Munetoshi 1075 Samgakdo Review
Apr 23, 2018 17:53:03 GMT
Post by ealdoss on Apr 23, 2018 17:53:03 GMT
Link to YouTube Video review:
Introduction
I was looking for a katana that would serve as my go-to sword for Tameshigiri. Definitely not an “art sword” (art sword meaning a beautiful sword I’d showcase for its beauty). I wanted something that I didn't mind polishing regardless of my basic skill-level at doing so. It had to be very tough, but also lightweight due to my preference for light weight swords. What does that look like? The following:
. Through-hardened (no hamon)
. Has to have a roughly 27.5 nagasa, give or take an inch
. Be under 2.2 pounds without saya
Historical overview
As far as historic or artistic value goes, this one has very little due to it being a through-hardened blade. No hamon. So not very traditional. Exactly what I wanted though.
Full Disclosure
I have no affiliation with Munetoshi and I have paid full price (about $270) for the sword. I own a number of different katana from various manufacturers. Also, I study many examples of Nihonto from books and in person, the latter having taken place in various sword shops in Japan this past winter.
Initial Impressions
It came in a standard cardboard box with a foam insert to hold the sword nice and steadily. It was wrapped in plastic, as I remember. After removing it, I took a look at the overall shape before unsheathing. Wow! That’s a slightly wider than usual saya, to accommodate the slightly wider than usual blade. Speaking of.. Let’s take a look at it. I wiped off some of the oil that was on it from the factory, and wow! It was nice, a bit wider than usual, but very nice.
Statistics
Blade/Nagasa Length: 28 inches
Blade Shape: Hira Zukuri
Handle/Tsuka Length: 10.5 inches
Overall Length: 39.5 (as listed by manufacturer)
Weight: 2 lb 1 oz
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
Two things stand out when it comes to this lade, the first being that it is a Hira Zukuri blade (the face of the blade has a single bevel, its “flat”). The second being that it is a slightly wider than usual blade. This surprised me when I held it because it felt somewhat light compared to my SBG Custom Ryujin Katana (No-hi). Also, it is a through hardened blade, and as a result, it has no hamon. Not even a fake one, which I’m glad it doesn’t! It’s true and honest.
The blade arrived paper-cutting sharp, which is great. So all the previous points considered, man I can’t wait to try this out in Tameshigiri.
It has a slightly satin finish to it. Definitely not mirror polish, which i’m glad it’s not. The blade tapers nicely as it goes towards the kissaki. Very nicely done.
The Handle/Tsuka
At 10.5 inches, it’s the perfect size in my opinion. Shorter individuals such as myself have a preference for about 10 - 10.5, and taller/individuals with larger hands can usually go for tsuka around 10.5 - 11. So this is the perfect length for martial arts and test cutting in my opinion.
The tsukamaki (handle wrap) is made of a synthetic material, it’s pretty much your average wrap. It isn’t the best I’ve seen, not as tight as others i’ve seen, but I have seen worse. If you’re serious about using this sword, you may want to change the wrapping for a better one after a while. It has no Hishigami. The rayskin are in panels, and the quality of the rayskin on my handle was pretty low, the nodules are small and in one portion, they’re pretty spaced out leaving an undesirable look. The panels ARE however glued into a carved out section in the tsuka, it’s imbedded into the wood, making for a nice and slim tsuka. That was a big plus!
The Guard/Tsuba
The guard is made of brass, polished and shiny brass/gold ish color. The finish is nice, but the design is very plain and boring; almost lazy. I can appreciate plain tsuba, but this one looks like they were trying to get creative but failed at making a nice one. This is just my opinion however. I switched it out for a much nicer black tsuba, pics attached.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
Just like the tsuba, the fuchi and kashira are made of polished brass. They are however very nice. I like the simple plain design of the kashira, and the simple design of the fuchi. They pulled this off well.
The Scabbard/Saya
The saya is very well-done. No rattle at all, nice finish, but one thing… It’s wide! That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it has to be wide to hold the wide blade. I think it looks nice, it gives off a very powerful vibe. Kind of reminds me of the swords they use in the Komei Juku branch of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu (big, “strong” swords). The koiguchi (opening) of the sword is carved out very nicely, it’s made in a more traditional way, photo/video will show what I’m describing. One thing though… The Kurigata (knob where sageo goes through) is massive! Sure, big saya big kurigata, but I think they could have designed it differently.. But oh well, too big is better than too small (and therefore weak).
Handling Characteristics
It feels light weight and great for kata practice! It'll perform wonderful for cutting, I can tell.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
I have not done any test cutting as of yet, but I plan to soon. However, based on all the previous points mentioned, I’m confident it’ll perform very well in test cutting.
Conclusions
It's a good sword. Based on my criteria for what I was looking for, it did not disappoint. However I want to emphasize again that this is not an art sword. It is not what most people would consider to be a beautiful sword. It's (very) plain and functional, but that's what some people are looking for. But for the function, it will not disappoint.
Pros
. Good quality, functional sword
. Great length tsuka
. No rattle in Saya
. Rayskin is embedded into tsuka core
. Lightweight and good balance
. Sharp out of the box
Cons
. Tsukamaki was not that great, slightly loose
. No Hishigami
. Ugly tsuba in my opinion
. Very plain looking (not necessarily a con, but be warned)
. Because the saya is wide, you’ll need to get used to gripping it with that in mind when you do Noto.
. I sort of feel like it wasn't worth $270, I think a price of $230 would make it more worth it. You can get a sword just as good, probably better for cheaper from Huawei.
The Bottom Line
Looking for a beautiful sword that you will cherish and love for it's striking features that you thought you could only see in your wildest dreams? Look elsewhere, you'll be disappointed.
Looking for a functional sword that you will feel comfortable cutting with? A sword that boasts in its ability to get the job done regardless of its looks? Well, this is the sword for you!
“Let me guess, you have a great personality.”
-- Emperor Kuzco
Introduction
I was looking for a katana that would serve as my go-to sword for Tameshigiri. Definitely not an “art sword” (art sword meaning a beautiful sword I’d showcase for its beauty). I wanted something that I didn't mind polishing regardless of my basic skill-level at doing so. It had to be very tough, but also lightweight due to my preference for light weight swords. What does that look like? The following:
. Through-hardened (no hamon)
. Has to have a roughly 27.5 nagasa, give or take an inch
. Be under 2.2 pounds without saya
Historical overview
As far as historic or artistic value goes, this one has very little due to it being a through-hardened blade. No hamon. So not very traditional. Exactly what I wanted though.
Full Disclosure
I have no affiliation with Munetoshi and I have paid full price (about $270) for the sword. I own a number of different katana from various manufacturers. Also, I study many examples of Nihonto from books and in person, the latter having taken place in various sword shops in Japan this past winter.
Initial Impressions
It came in a standard cardboard box with a foam insert to hold the sword nice and steadily. It was wrapped in plastic, as I remember. After removing it, I took a look at the overall shape before unsheathing. Wow! That’s a slightly wider than usual saya, to accommodate the slightly wider than usual blade. Speaking of.. Let’s take a look at it. I wiped off some of the oil that was on it from the factory, and wow! It was nice, a bit wider than usual, but very nice.
Statistics
Blade/Nagasa Length: 28 inches
Blade Shape: Hira Zukuri
Handle/Tsuka Length: 10.5 inches
Overall Length: 39.5 (as listed by manufacturer)
Weight: 2 lb 1 oz
Components
The Blade/Nagasa
Two things stand out when it comes to this lade, the first being that it is a Hira Zukuri blade (the face of the blade has a single bevel, its “flat”). The second being that it is a slightly wider than usual blade. This surprised me when I held it because it felt somewhat light compared to my SBG Custom Ryujin Katana (No-hi). Also, it is a through hardened blade, and as a result, it has no hamon. Not even a fake one, which I’m glad it doesn’t! It’s true and honest.
The blade arrived paper-cutting sharp, which is great. So all the previous points considered, man I can’t wait to try this out in Tameshigiri.
It has a slightly satin finish to it. Definitely not mirror polish, which i’m glad it’s not. The blade tapers nicely as it goes towards the kissaki. Very nicely done.
The Handle/Tsuka
At 10.5 inches, it’s the perfect size in my opinion. Shorter individuals such as myself have a preference for about 10 - 10.5, and taller/individuals with larger hands can usually go for tsuka around 10.5 - 11. So this is the perfect length for martial arts and test cutting in my opinion.
The tsukamaki (handle wrap) is made of a synthetic material, it’s pretty much your average wrap. It isn’t the best I’ve seen, not as tight as others i’ve seen, but I have seen worse. If you’re serious about using this sword, you may want to change the wrapping for a better one after a while. It has no Hishigami. The rayskin are in panels, and the quality of the rayskin on my handle was pretty low, the nodules are small and in one portion, they’re pretty spaced out leaving an undesirable look. The panels ARE however glued into a carved out section in the tsuka, it’s imbedded into the wood, making for a nice and slim tsuka. That was a big plus!
The Guard/Tsuba
The guard is made of brass, polished and shiny brass/gold ish color. The finish is nice, but the design is very plain and boring; almost lazy. I can appreciate plain tsuba, but this one looks like they were trying to get creative but failed at making a nice one. This is just my opinion however. I switched it out for a much nicer black tsuba, pics attached.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
Just like the tsuba, the fuchi and kashira are made of polished brass. They are however very nice. I like the simple plain design of the kashira, and the simple design of the fuchi. They pulled this off well.
The Scabbard/Saya
The saya is very well-done. No rattle at all, nice finish, but one thing… It’s wide! That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it has to be wide to hold the wide blade. I think it looks nice, it gives off a very powerful vibe. Kind of reminds me of the swords they use in the Komei Juku branch of Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu (big, “strong” swords). The koiguchi (opening) of the sword is carved out very nicely, it’s made in a more traditional way, photo/video will show what I’m describing. One thing though… The Kurigata (knob where sageo goes through) is massive! Sure, big saya big kurigata, but I think they could have designed it differently.. But oh well, too big is better than too small (and therefore weak).
Handling Characteristics
It feels light weight and great for kata practice! It'll perform wonderful for cutting, I can tell.
Test Cutting (if applicable)
I have not done any test cutting as of yet, but I plan to soon. However, based on all the previous points mentioned, I’m confident it’ll perform very well in test cutting.
Conclusions
It's a good sword. Based on my criteria for what I was looking for, it did not disappoint. However I want to emphasize again that this is not an art sword. It is not what most people would consider to be a beautiful sword. It's (very) plain and functional, but that's what some people are looking for. But for the function, it will not disappoint.
Pros
. Good quality, functional sword
. Great length tsuka
. No rattle in Saya
. Rayskin is embedded into tsuka core
. Lightweight and good balance
. Sharp out of the box
Cons
. Tsukamaki was not that great, slightly loose
. No Hishigami
. Ugly tsuba in my opinion
. Very plain looking (not necessarily a con, but be warned)
. Because the saya is wide, you’ll need to get used to gripping it with that in mind when you do Noto.
. I sort of feel like it wasn't worth $270, I think a price of $230 would make it more worth it. You can get a sword just as good, probably better for cheaper from Huawei.
The Bottom Line
Looking for a beautiful sword that you will cherish and love for it's striking features that you thought you could only see in your wildest dreams? Look elsewhere, you'll be disappointed.
Looking for a functional sword that you will feel comfortable cutting with? A sword that boasts in its ability to get the job done regardless of its looks? Well, this is the sword for you!
“Let me guess, you have a great personality.”
-- Emperor Kuzco