A Tale of Three Ninja - Hanwei Ninja-To Comparative Review
Jul 25, 2016 22:03:47 GMT
Post by fiercesaint on Jul 25, 2016 22:03:47 GMT
EDIT: It's been about six years since I wrote this review at the time of this edit. Unfortunately all of the images have broken in that time and I don't have them anymore, sorry about that.
I've always really liked Hanwei's ninja-to swords. Sure, there's little evidence to suggest that the straight "ninja sword" existed, but most of us don't buy these swords for their historical accuracy. We bought these because they're cool. With their iron fittings and gorgeous, well-polished blades, these swords are excellent show pieces and covert cutters. Having handled all three of Hanwei's ninja-to (the Practical, the Iga, and the Kouga), I figured that I would offer this comparative review. If you're in the market for a cutter that's a little more compact and just a bit different, give these a look.
Hanwei Practical Ninja-to
Measurements taken from www.paulchenhanweiswords.com/practical-shinobi-ninja-to.aspx with personal notes in brackets.
Differentially hardened [Straight "suguha" hamon, 1566 steel]
Black iron tsuba with Kuji-kiri theme
Black iron fittings [Synthetic suede ito, tsuka epoxied to nakago, single mekugi pin]
Synthetic [available in black or white] rayskin and leather [actually synthetic suede] wrapped tsuka
Black matte finish wood saya with intricate kojiri
Measurements:
Overall: 34 1/2
Blade Length: 22 3/4
Handle Length: 10 1/4
Weight: 1lb 14oz
If you're even looking for a sword like this, chances are you've read the glowing review on the main SBG site. That's a great review and tells you everything you'd ever want to know, but there are no reviews comparing it to its sibling swords.
The Blade
To start off with, the blade itself is gorgeous. Its easily the sword's highest point. Hanwei's polishing style of a mirror finish transitioning to a satin finish to an acid-enhanced hamon looks incredible and fits perfectly with the straight blade design. The blade starts out thick and wide, but very, very subtly tapers towards the chisel-tip kissaki. The nature of this kissaki means that the "yokote" is geometric, if that means a whole lot to you. The sword is fairly sharp, but the chisel-tip is EXTREMELY sharp. It penetrates through most targets with ease, and cuts many light targets very well right out of the box. Not to mention, historically accurate or not, that tip looks seriously cool. The hamon is completely straight, which although I personally don't like straight hamon, it works very well with this kind of sword. In the right lighting, the contrast between the three different areas of the blade looks absolutely stunning. Interestingly, for a shorter sword, the point of balance is still fairly blade-heavy, giving it plenty of cutting power.
The Saya
A matte black finish looks good on any sword, and that goes double for this one. No koiguchi reinforcement, which led to me easily cracking the mouth of the saya, but that was really my own fault. No kurikata either. Instead, this sword has iron fittings each spaced a third of the saya's length apart that brace the saya and feature two lion-dog looking things clutching iron rings in their mouth that you thread the sageo through to tie to your back. Very cool indeed, but if you plan on wearing it at your hip, you might have to get tricky with some ties. The kojiri is an iron fitting as well that functions as a spike as well as a lashing hole for the sageo I suppose. Altogether, this saya is pretty good, and gives the Practical Ninja-To a very nice touch to set it apart from being just a straight katana in Hanwei's lineup of swords.
The Fittings
This is my least favorite part about this sword, however, it is important to remember that the Practical series is built for cutting above all else on a budget, not necessarily aesthetics, but there are even some questionable design choices in that regard. To start with, the iron tsuba is very cool. It has the classic square shape and features some nice casting details. The ito is made of synthetic suede, which isn't that comfortable, and tends to colorize with dead skin and sweat over time pretty easily. The tsuka itself has the "axe handle" problem that almost every Hanwei sword has. An taperless block with cord wrapped around it. That being said, everything is tight... because the tsuka is epoxied onto the tang. You cannot remove this tsuka for cleaning or maintenance without destroying the tsuka. I can only imagine that this makes the sword that much more susceptible to unseen damage.
Overview
This is a solid sword with a great blade, good saya, but unimpressive fittings. That being said, as the ninja-to version of the Practical Katana from Hanwei, if you just want to cut and pierce, you can't go wrong here. In my personal opinion, the bad fittings do not justify the $260 price tag, but the blade and saya do a good job of making me reconsider. It's great, and if you plan on doing customization work or crafting your own tsuka, this sword is a fantastic option.
Hanwei Iga Ninja-to
Measurements taken from www.paulchenhanweiswords.com/iga-ninja-to.aspx with personal notes in brackets.
Forged high carbon steel blade
Differentially tempered [1566 steel, irregular "notare" hamon] Edge hardness 60 HRC
Traditional wrapped handle over rayskin [Tapered/waisted tsuka, double-pegged, dismountable]
Blackened iron tsuba with Iga Mon and wave motif
Wood saya with partial rattan wrap and spike
Measurements:
Overall: 33"
Blade Length: 22"
Handle Length: 10 1/2"
Weight: 2lb 3oz
The most expensive of Hanwei's ninja-to swords, the Iga has an intimidating $370 price tag, but I argue that it is worth it. The attention to detail and care put into this sword push it to its marketable limit. With the Iga model, it seems that Hanwei wanted to create as authentic of a nihonto as they could using a fictional sword as a base, and they knocked it out of the park with this one.
The Blade
Now we're talking. This sword is dead straight and perfectly tapers into a more traditional katana kissaki, but lacks the geometric yokote of the Practical model. Personally I don't care for that aspect, but it is worth mentioning. Also different from the Practical is the irregular, wavy hamon. Combining this with the gorgeous polish Hanwei puts on these swords and you have a real art piece that your targets will never see coming. About a half-inch shorter than the Practical and with the different fittings to balance this out, this sword's point of balance is about an inch from the habaki. This sword is lightning fast and handles beautifully. It'll feel like a feather in your hand but cut like a lightsaber, pickle-chipping targets with ease.
The Saya
Wow. It isn't often that I find a production sword with so much care for design and attention put into it as much as the sword itself. Coated in black lacquer paint and partially wrapped with rattan, this gives a really unique look to the sword, while also reinforcing the structure of the koiguchi. Instead of the double-ring system for tying with your sageo that the Practical has, it features solid iron loops that feel more structurally sound and probably more preferable if you're on an assassination mission deep in enemy territory. To top it all off, the saya has a big, blunt iron spike at the tip, heavily reinforced a third of the way up the saya with an iron ring bracing it to the saya. These qualities make the saya itself a deadly weapon! The spike is blunted, making it more of a bludgeoning tool than a piercing one, but I'm sure this fulfills the "pierce into ground, step on the tsuba to climb up a wall" purpose while also letting the operator do some damage before they even draw the sword. I have a lot of faith that this saya would withstand plenty of use as a close-quarters combat weapon on its own, with side-swipes and thrusts being no problem for this deadly saya.
The Fittings
This sword gets better and better the closer you look at it. To start with, the tsuka is waisted. It has a very nice hourglass shape to it. I feel like this is hugely important to mention, since Hanwei is notorious for the axe handle tsuka. Featuring high-quality white rayskin and wrapped in the traditional hineri-maki style with very high quality cotton, the wrap is incredibly tight, and hishigami is even used in the twists! I haven't felt a higher quality tsuka until I felt one of these. I dare even say I prefer these over other sword wraps twice its price. Nothing is moving. The iron kashira isn't going anywhere. Adorned with two menuki depicting the clouds, sun, and moon contrasting one another, this sword only gets more gorgeous the more you look. The tsuba, in addition, has some very subtle details to it. Looking closely, you'll see the raised motif of an ocean wave. How cool is that? The tsuba is even larger than the one on the Practical, offering better hand protection and versatility for your assassination ops.
Overview
Just wow. What a beautiful and highly effective sword. This was my favorite in my collection. So much fun to cut with and very fun to show off as a display piece. At $370, it's expensive, but I'll always attest that it's worth every penny. This sword easily earns a 10/10.
Hanwei Kouga Ninja-to
Measurements taken from www.paulchenhanweiswords.com/kouga-ninja-to/ with personal notes in brackets.
Hand forged 1566 high carbon steel blade
Differentially hardened
Full tang
Blackened iron tsuba with Kouga Mon
Battle wrapped cotton tsuka [Double-pegged, dismountable]
Wood saya with with iron fittings and spike
Overall: 33 1/2"
Blade Length: 22"
Handle Length: 11"
Weight: 2lb 3oz
I can only imagine that after the Iga model was conceived and put into production that someone at Hanwei thought "Okay, we made a really traditionally-styled sword, now lets make the coolest, edgiest, most absolutely ninja sword in existence", went home and watched a bunch of ninja films to get really hyped up, then went to work designing the Kouga. Before they got back to work the next day, they sneaked through the ventilation ducts of Paul Chen's home and placed the design notes for the Kouga in his hand as he slept before making an absolutely silent retreat. This sword screams "ninja" with black everywhere and a few key design choices that, despite using the exact same blade, set it apart and give the Kouga its own unique identity, and it seems to have worked, because this sword is very difficult to find. I lucked out and snatched it on an eBay listing for a brand new sword and don't regret it one bit. Several reviewers such as Seth Griffin and Tactical rate this sword really high, and I can see why.
The Blade
The exact same blade as the Iga. Very well made, beautiful polish, and excellent balance. Not much to say here that I haven't already said.
The Saya
Strikingly different from the Iga's saya, the Kouga features a similarly built, but aesthetically unique scabbard. It ditches the rattan wrap in favor of an iron brace around the koiguchi, giving it a much slimmer profile than the Iga's rattan wrapped koiguchi. There are three of these iron fittings. Each one displays a kanji and/or the Kouga clan mon symbol. Also different from the Iga, the Practical saya's double-ring sageo suspension is back. Although I prefer the solid loops of the Iga, the rings blend in perfectly with this saya's design. At the tip is another iron spike, but much longer and thinner. This thing would do nasty damage with a direct thrusting strike, but it doesn't have the same major reinforcement as the Iga's spike, so I'm hesitant to use it for side swipes for fear of it snapping off. Finally, the saya is coated in textured black paint. I don't know much about paint but I've never felt this kind of texture before. It almost has a leathery feel to it, which I really enjoy.
The Fittings
Like its saya, there are multiple design choices taken here that sets the Kouga apart from the Iga. They both feature a cotton wrap, but the Kouga is wrapped in the katate-maki partial battle wrap style. The tsuka is waisted here as well, but it feels just a bit thicker on the Kouga. I think this was intentionally done, probably because the Kouga was designed with a katate-maki wrap in mind. Black rayskin panels and two very nice, subtle iron Kouga mon symbol menuki complete the tactical look to it. The tsuba is very, very slightly thinner than the Iga's but still the same size and features laser cutouts of kanji, only appearing when you put them against a colored backdrop. This sword is so stealthy, even its details sneak up on you. My favorite detail about the tsuka of this sword, however, is the kashira. It isn't just an end-cap secured by two wooden "prongs". It's an extension of the entire tsuka and caps over the whole end of it. I haven't seen a kashira this heavily reinforced. If the Iga has the super reinforced saya spike, the Kouga beats it when it comes to the kashira. I have no doubt that this thing would withstand pommel strikes and would make an effective weapon, itself. Even moreso if you could remove it easily mid-combat.
Overview
I love the Kouga. It might seem tacky to others, but this sword is gorgeous in its own right. With very similar handling to the Iga, the only debate between these two are aesthetic preference and price. Where the Iga is a very traditional model at $370, the Kouga borders on fantasy and has a price of $330. I assume this is because it costs more to wrap a saya in rattan and the katate-maki wrap requires less work and resources.
Summary
Whether real or not, these swords are great cutters. If you just want a good cutting sword with a pretty blade, the Practical is a good choice, but do be mindful of the flaws in its fittings, but for just $30 more than its asking price ($260), you could get a Dojo Pro #10 Ko-Katana for similar handling and aesthetics, but substantially better fittings. The Iga and the Kouga models are both wonderful weapons. They combine two very different styles of aesthetics with fast, responsive blades. With a price tag of $330 versus $370, though, if it's value for your money you're after (or a really sick assassin sword), pick the Kouga... if you can find it. The Iga is my personal favorite. It's just wonderful. It's not trying to be flashy like the Kouga, it's just a solid, beautiful production sword.
I hope you found this review informative and helpful. There are almost no reviews on these swords, so I hope this helps advise your next purchase if you're after something like this.
I've always really liked Hanwei's ninja-to swords. Sure, there's little evidence to suggest that the straight "ninja sword" existed, but most of us don't buy these swords for their historical accuracy. We bought these because they're cool. With their iron fittings and gorgeous, well-polished blades, these swords are excellent show pieces and covert cutters. Having handled all three of Hanwei's ninja-to (the Practical, the Iga, and the Kouga), I figured that I would offer this comparative review. If you're in the market for a cutter that's a little more compact and just a bit different, give these a look.
Hanwei Practical Ninja-to
Measurements taken from www.paulchenhanweiswords.com/practical-shinobi-ninja-to.aspx with personal notes in brackets.
Differentially hardened [Straight "suguha" hamon, 1566 steel]
Black iron tsuba with Kuji-kiri theme
Black iron fittings [Synthetic suede ito, tsuka epoxied to nakago, single mekugi pin]
Synthetic [available in black or white] rayskin and leather [actually synthetic suede] wrapped tsuka
Black matte finish wood saya with intricate kojiri
Measurements:
Overall: 34 1/2
Blade Length: 22 3/4
Handle Length: 10 1/4
Weight: 1lb 14oz
If you're even looking for a sword like this, chances are you've read the glowing review on the main SBG site. That's a great review and tells you everything you'd ever want to know, but there are no reviews comparing it to its sibling swords.
The Blade
To start off with, the blade itself is gorgeous. Its easily the sword's highest point. Hanwei's polishing style of a mirror finish transitioning to a satin finish to an acid-enhanced hamon looks incredible and fits perfectly with the straight blade design. The blade starts out thick and wide, but very, very subtly tapers towards the chisel-tip kissaki. The nature of this kissaki means that the "yokote" is geometric, if that means a whole lot to you. The sword is fairly sharp, but the chisel-tip is EXTREMELY sharp. It penetrates through most targets with ease, and cuts many light targets very well right out of the box. Not to mention, historically accurate or not, that tip looks seriously cool. The hamon is completely straight, which although I personally don't like straight hamon, it works very well with this kind of sword. In the right lighting, the contrast between the three different areas of the blade looks absolutely stunning. Interestingly, for a shorter sword, the point of balance is still fairly blade-heavy, giving it plenty of cutting power.
The Saya
A matte black finish looks good on any sword, and that goes double for this one. No koiguchi reinforcement, which led to me easily cracking the mouth of the saya, but that was really my own fault. No kurikata either. Instead, this sword has iron fittings each spaced a third of the saya's length apart that brace the saya and feature two lion-dog looking things clutching iron rings in their mouth that you thread the sageo through to tie to your back. Very cool indeed, but if you plan on wearing it at your hip, you might have to get tricky with some ties. The kojiri is an iron fitting as well that functions as a spike as well as a lashing hole for the sageo I suppose. Altogether, this saya is pretty good, and gives the Practical Ninja-To a very nice touch to set it apart from being just a straight katana in Hanwei's lineup of swords.
The Fittings
This is my least favorite part about this sword, however, it is important to remember that the Practical series is built for cutting above all else on a budget, not necessarily aesthetics, but there are even some questionable design choices in that regard. To start with, the iron tsuba is very cool. It has the classic square shape and features some nice casting details. The ito is made of synthetic suede, which isn't that comfortable, and tends to colorize with dead skin and sweat over time pretty easily. The tsuka itself has the "axe handle" problem that almost every Hanwei sword has. An taperless block with cord wrapped around it. That being said, everything is tight... because the tsuka is epoxied onto the tang. You cannot remove this tsuka for cleaning or maintenance without destroying the tsuka. I can only imagine that this makes the sword that much more susceptible to unseen damage.
Overview
This is a solid sword with a great blade, good saya, but unimpressive fittings. That being said, as the ninja-to version of the Practical Katana from Hanwei, if you just want to cut and pierce, you can't go wrong here. In my personal opinion, the bad fittings do not justify the $260 price tag, but the blade and saya do a good job of making me reconsider. It's great, and if you plan on doing customization work or crafting your own tsuka, this sword is a fantastic option.
Hanwei Iga Ninja-to
Measurements taken from www.paulchenhanweiswords.com/iga-ninja-to.aspx with personal notes in brackets.
Forged high carbon steel blade
Differentially tempered [1566 steel, irregular "notare" hamon] Edge hardness 60 HRC
Traditional wrapped handle over rayskin [Tapered/waisted tsuka, double-pegged, dismountable]
Blackened iron tsuba with Iga Mon and wave motif
Wood saya with partial rattan wrap and spike
Measurements:
Overall: 33"
Blade Length: 22"
Handle Length: 10 1/2"
Weight: 2lb 3oz
The most expensive of Hanwei's ninja-to swords, the Iga has an intimidating $370 price tag, but I argue that it is worth it. The attention to detail and care put into this sword push it to its marketable limit. With the Iga model, it seems that Hanwei wanted to create as authentic of a nihonto as they could using a fictional sword as a base, and they knocked it out of the park with this one.
The Blade
Now we're talking. This sword is dead straight and perfectly tapers into a more traditional katana kissaki, but lacks the geometric yokote of the Practical model. Personally I don't care for that aspect, but it is worth mentioning. Also different from the Practical is the irregular, wavy hamon. Combining this with the gorgeous polish Hanwei puts on these swords and you have a real art piece that your targets will never see coming. About a half-inch shorter than the Practical and with the different fittings to balance this out, this sword's point of balance is about an inch from the habaki. This sword is lightning fast and handles beautifully. It'll feel like a feather in your hand but cut like a lightsaber, pickle-chipping targets with ease.
The Saya
Wow. It isn't often that I find a production sword with so much care for design and attention put into it as much as the sword itself. Coated in black lacquer paint and partially wrapped with rattan, this gives a really unique look to the sword, while also reinforcing the structure of the koiguchi. Instead of the double-ring system for tying with your sageo that the Practical has, it features solid iron loops that feel more structurally sound and probably more preferable if you're on an assassination mission deep in enemy territory. To top it all off, the saya has a big, blunt iron spike at the tip, heavily reinforced a third of the way up the saya with an iron ring bracing it to the saya. These qualities make the saya itself a deadly weapon! The spike is blunted, making it more of a bludgeoning tool than a piercing one, but I'm sure this fulfills the "pierce into ground, step on the tsuba to climb up a wall" purpose while also letting the operator do some damage before they even draw the sword. I have a lot of faith that this saya would withstand plenty of use as a close-quarters combat weapon on its own, with side-swipes and thrusts being no problem for this deadly saya.
The Fittings
This sword gets better and better the closer you look at it. To start with, the tsuka is waisted. It has a very nice hourglass shape to it. I feel like this is hugely important to mention, since Hanwei is notorious for the axe handle tsuka. Featuring high-quality white rayskin and wrapped in the traditional hineri-maki style with very high quality cotton, the wrap is incredibly tight, and hishigami is even used in the twists! I haven't felt a higher quality tsuka until I felt one of these. I dare even say I prefer these over other sword wraps twice its price. Nothing is moving. The iron kashira isn't going anywhere. Adorned with two menuki depicting the clouds, sun, and moon contrasting one another, this sword only gets more gorgeous the more you look. The tsuba, in addition, has some very subtle details to it. Looking closely, you'll see the raised motif of an ocean wave. How cool is that? The tsuba is even larger than the one on the Practical, offering better hand protection and versatility for your assassination ops.
Overview
Just wow. What a beautiful and highly effective sword. This was my favorite in my collection. So much fun to cut with and very fun to show off as a display piece. At $370, it's expensive, but I'll always attest that it's worth every penny. This sword easily earns a 10/10.
Hanwei Kouga Ninja-to
Measurements taken from www.paulchenhanweiswords.com/kouga-ninja-to/ with personal notes in brackets.
Hand forged 1566 high carbon steel blade
Differentially hardened
Full tang
Blackened iron tsuba with Kouga Mon
Battle wrapped cotton tsuka [Double-pegged, dismountable]
Wood saya with with iron fittings and spike
Overall: 33 1/2"
Blade Length: 22"
Handle Length: 11"
Weight: 2lb 3oz
I can only imagine that after the Iga model was conceived and put into production that someone at Hanwei thought "Okay, we made a really traditionally-styled sword, now lets make the coolest, edgiest, most absolutely ninja sword in existence", went home and watched a bunch of ninja films to get really hyped up, then went to work designing the Kouga. Before they got back to work the next day, they sneaked through the ventilation ducts of Paul Chen's home and placed the design notes for the Kouga in his hand as he slept before making an absolutely silent retreat. This sword screams "ninja" with black everywhere and a few key design choices that, despite using the exact same blade, set it apart and give the Kouga its own unique identity, and it seems to have worked, because this sword is very difficult to find. I lucked out and snatched it on an eBay listing for a brand new sword and don't regret it one bit. Several reviewers such as Seth Griffin and Tactical rate this sword really high, and I can see why.
The Blade
The exact same blade as the Iga. Very well made, beautiful polish, and excellent balance. Not much to say here that I haven't already said.
The Saya
Strikingly different from the Iga's saya, the Kouga features a similarly built, but aesthetically unique scabbard. It ditches the rattan wrap in favor of an iron brace around the koiguchi, giving it a much slimmer profile than the Iga's rattan wrapped koiguchi. There are three of these iron fittings. Each one displays a kanji and/or the Kouga clan mon symbol. Also different from the Iga, the Practical saya's double-ring sageo suspension is back. Although I prefer the solid loops of the Iga, the rings blend in perfectly with this saya's design. At the tip is another iron spike, but much longer and thinner. This thing would do nasty damage with a direct thrusting strike, but it doesn't have the same major reinforcement as the Iga's spike, so I'm hesitant to use it for side swipes for fear of it snapping off. Finally, the saya is coated in textured black paint. I don't know much about paint but I've never felt this kind of texture before. It almost has a leathery feel to it, which I really enjoy.
The Fittings
Like its saya, there are multiple design choices taken here that sets the Kouga apart from the Iga. They both feature a cotton wrap, but the Kouga is wrapped in the katate-maki partial battle wrap style. The tsuka is waisted here as well, but it feels just a bit thicker on the Kouga. I think this was intentionally done, probably because the Kouga was designed with a katate-maki wrap in mind. Black rayskin panels and two very nice, subtle iron Kouga mon symbol menuki complete the tactical look to it. The tsuba is very, very slightly thinner than the Iga's but still the same size and features laser cutouts of kanji, only appearing when you put them against a colored backdrop. This sword is so stealthy, even its details sneak up on you. My favorite detail about the tsuka of this sword, however, is the kashira. It isn't just an end-cap secured by two wooden "prongs". It's an extension of the entire tsuka and caps over the whole end of it. I haven't seen a kashira this heavily reinforced. If the Iga has the super reinforced saya spike, the Kouga beats it when it comes to the kashira. I have no doubt that this thing would withstand pommel strikes and would make an effective weapon, itself. Even moreso if you could remove it easily mid-combat.
Overview
I love the Kouga. It might seem tacky to others, but this sword is gorgeous in its own right. With very similar handling to the Iga, the only debate between these two are aesthetic preference and price. Where the Iga is a very traditional model at $370, the Kouga borders on fantasy and has a price of $330. I assume this is because it costs more to wrap a saya in rattan and the katate-maki wrap requires less work and resources.
Summary
Whether real or not, these swords are great cutters. If you just want a good cutting sword with a pretty blade, the Practical is a good choice, but do be mindful of the flaws in its fittings, but for just $30 more than its asking price ($260), you could get a Dojo Pro #10 Ko-Katana for similar handling and aesthetics, but substantially better fittings. The Iga and the Kouga models are both wonderful weapons. They combine two very different styles of aesthetics with fast, responsive blades. With a price tag of $330 versus $370, though, if it's value for your money you're after (or a really sick assassin sword), pick the Kouga... if you can find it. The Iga is my personal favorite. It's just wonderful. It's not trying to be flashy like the Kouga, it's just a solid, beautiful production sword.
I hope you found this review informative and helpful. There are almost no reviews on these swords, so I hope this helps advise your next purchase if you're after something like this.
