Hanbon Forge custom katana
Oct 12, 2017 13:51:21 GMT
Post by lowkick on Oct 12, 2017 13:51:21 GMT
Intro (can skip): So in my quest to find a budget katana to keep and use for test cutting, I went through two others before getting this one. The first one I purchased through these forums and it was a ko-katana. The specs were correct, but the condition was described as "like new" in which case it totally wasn't and it had a lot of scratches and paint missing from the fittings. Needless to say I was not happy with the transaction, not gonna get in depth on it, but you know who you are if you are reading this >.>
Anyways, I did like the way the katana handled, so I went and purchased the RK dojo pro #10 which is a ko-katana as well. I didn't like how it handled with the 11" tsuka, and I couldn't find a stock katana with a shorter tsuka length. Getting someone to customize the tsuka length on the RK would cost more than the actual sword costs, and I do not possess the skill or tools to DIY it.
I found Hanbon Forge on ebay, and saw that they had a website with options to "customize" a katana. While I don't consider being able to choose stuff like color/type of ito, saya, and picking fittings from a selection real customizing, I do consider being able to get a specific blade length/tsuka length customizing, hence the parenthesis.
Specs personally measured:
Overall Length: 35 1/4" w/o saya. 36 3/4" w/ saya
Nagasa Length: 25"
Tsuka Length: 9 1/4"
Point of Balance: 5"
Sori: 3/4"
Weight w/o Saya: 1 lbs. 15 oz.
Specs on certificate:
Overall Length: 36.6"/93cm
Blade Length: 25"/63.5cm
Handle Length: 9.1"/23cm
Blade Material: AISI 9260 steel
Tsuba Material: Iron
Tsuba
Tsuka Material: Ray Skin+Silk Ito+Hard Wood
Saya Material: Hard Wood+Ray Skin+Bull Horn
Way of Forge: Hand Forge+Heat Treated+Oil Quenched+12 Steps Hand Polishing
Price: $237.00 (Shipping Included)
Packaging wasn't anything special, the katana came in a styrofoam container heavily wrapped in tape, served it's purpose of protecting the katana during shipping.
Every option I selected was fulfilled: blade/tsuka length, fuchi/kashira/menuki/tsuba fittings, rayskin color, ito wrap type/color/style of wrap, sageo, type of saya, saya engraving, and swordsmith/forge engraving on tang. The katana came with a certificate with specs, smith, and date.
Saya:
The saya is well done. I chose an upgraded saya that has horn for the kojiri/kurikata/koiguchi mainly to have the katana sit properly in the saya, as I'm not sure how well fitted the plain wooden sayas are. Plus the saya looks more interesting with the colored rayskin wrap. The sageo is nicely wrapped, and the shitodome appear to be firmly in place. I ordered engraving on the saya too, which turned out nice, but I do have a complaint with it. Not that I plan on wearing a katana properly ever, but the engraving is on the inward side when the katana is worn. Would make much more sense to have it on the other side of the saya so that when the katana is worn, the engraving could be seen.
The katana fits VERY snug in the saya. I've shook the saya vigorously with the katana sheathed while it was upside down, and there is absolutely zero chance the katana is falling out. It does take a little force to sheath and unsheath the katana, but not enough force for me to be concerned about any sort of damage. Definitely prefer a little snug over a little loose.
Sword Overall:
The katana is very light, which is to be expected with it's size being a ko-katana, and bo-hi on both sides of the blade. It feels vey nimble, and I can easily swing it with one hand and stop mid swing with little effort. With the 9" handle, it just feels really good using it in one hand, opposed to having an 11" handle as was the case with the RK dojo pro I had before. Wielding it with two hands is just as comfortable.
Blade:
The blade is well done with a mirror polish. The kissaki seems to be aesthetics only as I don't feel any different geometry when touching it. The bo-hi is well done and is even on both sides. The blade is made of 9260 spring steel, and is through hardened, so it doesn't have a hamon. I don't plan on stress testing this so I can't say anything about how well this was tempered. The sharpness leaves a little bit to be desired. Near the base of the blade it's noticeably dull and is unable to cut paper. Midway of the blade all the way to the tip is sharp enough to cut paper, but it's not razor sharp. I emailed swordsmith Yao from HF to request a razor sharpening service option in the future, never got a reply back so I'm not sure if that is going to happen. Another nitpick would be at the tang, which one can't see unless you disassemble the katana, but the tang was mechanically grinded near the blade for the fittings to be able to slide past it. Not a big deal, especially for a sword of this price, but it was something I noticed when I disassemble the katana.
Fittings: I really didn't like anything from the selection they offered. A lot of the fittings were too gaudy for my tastes. All the fittings are nice and tight. I wish they had a copper colored habaki to match the copper seppas, I settled for a brass habaki with a slightly copper toned engraving. Fuchi/kashira/menuki are pretty generic. I picked an iron tsuba since it wasn't too flashy, and it's nice and light weight with all the cut outs it has, so it keeps the katana light too which is nice.
Ito: The ito is done fairly well, I got the katate-maki (battle wrap), and the diamonds are even and decent, although they are slightly too large and the ito seems a bit too spread apart. I think they used double sided tape as there is absolutely no ito wiggle despite the ito being a little loosely spread. Overall, pretty happy with the wrap for the price.
I did some test cutting with it, and mind you I'm not experienced in cutting tatami mats or sword techniques in general.
The katana performed well with single rolled tatami mats, much easier than I thought given how lightweight it is. When I tried double rolled tatami mats, it didn't perform so well and most of my cuts made it only 3/4 of the way through.
Anyways, I did like the way the katana handled, so I went and purchased the RK dojo pro #10 which is a ko-katana as well. I didn't like how it handled with the 11" tsuka, and I couldn't find a stock katana with a shorter tsuka length. Getting someone to customize the tsuka length on the RK would cost more than the actual sword costs, and I do not possess the skill or tools to DIY it.
I found Hanbon Forge on ebay, and saw that they had a website with options to "customize" a katana. While I don't consider being able to choose stuff like color/type of ito, saya, and picking fittings from a selection real customizing, I do consider being able to get a specific blade length/tsuka length customizing, hence the parenthesis.
Specs personally measured:
Overall Length: 35 1/4" w/o saya. 36 3/4" w/ saya
Nagasa Length: 25"
Tsuka Length: 9 1/4"
Point of Balance: 5"
Sori: 3/4"
Weight w/o Saya: 1 lbs. 15 oz.
Specs on certificate:
Overall Length: 36.6"/93cm
Blade Length: 25"/63.5cm
Handle Length: 9.1"/23cm
Blade Material: AISI 9260 steel
Tsuba Material: Iron
Tsuba
Tsuka Material: Ray Skin+Silk Ito+Hard Wood
Saya Material: Hard Wood+Ray Skin+Bull Horn
Way of Forge: Hand Forge+Heat Treated+Oil Quenched+12 Steps Hand Polishing
Price: $237.00 (Shipping Included)
Packaging wasn't anything special, the katana came in a styrofoam container heavily wrapped in tape, served it's purpose of protecting the katana during shipping.
Every option I selected was fulfilled: blade/tsuka length, fuchi/kashira/menuki/tsuba fittings, rayskin color, ito wrap type/color/style of wrap, sageo, type of saya, saya engraving, and swordsmith/forge engraving on tang. The katana came with a certificate with specs, smith, and date.
Saya:
The saya is well done. I chose an upgraded saya that has horn for the kojiri/kurikata/koiguchi mainly to have the katana sit properly in the saya, as I'm not sure how well fitted the plain wooden sayas are. Plus the saya looks more interesting with the colored rayskin wrap. The sageo is nicely wrapped, and the shitodome appear to be firmly in place. I ordered engraving on the saya too, which turned out nice, but I do have a complaint with it. Not that I plan on wearing a katana properly ever, but the engraving is on the inward side when the katana is worn. Would make much more sense to have it on the other side of the saya so that when the katana is worn, the engraving could be seen.
The katana fits VERY snug in the saya. I've shook the saya vigorously with the katana sheathed while it was upside down, and there is absolutely zero chance the katana is falling out. It does take a little force to sheath and unsheath the katana, but not enough force for me to be concerned about any sort of damage. Definitely prefer a little snug over a little loose.
Sword Overall:
The katana is very light, which is to be expected with it's size being a ko-katana, and bo-hi on both sides of the blade. It feels vey nimble, and I can easily swing it with one hand and stop mid swing with little effort. With the 9" handle, it just feels really good using it in one hand, opposed to having an 11" handle as was the case with the RK dojo pro I had before. Wielding it with two hands is just as comfortable.
Blade:
The blade is well done with a mirror polish. The kissaki seems to be aesthetics only as I don't feel any different geometry when touching it. The bo-hi is well done and is even on both sides. The blade is made of 9260 spring steel, and is through hardened, so it doesn't have a hamon. I don't plan on stress testing this so I can't say anything about how well this was tempered. The sharpness leaves a little bit to be desired. Near the base of the blade it's noticeably dull and is unable to cut paper. Midway of the blade all the way to the tip is sharp enough to cut paper, but it's not razor sharp. I emailed swordsmith Yao from HF to request a razor sharpening service option in the future, never got a reply back so I'm not sure if that is going to happen. Another nitpick would be at the tang, which one can't see unless you disassemble the katana, but the tang was mechanically grinded near the blade for the fittings to be able to slide past it. Not a big deal, especially for a sword of this price, but it was something I noticed when I disassemble the katana.
Fittings: I really didn't like anything from the selection they offered. A lot of the fittings were too gaudy for my tastes. All the fittings are nice and tight. I wish they had a copper colored habaki to match the copper seppas, I settled for a brass habaki with a slightly copper toned engraving. Fuchi/kashira/menuki are pretty generic. I picked an iron tsuba since it wasn't too flashy, and it's nice and light weight with all the cut outs it has, so it keeps the katana light too which is nice.
Ito: The ito is done fairly well, I got the katate-maki (battle wrap), and the diamonds are even and decent, although they are slightly too large and the ito seems a bit too spread apart. I think they used double sided tape as there is absolutely no ito wiggle despite the ito being a little loosely spread. Overall, pretty happy with the wrap for the price.
I did some test cutting with it, and mind you I'm not experienced in cutting tatami mats or sword techniques in general.
The katana performed well with single rolled tatami mats, much easier than I thought given how lightweight it is. When I tried double rolled tatami mats, it didn't perform so well and most of my cuts made it only 3/4 of the way through.