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Post by levi on Jan 10, 2016 14:54:17 GMT
Hi guys, so I think its time for me to purchase for meself a second katana. My first katana was a Kaneie Menkyo Wave Katana which is a pretty light and quick katana with bohi. I was thinking of getting a katana that is more beefy, heavy and able to power through hard targets. Abit of research led me to the term 'Dotanuki' which supposedly means 'torso cutter'. Ronin Katana claims they produce blades based on this school of smithing, however, I would like to know how they really are based in this style. There are many other katana manufacturers that produced monotempered beater swords. Do they do something special with the geometry, sori or anything else that is based on the dotanuki school? If not, what sword do you reckon best represents the 'Dotanuki' style katana? I'm guessing a blade properly heat treated, monotempered with a durable steel like 9260 would be something I am looking for to power through hard targets.
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Post by skane on Jan 10, 2016 21:06:50 GMT
... If not, what sword do you reckon best represents the 'Dotanuki' style katana? I'm guessing a blade properly heat treated, monotempered with a durable steel like 9260 would be something I am looking for to power through hard targets. For a hard target beater, I'd look at the Hanwei Raptors (shinogi, shobu), Huawei TH 9260 non-bohi w/niku, or DF Musha series. All larger/heavier than average TH blades... "Dotanuki" is a good marketing term for prod. kats. Nothing special in the sugata, geometry to have the description slapped on it, except maybe being larger/heavier than average.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Jan 11, 2016 5:40:04 GMT
Yep. Dotanuki is a school of swordmaking, not a style. Some of the blades made there were known for being very robust cutters, more so than was usual, hence the term "torso cutter" that they were given(could cut through an armored torso in one cut, probably not true in most cases). It was also made famous as the type of sword used by mega awesomely amazing super-samurai Itto Ogami in the Lone Wolf and Cub films, also known as Shogun Assassin. One of my favorite series ever, but I guess that's a bit beside the point, hahaha.
Nowadays, the term is given to swords that A., are no different and the seller just wants to throw a buzz word at you to get you worked up, or B., is a sword that has heftier than normal proportions, and thus may be a blade capable of cutting heavier or harder targets and an average blade. Remember that a blade can be more robust, but it may not be a good heavy cutter if their heat treatment and/or geometry is off.
I personally like Ronin Katana a lot. I have one of their old TH 1045 Dojo models, and I love it to death. I know others who have them, and opinions are divided on love/hate. One of the most pervasive complaints is of a loose ito wrap. Mine was loose. I had it fixed and now it's one of my all-time favorite swords. They do share some of the shortcuts and flaws commonly seen at that price point, like the loose ito, less than perfect polish and saya fit, the occasional cracked tsuka. As I said, all too common at the price point.
By all reports, the Hanwei Raptor and Dynasty Forge Musha have a stronger blade, though a higher price point, and there is no diversity aesthetically.
The last point I'd like to make is that regardless of how tough a sword blade is, user error or inappropriate targets are by far the leading cause of automotive-related teen deat...I mean blade failure. The best blade ever will likely take a set or sustain edge damage if hitting a steel cistern with poor edge alignment, hahaha.
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Post by levi on Jan 13, 2016 12:39:47 GMT
thanks for the input! Yeah I had a feeling the Hanwei Raptor would be a better candidate for the 'dotanuki' title than the Ronin. Its heavy, made of better steel, but I dont dig the suede ito nor the plain looks. The ronin have more options with so many models. I will be deciding between a ronin pro or raptor pretty soon. It'd be good to own a different katana that doesn't seem as fragile as my Kaneie.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 14, 2016 1:50:21 GMT
Whichever route you decide to take with the sword you buy, remember that there are great customizers here on the forum (and online like Fred Lohman, etc) who could redo the tsuka to your liking. That's what I did with my Munetoshi Tessen katana - I HATED the green saya, ito, and sageo it came with (loved the blade though - still one of my favorites), having the rest customized by Fred Lohman with real Japanese silk ito and sageo, plus solid silver crane menuki... I redid the saya myself, sanding and inlaying rattan on the upper third, then painting it with black lacquer. You can see my review of the sword here: Munetoshi Tessen ReviewThis was my 1st review on SBG, although I had been lurking in the shadows for years before I don't want to derail your thread, so please delete if you think this doesn't help.
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