Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2008 17:50:29 GMT
Hire...maybe not. But doing it yourself isn't that bad...just remove the plastic menuki and don't look back . As long as you don't have to deal with the menuki a re-wrap isn't THAT hard. The end piece if not made of plastic is salvageable. Just get a small oval piece of brass to replace the plastic bit and use a dremel tool and some JB weld. It makes for a nice project sword . And learning how to do a re-warp is a good idea since even good katanas, you have to re-do the ito every once in a while anyways. Kinda the only reason left for me to get the snowfall now since it looks like these are pretty bad. I was planning on re-tempering the blade anyways .
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2008 1:53:34 GMT
It's funny because in the photos, they look like nice swords. The blade was probably my biggest concern going into this, and lo and behold, it ended up being the best part. Well, minus the fake hamon that is.
Who knows, maybe I will try to re-wrap it sometime. If I do, I'll definitely ping you for advice. ;D
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2008 5:53:44 GMT
Yeah funny thing, I didn't care if the blade is bad because I was gonna re-temper the darn thing anyways...but it looks like all the fittings are bad too...which is what I REALLY wanted .
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2008 15:47:03 GMT
Sorry guys, unfortunately these swords are not made in Japan as many retailers claim, they are made in China. Just wanted to clarify for you.... I get many calls on this and tell each of my customers the same.
|
|
|
Post by salvatore on Sept 3, 2008 17:20:14 GMT
Sorry guys, unfortunately these swords are not made in Japan as many retailers claim, they are made in China. Just wanted to clarify for you.... I get many calls on this and tell each of my customers the same. Are they actually dfferentially hardened? If you don't know, I can always do a hybrid polish. I am alwys looking for a good excuse the polish something.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2008 0:19:46 GMT
They are not differentially hardened... I made specific quastions to ask this manufacturer before I started carrying this line and as far as they tell me, no. The katsumoto swords (their higher end line) are differentially hardened. This is their first run and as you all know, most manufacturers have problems out the door. They are more than pleased to hear any suggestions about improving their line and are eager to improve.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2008 0:01:03 GMT
Well, my number 1 advice...get rid of the plastic bits. That right there kinda stop me in my tracks from ordering the snowfall katana.
|
|
|
Post by k on Sept 5, 2008 8:59:34 GMT
Sorry guys, unfortunately these swords are not made in Japan as many retailers claim, they are made in China. Just wanted to clarify for you.... I get many calls on this and tell each of my customers the same. As far as I´ve understood it no newly imported swords in this pricerange are made in Japan. They are not allowed to export steel swords outside of Japan, other than with special permission as someone earlier suggested. And that will probably be in a completly different pricerange. There is a thread about it here somewhere... So, more or less every statement that this and this sword in these priceranges are made in Japan are probably false then, if it´s not alloy material swords for show. But... I have nothing against being corrected if I´m wrong (Think this seems to be a rather nice sword for its price. Interesting review)
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2009 10:50:35 GMT
I don't really want to open up dried up wells or anything but I recently noticed a renewed hype over these swords being produced in Japan.
I can, without a single doubt say that these swords are absolutely NOT forged in Japan. Under the Firearms and Swords Control Law it is prohibited for a Japanese to own or produce anything else then real nihonto. (mass)-production swords are not allowed to be owned or manufactured. As such, it is impossible for a forge in Japan to produce these katana.
These katana, although the name is Japanese, are certainly and absolutely NOT, I say again, cannot originate from a Japanese forge. They also can't be imported into Japan and resold from there.
|
|
Marc Ridgeway
Member
Retired Global Moderator
"The best cost less when you buy it the first time." - Papabear
Posts: 3,122
|
Post by Marc Ridgeway on Jun 13, 2009 13:04:25 GMT
Hate to jump on the bandwagon here in a year old thread... but I feel some things SHOULD be said. 1) No freaking way anything on that sword has been any closer to Japan than it came on the ship on the way from China to America . The fittings are quite obviously mass produced Chinese fittings, shared by many brands. The tsuka-ito is quite obviously low grade synthetic. 2) Japanese Law expressly prohibits manufacture, ownership, import of such type swords in Japan. Sword makers MUST be liscensed, and must work traditionally in Tamahagane. There are production swords that are rough forged (sunobe) in Japan and shipped to Korea to be finished... but these blades are obviously not forged, but a product of a rolling mill. At least to my eyes. there is a very special case where one brand of production swords are forged in Thailand and polished and mounted in Japan in association with Hataya Mitsuo ... a unique case indeed ... but believe me when I say the price and quality outstrips this by multiples of ten... wait.. I'll post some pics. www.westcoasttaikai.com/tozai/kotetsu.htm The top sword in the last two picture is the Hataya cutter the bottom is a Bugie Shobu... 3) While this is certainly a decent value for a low price.. it makes no sense (to me anyway) to put any time and effort into making it more than what it is. The blade will never be more than a $100 blade. It suffers from poor geometry ... the kind that cant be corrected. . To put anymoney into a polish, rewrap, or fittings to my mind is like putting a flip/flop paint job and 24 inch spinners on a 76 Pinto running on 7 cylinders... Sure you could do the work yourself... but what price do you put on your time? If you put $200 - $300 hundred into this , youd still not have a sword that matches what you could have by just dropping the $300-400 originally. Please realize.. I'm not trying to be harsh... just realistic.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2009 14:16:47 GMT
Thanks for stepping in too Marc. Like the both us agree, there is no way that a kawashima sword comes from Japan. I believe the SoM site also advertise them as being made in China now.
P.S. Pretty sword.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2009 7:59:53 GMT
Hate to jump on the bandwagon here in a year old thread... but I feel some things SHOULD be said. 1) No freaking way anything on that sword has been any closer to Japan than it came on the ship on the way from China to America . The fittings are quite obviously mass produced Chinese fittings, shared by many brands. The tsuka-ito is quite obviously low grade synthetic. 2) Japanese Law expressly prohibits manufacture, ownership, import of such type swords in Japan. Sword makers MUST be liscensed, and must work traditionally in Tamahagane. There are production swords that are rough forged (sunobe) in Japan and shipped to Korea to be finished... but these blades are obviously not forged, but a product of a rolling mill. At least to my eyes. there is a very special case where one brand of production swords are forged in Thailand and polished and mounted in Japan in association with Hataya Mitsuo ... a unique case indeed ... but believe me when I say the price and quality outstrips this by multiples of ten... wait.. I'll post some pics. www.westcoasttaikai.com/tozai/kotetsu.htm The top sword in the last two picture is the Hataya cutter the bottom is a Bugie Shobu... 3) While this is certainly a decent value for a low price.. it makes no sense (to me anyway) to put any time and effort into making it more than what it is. The blade will never be more than a $100 blade. It suffers from poor geometry ... the kind that cant be corrected. . To put anymoney into a polish, rewrap, or fittings to my mind is like putting a flip/flop paint job and 24 inch spinners on a 76 Pinto running on 7 cylinders... Sure you could do the work yourself... but what price do you put on your time? If you put $200 - $300 hundred into this , youd still not have a sword that matches what you could have by just dropping the $300-400 originally. Please realize.. I'm not trying to be harsh... just realistic. Well marc I have to say that I have seen great many hataya blades and I have to say for as many strengths as the Kotstsu have there are many weak points. When I look at it I see nothing more than a high end production blade for the Hataya crowd. The hamon is templated and It leads me to believe because 80% of the blades I have seen have exact same measurments and even sori.... they could even be machine cut blanks. Most of the fittings are machine made, but tsuba I have seen on some of them might be cut by hand from a tsuba blank.... Hataya sensei does run a sword shop after all. That said the blades being made in thailand the guys who make them are toyama students and by the look of the hamon and the activity in them they might be Japanese trained in Claying and heat treatment. And yes the mounts and polish is done in Japan... I have seen hataya's personal stone and finsh work on a blade my sensei owns and it is clear he knows what he is doing. I would not be suprised if the people who did the mount and polish were people that were trained by hataya or some works done by him personally. I was in a debate about MAS's blades being overall better blades than the Kotetsu.... On overall craft and skill I say now. The Kotetsu have good silk, same', honoki wood ex. Attention to detail of the work is on another level. I had an MAS that was epoxy all over the wrap and the fuchi kashira. They also need to work on their use of hishigame and making better mekugi... These are problems you wont see on a kotetsu.... Also using an aged salt free honoki as opposed to MAS using rosewood that is new the wood has a good risk of being swolllen or shrinking depending on where it goes to its owner. I recently got to see an MAS Samgakdo at a Kumdo dojo and I would say the blade even though not as pretty to look at and is not polish quite as well. But its just as wide, its WAY lighter, and being L6 you dont have to worry about bending the sword. But with the kotetsu it seem to bend if you look at it wrong. I saw one bend on a double goza. With the MAS it would not have happened... And when you straighten steel and work it the area around it starts to weaken just a bit. I think if you want a good sword you start with the blade that is good and like a hot rod you build around it. 3K can go a long way depending on the blade....I also found out a few years back that the kotetsu dealers only pay 2k for it... and make a clean $1,000. WHAT DO YOU THINK MARC? MAS OR KOTETSU?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2009 13:31:51 GMT
Kawashima steel is made in Longquan, China. They are also known as Zheijang Zheng, ST sword and TS168trading on Ebay. I just handled a blade marked Kawashima steel. 1095 Maru blade, Choji hamon and real yokote. Crisp geometry and nice polish, though the kissaki needs a new polish. It's a long way from their cheaper blades to their more costly.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 12:10:34 GMT
Well, it's good to know that my instincts weren't totally off on this one. I'm also glad to know that no one is trying to sell this as a product of Japan anymore. I've got nothing at all against items made in China - quite the contrary - but I DO have a problem when a product is misrepresented, whether intentionally or not.
As I figured, this weapon has sat on its wall rack since my initial review. It's too much work to make it safely functional and I've other cutters that I simply like better.
Thanks guys, for your lessons on Japanese law. Useful and interesting.
~J
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2009 12:12:26 GMT
Hey Swordnut: Is Tengu your cat? He/she's pretty ferocious-looking!
|
|