[[[USED]]] Hanwei Shinto Katana (Pix incoming)
Nov 30, 2018 19:15:26 GMT
Post by nyronin on Nov 30, 2018 19:15:26 GMT
Introduction:
This is my second review on this site--the first one being about my Hanwei Raptor Shobu Zukuri that I bought new a few months ago. This review that you are reading is now about a well-used Hanwei Shinto Katana that I had just bought a week ago from a seller on ebay who had used it for idaido training for twelve years. As I hadn't encountered as many Hanwei Shinto reviews on this site (there are a handful but certainly not as numerous as other production swords,) I thought it would be good to write this one for us here in the forum. I also wanted to highlight the good transaction I had with the seller to encourage others to not be cautious but not too afraid to buy second-hand swords.
Historical Overview:
Appears to be a regular shinogi zukuri style sword that is part of what I consider higher-middle range of Hanweir products (MSRP is $990 from CAS Iberia I believe). The Hanwei Shinto model seems to have been in production for more than 25 years and has had various iterations of the same basic design: dragon themed fuchi-kashira and tsuba, white rayskin with alternating silk/synthetic ito and shiny black lacquered saya--very typical of the general public think of when they think of katanas as one reviewer noted.
Full Disclosure:
I bought this sword with my own money from my wages. I have no professional or personal connection to any of the sword reproduction companies that I have purchased from. I also have no personal connection with the seller. As far as I know, they're some random iaido practitioner from Pennsylvania who was a very pleasant person to correspond with. Aside from stating that they trained in iaido, they were also selling an iaito and a bokken and you can visit their page here: www.ebay.com/usr/rugbysa-99?ul_noapp=true
Initial Impressions:
Shipped from Pennsylvania on Black Friday (within two days of purchasing) and arrived in about a week from ordering.
The container it arrived in is one of those mailing tubes made of thick, hard cardboard and the sword inside was tightly wrapped in several thick layers of bubble wrap. There was no sword bag included but that's fine as I rarely use my sword bags.
I will go more in depth about specific aspects in the later parts of this but one of the very first things that I noted was how ridiculously light the sword is. I mean, I'd read reviews on here and seen Matthew Jensen's review of his Hanwei Shinto collection so I knew that it was going to be light but jeez it was lighter than my Cold Steel O-Bokken!!! I wasn't disappointed but more apprehensive about using it for cutting--especially since the seller noted that they had never used it for cutting in 12 years of owning it!!!
Furthermore, there are some very light rust spots towards the kissaki and a bunch of nicks in the saya as well as slight greeninsh discoloration around the habaki making me suspect that the habaki is made of copper or something similar.
Statistics:
Blade/Nagasa Length:
28"; T10 Tool Steel
Handle/Tsuka Length:
~11"
Overall Length:
~41"
POB (Point of Balance): About 3 inches from tsuba
Weight: I wasn't able to weigh it myself but between the heaver Kult of Athena estimate (2lbs and 2.2 oz,) and the CAS Iberia estimate (1lb 14oz,) this particular item seems to be on the lighter end of the range.
Components
:
The Blade/Nagasa
:
Very thin and light with a beautiful hamon (despite it being acid enhanced, I've read that it is differentially hardened to and edge hardness of 60HRC and spine of 40HRC. The blade is quite sharp and consistently so for the entire length aside from the part about an inch near the habaki. This appears to have been done intentionally for iaido/iaijutsu practitioners. The yokote feels geometric at least when I clean it, I feel a slight change in the geometry. I'm not 100% sure but that's because literally all of the katana-style swords I've handled have not had a geometric yokote. For those who have more experience, please advise!!!
The Handle/Tsuka
:
As mentioned in my Raptor Shobu Zukuri review, I've come to really appreaciate big, heavy, and long tsukas. This sword's tsuka is almost the opposite of that!!! However, because it was such a good deal and the sword came very well constructed, I don't mind. In fact, the shorter and much thinnner tsuka does not feel at all flimsy. It actually feels fairly sturdy if not as tough and rugged as the Raptor and it makes up for its lack of size in the elegance and feel of the wrap. Please note that this sword was used extensively over a period of 12 years for iaido and the wrap is still tighter than the cotton wrap on a Cheness tsuka I bought a few months ago as a replacement tsuka for my Musashi Dragon Fury. (I still really respect Cheness products and actually want to buy one of their heavy brass tsubas for my Raptor but facts are facts)
The Guard/Tsuba
:
Not magnetic but I don't think it's cheap zinc alloy. I'm not sure what it is but it's certainly heavier and feels tougher than the zinc alloy tsuba on my Musashi Dragon Fury which is basically a copy of this kind of dragon-themed tsuba. What I can say for sure is that similar to what other Hanwei Shinto owners have noted, the casting quality is pretty impressive.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
:
Same impression as with the tsuba. Very sturdy and not rattling or wiggling at all.
The Scabbard/Saya
:
Shiny black lacquer saya that is very thin but surprisingly heavy for how it looks. It has a buffalo horn kojiri and the same for the koiguchi. The habaki to koiguchi fit is superb for something that been used this much for twelve years!!! There are a number of nicks and scratches on the saya that reveal its age a little bit but nothing dangerous or impacting the structural integrity of the sheathe. If anything, these blemishes add history and character--I just hope my clumsy ass doesn't add too much more "history and character"!!!
Handling:
As I mentioned in my Raptor review, I try to keep fairly fit and athletic and so a heavier sword like the Hanwei Raptor Shobu Zukuri was not a problem weight-wise although it is rather unwieldy. The Hanwei Shinto on the other hand is a dream to handle. It is so light and easy to start and stop, it's almost indescribable how much better it is to handle. Also, as it has a well-made bohi, the tachikaze is just so loud and agressive sounding for something this light.
Test Cutting:
Yesterday, I just cut about 6 rolls of soaked newspapers roughly as thick as my forearm (13 inches in circumcerence, so about 4-4.5 inches in diameter.) I did not go beyond that thickness for fear of snapping this pretty light blade but it made it through that and a couple lighter rolls with no scratches on the blade. I do not intend to use this sword much for cutting but I did want to know how sharp the edge still was and how effective it would be as a cutter. Needless to say, it exceeded expectations as it actually sailed through some of these targets without any difficulty.
Conclusions:
I would never have bought this if it was at it's CAS Iberia price ($990) and with a bit of saving, I would have considered it at it's SBG or Kult of Athena price (between $574 and $599?) but I actually got it for $140 on ebay with about 8 bucks shipping (came down to $143 due to an ebay coupon). For the price, the history and character of within it and how well made it is, it is an amazing find and I encourage other folks to really closely study used products before they purchase. I don't believe it's a matter of simple luck but also of discerning which purchases would be good or not. I had been eyeing differen used katanas on ebay for a while(including another Raptor Shobu zukuri lol!!!) but I snatched this one up as soon as I could determine the seller was just a genuine, regular person who just wanted to sell their old iaido equipment and not some kind of scammer. As mentioned, the transaction was very pleasant and if they are still selling that iaito (seems to be Tozando or something,) and bokken, and folks here were looking for used equipment, I can say this person was honest, helpful, and polite.
Pros:
-Great cutter
for its weight
-Very sharp
-Fast and light
-
Beautifully done blade
-Tight ito wrap
-Excellent handling
Cons:
-Hamon could be a little more creative
-Quite a bit light for my personal taste but that's subjective
-Slight rusting, many nicks on the saya (but if you factor in that it's at least 12 years old, these are not really cons)
Bottom Line:
Yes, I highly recommend this sword if you like fast, light cutters and definitely try to get it secondhand because while I think it's a great sword, I would never shell out the actual MSRP for it.
Thanks for checking out this review!!!
--Mike
This is my second review on this site--the first one being about my Hanwei Raptor Shobu Zukuri that I bought new a few months ago. This review that you are reading is now about a well-used Hanwei Shinto Katana that I had just bought a week ago from a seller on ebay who had used it for idaido training for twelve years. As I hadn't encountered as many Hanwei Shinto reviews on this site (there are a handful but certainly not as numerous as other production swords,) I thought it would be good to write this one for us here in the forum. I also wanted to highlight the good transaction I had with the seller to encourage others to not be cautious but not too afraid to buy second-hand swords.
Historical Overview:
Appears to be a regular shinogi zukuri style sword that is part of what I consider higher-middle range of Hanweir products (MSRP is $990 from CAS Iberia I believe). The Hanwei Shinto model seems to have been in production for more than 25 years and has had various iterations of the same basic design: dragon themed fuchi-kashira and tsuba, white rayskin with alternating silk/synthetic ito and shiny black lacquered saya--very typical of the general public think of when they think of katanas as one reviewer noted.
Full Disclosure:
I bought this sword with my own money from my wages. I have no professional or personal connection to any of the sword reproduction companies that I have purchased from. I also have no personal connection with the seller. As far as I know, they're some random iaido practitioner from Pennsylvania who was a very pleasant person to correspond with. Aside from stating that they trained in iaido, they were also selling an iaito and a bokken and you can visit their page here: www.ebay.com/usr/rugbysa-99?ul_noapp=true
Initial Impressions:
Shipped from Pennsylvania on Black Friday (within two days of purchasing) and arrived in about a week from ordering.
The container it arrived in is one of those mailing tubes made of thick, hard cardboard and the sword inside was tightly wrapped in several thick layers of bubble wrap. There was no sword bag included but that's fine as I rarely use my sword bags.
I will go more in depth about specific aspects in the later parts of this but one of the very first things that I noted was how ridiculously light the sword is. I mean, I'd read reviews on here and seen Matthew Jensen's review of his Hanwei Shinto collection so I knew that it was going to be light but jeez it was lighter than my Cold Steel O-Bokken!!! I wasn't disappointed but more apprehensive about using it for cutting--especially since the seller noted that they had never used it for cutting in 12 years of owning it!!!
Furthermore, there are some very light rust spots towards the kissaki and a bunch of nicks in the saya as well as slight greeninsh discoloration around the habaki making me suspect that the habaki is made of copper or something similar.
Statistics:
Blade/Nagasa Length:
28"; T10 Tool Steel
Handle/Tsuka Length:
~11"
Overall Length:
~41"
POB (Point of Balance): About 3 inches from tsuba
Weight: I wasn't able to weigh it myself but between the heaver Kult of Athena estimate (2lbs and 2.2 oz,) and the CAS Iberia estimate (1lb 14oz,) this particular item seems to be on the lighter end of the range.
Components
:
The Blade/Nagasa
:
Very thin and light with a beautiful hamon (despite it being acid enhanced, I've read that it is differentially hardened to and edge hardness of 60HRC and spine of 40HRC. The blade is quite sharp and consistently so for the entire length aside from the part about an inch near the habaki. This appears to have been done intentionally for iaido/iaijutsu practitioners. The yokote feels geometric at least when I clean it, I feel a slight change in the geometry. I'm not 100% sure but that's because literally all of the katana-style swords I've handled have not had a geometric yokote. For those who have more experience, please advise!!!
The Handle/Tsuka
:
As mentioned in my Raptor Shobu Zukuri review, I've come to really appreaciate big, heavy, and long tsukas. This sword's tsuka is almost the opposite of that!!! However, because it was such a good deal and the sword came very well constructed, I don't mind. In fact, the shorter and much thinnner tsuka does not feel at all flimsy. It actually feels fairly sturdy if not as tough and rugged as the Raptor and it makes up for its lack of size in the elegance and feel of the wrap. Please note that this sword was used extensively over a period of 12 years for iaido and the wrap is still tighter than the cotton wrap on a Cheness tsuka I bought a few months ago as a replacement tsuka for my Musashi Dragon Fury. (I still really respect Cheness products and actually want to buy one of their heavy brass tsubas for my Raptor but facts are facts)
The Guard/Tsuba
:
Not magnetic but I don't think it's cheap zinc alloy. I'm not sure what it is but it's certainly heavier and feels tougher than the zinc alloy tsuba on my Musashi Dragon Fury which is basically a copy of this kind of dragon-themed tsuba. What I can say for sure is that similar to what other Hanwei Shinto owners have noted, the casting quality is pretty impressive.
The Pommel/Fuchi-Kashira
:
Same impression as with the tsuba. Very sturdy and not rattling or wiggling at all.
The Scabbard/Saya
:
Shiny black lacquer saya that is very thin but surprisingly heavy for how it looks. It has a buffalo horn kojiri and the same for the koiguchi. The habaki to koiguchi fit is superb for something that been used this much for twelve years!!! There are a number of nicks and scratches on the saya that reveal its age a little bit but nothing dangerous or impacting the structural integrity of the sheathe. If anything, these blemishes add history and character--I just hope my clumsy ass doesn't add too much more "history and character"!!!
Handling:
As I mentioned in my Raptor review, I try to keep fairly fit and athletic and so a heavier sword like the Hanwei Raptor Shobu Zukuri was not a problem weight-wise although it is rather unwieldy. The Hanwei Shinto on the other hand is a dream to handle. It is so light and easy to start and stop, it's almost indescribable how much better it is to handle. Also, as it has a well-made bohi, the tachikaze is just so loud and agressive sounding for something this light.
Test Cutting:
Yesterday, I just cut about 6 rolls of soaked newspapers roughly as thick as my forearm (13 inches in circumcerence, so about 4-4.5 inches in diameter.) I did not go beyond that thickness for fear of snapping this pretty light blade but it made it through that and a couple lighter rolls with no scratches on the blade. I do not intend to use this sword much for cutting but I did want to know how sharp the edge still was and how effective it would be as a cutter. Needless to say, it exceeded expectations as it actually sailed through some of these targets without any difficulty.
Conclusions:
I would never have bought this if it was at it's CAS Iberia price ($990) and with a bit of saving, I would have considered it at it's SBG or Kult of Athena price (between $574 and $599?) but I actually got it for $140 on ebay with about 8 bucks shipping (came down to $143 due to an ebay coupon). For the price, the history and character of within it and how well made it is, it is an amazing find and I encourage other folks to really closely study used products before they purchase. I don't believe it's a matter of simple luck but also of discerning which purchases would be good or not. I had been eyeing differen used katanas on ebay for a while(including another Raptor Shobu zukuri lol!!!) but I snatched this one up as soon as I could determine the seller was just a genuine, regular person who just wanted to sell their old iaido equipment and not some kind of scammer. As mentioned, the transaction was very pleasant and if they are still selling that iaito (seems to be Tozando or something,) and bokken, and folks here were looking for used equipment, I can say this person was honest, helpful, and polite.
Pros:
-Great cutter
for its weight
-Very sharp
-Fast and light
-
Beautifully done blade
-Tight ito wrap
-Excellent handling
Cons:
-Hamon could be a little more creative
-Quite a bit light for my personal taste but that's subjective
-Slight rusting, many nicks on the saya (but if you factor in that it's at least 12 years old, these are not really cons)
Bottom Line:
Yes, I highly recommend this sword if you like fast, light cutters and definitely try to get it secondhand because while I think it's a great sword, I would never shell out the actual MSRP for it.
Thanks for checking out this review!!!
--Mike