebay sellers that come close to their level of skill and workmanship imho and they are becoming a first choice for me when it comes to a good foundation to build on. They offer something for almost anyone's taste and wallet (within the budget sword world of course).
Thanks for reading
-Josh
Watch my unboxing video of this katana (if you're into boring unboxing videos that is )