Custom double-edged Uchigatana from Hanbon / Swordsmith668
Mar 31, 2016 13:06:19 GMT
Post by thazari on Mar 31, 2016 13:06:19 GMT
Intro
I'm in the same situation as many others, you order your first sword, and it impresses you so much that you want another one. My initial sword was a custom Tachi from Hanbon Sword. And when I got it, I started thinking and brooding which other sword I would order to turn this into a nice daisho. I got a free sword stand after all, and half of it was disturbingly empty!
The Tachi was a bit on the heavy side for me initially (although I have more or less gotten used to it by now), so I definitely wanted something smaller. Since a Tachi is a Katana-precursor I definitely wanted something more or less from the same time period. For along time I thought I'd get a Tanto of some kind as that was the initial Shoto in that period, but somewhere I came across this very interesting double-edged Moroha Tanto and started researching blade shapes a bit more. Finally I found a double-edged Kanmuri-Otoshi Naginata and thought geee, that's awesome. And I found out that there was actually a smaller sword type that was used around the same time period: the Uchigatana.
All these hotchpotch ideas mashed together and over a month or so I came up with this crazy concept of a shorter double edged blade. While rare, it's not exactly a new concept, as some of the very old Japanse swords also had this feature.
Disclosure
I've paid full price for this sword, the only things I got for free was a basic sword stand in the last order and a small collectable Chinese banknote and gift card in this order and I didn't have to pay extra for a third-party tsuba. I'm no expert; this is only the second sword I ordered recently and I have no swords from other manufacturers to compare with.
Buying Process
For clarity, I drafted up the whole sword in great detail in MS Paint, with all the features highlighted and explained in text. Mr. Yao of Hanbon Sword was very pleasant to deal with, he responded quite fast and was happy to take my custom order and gave me a price estimate the same day. I paid immediately so he could get started, but still had to decide about a few last bits. I wanted a smaller tsuba and the one I had selected from Hanbon's selection of tsubas was a cheap one, mr. Yao warned me. So I started looking for alternatives that would fit my sword and kept it in the same style as my Tachi, which has a tsuba with cranes. Eventually I found one on Artsfeng and sent mr. Yao the link, and he got it for me for free, which was very kind.
The price was $580 (Free shipping included). I replied it was a bit high (more expensive than my Tachi), but I'm not a person that likes haggling. I soon found that there was a reason for this. Mr. Yao said that he would have multiple swords made, and would give me the best one. With this sword being highly experimental and being difficult to curve and temper due to the special pattern I wanted. I would guess that his smiths botched a few before they got it right, so the price was making sense.
First communication: 4 jan
Payment sent: 5 jan
Product shipped: 31 jan
Arrival: 5 feb
Import duties: none this time (lucky!)
The Product Specifics
Uchigatana-style sword
Overall Length (bare): 88 cm
Blade Length: 63.5 cm
Sharpened reverse: 42 cm
Grip Length (wrapped bit only): 17 cm
Material: 1095 mono steel
Treatment: Differential hardened with clay, Suhuga (straight) Hamon
Shape: Kanmuri-Otochi style, arguably Moroha-Zukuri style
Weight: Don't have scales, estimate around 700g when I compare it against partially-filled water bottles
Customized Han-Dachi Saya with Ashi
Signed by the smith on the tang (or so I believe, because I haven't disassembled it yet)
The Package
As previous time, the sword was well packaged. It didn't come with a box this time (probably due to its irregular size), but it was well-wrapped in plastic, put in a silk sword bag and tightly placed in a case of that white foam stuff. Unlike last sword, this one wasn't smashed up in transit so it arrived in mint condition.
Overall Appearance
When I took all the wrapping of, first I was stunned by the fittings. These were even tighter and prettier than my Tachi, which already had very good fittings. The laquer on the saya has this gold pattern on it which is more profound on the Uchigatana saya than the Tachi saya, and it is also a bit more glossy. The saya and handle have yellow-dyed rayskin panels which is of good quality and the purple wrapping is bright, tight and even. I asked for this genuine Japanese Sageo in yellow with brown accents and this is wrapped decently too and gives the saya a very regal appearance.
The dimensions and overall appearance of the whole thing are very pleasing to the eye, I think everyone that looks at this knows they're seeing something unique and exotic while it still radiates an authentic and genuine appearance (to me, it doesn't look like a weird fantasy sword or somekind of crazy gimmick sword).
The blade itself is also stunning, while the metalwork is not as mesmerizing as a folded steel sword, I think this tempered monosteel with a straight hamon was actually an excellent choice for this blade. The unique shape itself is already drawing much attention to it and having plain steel and a plain hamon gives it a sense of focus, as a wild hamon or flashy steel would likely make the blade look over-the-top and chaotic. The polish is very nicely done and extremely shiny and the hamon is very straight, symmetric and nice in colour. In case the pictures are not clear, the soft light-grey part is this thin strip in the middle (well actually slightly off-center and toward the front of the blade) and the entire reverse edge is hardened, so the entire tapering bit on the back did not have any clay applied. At first glance it may look odd, but I think it is fascinating.
Handling
Uchigatana are intended as single-handed weapons, as reflected by their shorter grip. This sword is very light and perfectly suitable for this style, wielding it two-handed is not a good idea (I could use my second hand to make a strike, but the grip is very short and you don't want it on there all the time).
I gave it a few swings and was amazed by the sound the weapon makes when it is swung; it produces this soft and incredibly pleasing shissshh sound, and it sounds even better when the blade is reversed and I'm swinging with the backside. None of the swords I owned before did anything like this, so I was very surprised. I found that the grip fits slightly better in my hand when I reverse the sword (which is kinda strange with the current menuki placement). One thing to note is that I have small hands and for me it is already a hand-and-a-half sword. If you have bigger hands you might want to get an inch more length on the grip, which shouldn't negatively impact the balance as the point of balance is a bit forward anyway.
Like the previous sword, both edges came decently sharpened but it needed an hour of hand sharpening to get it to slice paper reliably, especially the back edge needed a bit more work.
While overall I was very positive up until this point, I did notice a negative. The saya doesn't seem to fit the blade perfectly, so sometimes when I put it back, it sorta gets stuck as if there is a ridge or groove in there that shouldn't be there and leads the blade to a dead end. I'm not sure exactly how to explain the problem and it only happens sometimes, but it is annoying when it does and I don't really know how to fix it yet. Since I need to be careful when putting the blade back into the saya anyway as to not dull either of the edges it's not a dealbreaker, but for the price I had expected a bit more care (maybe they simply didn't notice, because it doesn't happen all the time). I can and will probably find a way to fix it at some point in the future, but at the moment I'm too busy for such things.
Pros
* Uniquely customized to exact wishes
* Blade looks exquisite
* Functional and handles superb
* Great quality fittings and finish
* Good polish
* Pleasant communication with the seller
* Completion time of 1 month including shipping is good for such a custom piece
Cons
* Price may be prohibitive (my sword was the first one though and needed multiple tries, so maybe you can get a better price now that his smiths know how to do it)
* Problem with the inside of the saya that occasionally gets the sword stuck when putting it back
* Lacquerwork on saya is not completely identical to my other sword (not really a big deal as I like this lacquerwork better)
Conclusion
Well, this whole experiment was a big adventure from start to finish and overall I must say I'm pleased with the outcome. I've got this unique piece and guests that come visit like to look at it and are generally surprised and impressed. My daisho is complete, my sword stand is now full and placed in a prominent place in my house and I'm happy every time I see it. While it cost a fair bit of money and I could've gotten 2 decent quality generic swords instead, I am glad I spent it on a quality custom piece as it likely made me happier in the long run. I personally think the overall design turned out very well and I look forward to your comments.
Pics included below. Not an ad for IKEA, I just grab bucketloads of their free pencils and rulers when I get the opportunity as they always come in handy
Also please note that my Tachi is longer than the average Katana, so in the picture where it is in the stand along with the Uchigatana, the latter may look smaller than it really is.
I'm in the same situation as many others, you order your first sword, and it impresses you so much that you want another one. My initial sword was a custom Tachi from Hanbon Sword. And when I got it, I started thinking and brooding which other sword I would order to turn this into a nice daisho. I got a free sword stand after all, and half of it was disturbingly empty!
The Tachi was a bit on the heavy side for me initially (although I have more or less gotten used to it by now), so I definitely wanted something smaller. Since a Tachi is a Katana-precursor I definitely wanted something more or less from the same time period. For along time I thought I'd get a Tanto of some kind as that was the initial Shoto in that period, but somewhere I came across this very interesting double-edged Moroha Tanto and started researching blade shapes a bit more. Finally I found a double-edged Kanmuri-Otoshi Naginata and thought geee, that's awesome. And I found out that there was actually a smaller sword type that was used around the same time period: the Uchigatana.
All these hotchpotch ideas mashed together and over a month or so I came up with this crazy concept of a shorter double edged blade. While rare, it's not exactly a new concept, as some of the very old Japanse swords also had this feature.
Disclosure
I've paid full price for this sword, the only things I got for free was a basic sword stand in the last order and a small collectable Chinese banknote and gift card in this order and I didn't have to pay extra for a third-party tsuba. I'm no expert; this is only the second sword I ordered recently and I have no swords from other manufacturers to compare with.
Buying Process
For clarity, I drafted up the whole sword in great detail in MS Paint, with all the features highlighted and explained in text. Mr. Yao of Hanbon Sword was very pleasant to deal with, he responded quite fast and was happy to take my custom order and gave me a price estimate the same day. I paid immediately so he could get started, but still had to decide about a few last bits. I wanted a smaller tsuba and the one I had selected from Hanbon's selection of tsubas was a cheap one, mr. Yao warned me. So I started looking for alternatives that would fit my sword and kept it in the same style as my Tachi, which has a tsuba with cranes. Eventually I found one on Artsfeng and sent mr. Yao the link, and he got it for me for free, which was very kind.
The price was $580 (Free shipping included). I replied it was a bit high (more expensive than my Tachi), but I'm not a person that likes haggling. I soon found that there was a reason for this. Mr. Yao said that he would have multiple swords made, and would give me the best one. With this sword being highly experimental and being difficult to curve and temper due to the special pattern I wanted. I would guess that his smiths botched a few before they got it right, so the price was making sense.
First communication: 4 jan
Payment sent: 5 jan
Product shipped: 31 jan
Arrival: 5 feb
Import duties: none this time (lucky!)
The Product Specifics
Uchigatana-style sword
Overall Length (bare): 88 cm
Blade Length: 63.5 cm
Sharpened reverse: 42 cm
Grip Length (wrapped bit only): 17 cm
Material: 1095 mono steel
Treatment: Differential hardened with clay, Suhuga (straight) Hamon
Shape: Kanmuri-Otochi style, arguably Moroha-Zukuri style
Weight: Don't have scales, estimate around 700g when I compare it against partially-filled water bottles
Customized Han-Dachi Saya with Ashi
Signed by the smith on the tang (or so I believe, because I haven't disassembled it yet)
The Package
As previous time, the sword was well packaged. It didn't come with a box this time (probably due to its irregular size), but it was well-wrapped in plastic, put in a silk sword bag and tightly placed in a case of that white foam stuff. Unlike last sword, this one wasn't smashed up in transit so it arrived in mint condition.
Overall Appearance
When I took all the wrapping of, first I was stunned by the fittings. These were even tighter and prettier than my Tachi, which already had very good fittings. The laquer on the saya has this gold pattern on it which is more profound on the Uchigatana saya than the Tachi saya, and it is also a bit more glossy. The saya and handle have yellow-dyed rayskin panels which is of good quality and the purple wrapping is bright, tight and even. I asked for this genuine Japanese Sageo in yellow with brown accents and this is wrapped decently too and gives the saya a very regal appearance.
The dimensions and overall appearance of the whole thing are very pleasing to the eye, I think everyone that looks at this knows they're seeing something unique and exotic while it still radiates an authentic and genuine appearance (to me, it doesn't look like a weird fantasy sword or somekind of crazy gimmick sword).
The blade itself is also stunning, while the metalwork is not as mesmerizing as a folded steel sword, I think this tempered monosteel with a straight hamon was actually an excellent choice for this blade. The unique shape itself is already drawing much attention to it and having plain steel and a plain hamon gives it a sense of focus, as a wild hamon or flashy steel would likely make the blade look over-the-top and chaotic. The polish is very nicely done and extremely shiny and the hamon is very straight, symmetric and nice in colour. In case the pictures are not clear, the soft light-grey part is this thin strip in the middle (well actually slightly off-center and toward the front of the blade) and the entire reverse edge is hardened, so the entire tapering bit on the back did not have any clay applied. At first glance it may look odd, but I think it is fascinating.
Handling
Uchigatana are intended as single-handed weapons, as reflected by their shorter grip. This sword is very light and perfectly suitable for this style, wielding it two-handed is not a good idea (I could use my second hand to make a strike, but the grip is very short and you don't want it on there all the time).
I gave it a few swings and was amazed by the sound the weapon makes when it is swung; it produces this soft and incredibly pleasing shissshh sound, and it sounds even better when the blade is reversed and I'm swinging with the backside. None of the swords I owned before did anything like this, so I was very surprised. I found that the grip fits slightly better in my hand when I reverse the sword (which is kinda strange with the current menuki placement). One thing to note is that I have small hands and for me it is already a hand-and-a-half sword. If you have bigger hands you might want to get an inch more length on the grip, which shouldn't negatively impact the balance as the point of balance is a bit forward anyway.
Like the previous sword, both edges came decently sharpened but it needed an hour of hand sharpening to get it to slice paper reliably, especially the back edge needed a bit more work.
While overall I was very positive up until this point, I did notice a negative. The saya doesn't seem to fit the blade perfectly, so sometimes when I put it back, it sorta gets stuck as if there is a ridge or groove in there that shouldn't be there and leads the blade to a dead end. I'm not sure exactly how to explain the problem and it only happens sometimes, but it is annoying when it does and I don't really know how to fix it yet. Since I need to be careful when putting the blade back into the saya anyway as to not dull either of the edges it's not a dealbreaker, but for the price I had expected a bit more care (maybe they simply didn't notice, because it doesn't happen all the time). I can and will probably find a way to fix it at some point in the future, but at the moment I'm too busy for such things.
Pros
* Uniquely customized to exact wishes
* Blade looks exquisite
* Functional and handles superb
* Great quality fittings and finish
* Good polish
* Pleasant communication with the seller
* Completion time of 1 month including shipping is good for such a custom piece
Cons
* Price may be prohibitive (my sword was the first one though and needed multiple tries, so maybe you can get a better price now that his smiths know how to do it)
* Problem with the inside of the saya that occasionally gets the sword stuck when putting it back
* Lacquerwork on saya is not completely identical to my other sword (not really a big deal as I like this lacquerwork better)
Conclusion
Well, this whole experiment was a big adventure from start to finish and overall I must say I'm pleased with the outcome. I've got this unique piece and guests that come visit like to look at it and are generally surprised and impressed. My daisho is complete, my sword stand is now full and placed in a prominent place in my house and I'm happy every time I see it. While it cost a fair bit of money and I could've gotten 2 decent quality generic swords instead, I am glad I spent it on a quality custom piece as it likely made me happier in the long run. I personally think the overall design turned out very well and I look forward to your comments.
Pics included below. Not an ad for IKEA, I just grab bucketloads of their free pencils and rulers when I get the opportunity as they always come in handy
Also please note that my Tachi is longer than the average Katana, so in the picture where it is in the stand along with the Uchigatana, the latter may look smaller than it really is.