Jkoo (www.sinosword.com) 1095 Midare katana review
Sept 20, 2019 6:58:17 GMT
Post by Robert in California on Sept 20, 2019 6:58:17 GMT
Review: Jkoo/Sinosword 29” 1095 Midare Custom Katana
above: Jkoo (aka "Sinosword" 1095 midare hamon 29 inch katana)
Jkoo’s website, www.sinosword.com, offers a menu for custom specification swords as well as ready-for-immediate-purchase swords, Japanese and Chinese in a variety of models and specifications. This review is of a Jkoo/Sinosword custom katana purchase. I admit to also being interested in some of the Jkoo showroom swords which are available for immediate purchase.
above: Jkoo 1095 katana and saya
I have come to like Jkoo/Sinosword for their good blade to saya fit, better than average furniture selections, superior tsukaito work and the good feel and workmanship of their blades.
above: Jkoo katana, view from the kissaki
This review is of a custom Jkoo (www.sinosword.com) sword, a 29 inch, 1095 mono steel, midare hamon, chu-kissaki, “cosmetic” polish katana. I used the www.sinosword.com custom ordering menu and JKOO met all my specifications. I was tempted to ask for a 30 inch blade (31 inches with habaki) being 6’2” tall, but have found 29 inches to be comfortable for me, so I stayed with 29 inches. I find that shorter blades are easier to do noto with.
above: Jkoo katana, view of bohi ending near kissaki
The sword alone ended up at 2.75 pounds (3.25 lbs sword+saya). In my hands, this katana feels strong, steady and on the powerful side, without being so heavy as to tire my arms. Not an ox cleaver but competent use will result in strong cutting. This sword is a little heavier and a more powerful cutter than my JKOO mirror polish mono 1095 katana of similar length. Close comparison shows the mirror polished Jkoo 1095 katana to be a slightly more slender blade with a feel that is less powerful but more quick and agile. My mirror polished JKOO mono 1095 suguha katana is also about ¼ inch shorter and is more of a ko-kissaki blade.
above: Jkoo katana with blue exterior/golden yellow interior sword bag - I have more fancy sword bags from Jkoo, but I am fond of this one
I was not happy with the mirror polished, ko-kissaki 1095 Jkoo katana, not because it was a bad sword. It was a good sword. But I had asked for a chu-kissaki and a “cosmetic” polish. What I received was a ko-kissaki and mirror-polished sword. That said, that mirror polished 29 inch ko-kissaki 1095 Jkoo katana has since has become my favorite backyard cutter for reason of performance and build quality.
One day, when I have the time, I’ll spend 40 hours or so and do a simple fingerstones (hazuya) polish. Nothing wrong with a mirror polish, but a mirror polish is just not traditional to me. And Jkoo’s “cosmetic” polish rivals its hazuya fingerstones polish for beauty.
Above: simple gloss black saya...numerous other and more fancy are available from Jkoo via Custom Ordering Menu
Jkoo’s www.sinosword.com custom specifications menu allows for buyer-specified details. Half the fun for me, in ordering a Jkoo sword, is using the Sinosword custom sword menu….it is like opening gifts at Christmas, so many choices. Choosing is fun. And the “what-do-you-want-else” sections lets the imagination run wild. That said, it is my view that any sword maker does best with the designs it does most. So I generally do not ask for wild stuff. My goal is always a good, solid, well-crafted sword that is what a “working man” samurai would like. A capable performer with quiet good looks.
On to the sword specifications. This sword was meant to be another “beater” sword for backyard cutting of bottles and such. Mind you, that cutting water-filled plastic bottles is more of a test for the swordsman, not really a test for the sword. Matthew Jensen has done “destructive” sword reviews of Jkoo katanas. Water-filled soft plastic bottle cutting is just for fun and as a learning tool to give feedback on how well the swordsman (woman?) can cut. They show that Jkoo swords are not easy to really damage.
Below: YouTube video of Matthew Jensen destructive testing a Jkoo/Sinosword Sanmai Katana:
Below: YouTube video of Matthew Jensen testing a Jkoo/Sinosword mono T10 Katana:
Sword Specifications:
Cost:
Normally a bit over $300 shipped, I received a very good discount on this midare 1095 katana, due to my having received that ko-kissaki, mirror polished 1095 katana when I had asked for a chu-kissaki, with “cosmetic” polish. Very nice of Jkoo’s Mr. Van Yang. He tries hard to please.
Above: I like this picture
The Sword:
Above: Blade lines are smooth and flow into each other well.
Weight: sword + saya: 3 1/4 pounds
Weight: sword alone: 2 ¾ lbs
Total Length (sword + saya) = 42 1/4 inches
Total sword length = 41 3/4 inches
Sword Point of Balance: 5 inches ahead of the tsuba.
Sword sharpness: Paper-slicing sharp, except for the first 1 5/8 inches ahead of habaki, which was deliberately kept dull to help prevent koguichi damage due to unskilled user technique.
The Saya:
Above: Perhaps the most simple, yet traditionally classic saya....gloss black.
Above: Jkoo saya. Shows the naturall buffalo horn saya furniture.
Above: koguichi
Above: another saya view.
Above: Saya kurigata of brown buffalo horn
Above: Saya kojiri of brown buffalo horn
Saya length: 30 5/8 inches
Saya width (sideways) at kojiri: 1 & 8/16 inches
Saya width (thickness) at kojiri: 7/8 inches
Saya width (sideways) at koguichi: 1 & 9/16 inches
Saya width (thickness) at koguichi: 7/8 inches
Saya furniture (kojiri, kurigata, koguichi): brown buffalo horn, gloss finish
Saya color: gloss black
Saya shito-done: bright gold brass
Saya sageo: brown synthetic silk
Saya weight: ½ pound
The Blade:
Above: Jkoo blade midare hamon (with a gunome flavor)
Above: kissaki boshi sort of sughua with turn back.
Above: Jkoo single bohi near kissaki
Above: Other side of blade hamon more midare than gunome
Above: attractive Jkoo midare hamon (1095 forged mono DH steel)
Above: View of single, general bohi
Above: Bohi about mid-blade
Above: consistently done bohi
Blade length: 29 1/8 inches without habaki
Blade construction: forged mono 1095
Blade polish: “cosmetic” (beautiful polish, looks close to a ha/jizuya polish)
Blade (with niku) sharpness: slices paper
Blade sori: 3/4 inches
Blade thickness at yokote: 3/16 inches
Blade thickness ½ way down blade: 4/16 inches
Blade thickness at habaki: 5/16 inches
Blade width (ha to mune) at yokote: 7/8 inches
Blade width (ha to mune) ½ way down: 1 1/8 inches
Blade width (ha to mune) at habaki: 1 1/4 inches
Blade bohi width: 5/16 inch
Blade kissaki length: 1 5/8 inches (chu (medium) length kissaki)
Blade hamon: midare (irregular)
Blade boshi: suguha (straight) (boshi is the hamon of the kissaki)
More Blade pictures:
Above: blade near habaki
Above: blade midare hamon with interesting feature
Above: blade near kissaki
Above: Jkoo mono 1095 blade's nakago
Above: Jkoo mono 1095 nakago showing smith signature
Above: other side of Jkoo mono 1095 nakago (signed on reverse side)
Above: top view of nakago
The Habaki:
Above: subdued finish, brass habaki (one of a number of choices, but I like this one)
Above: another picture of Jkoo brass habaki
Above: top view
Above: habaki, this side faces tsuba's seppa
Habaki: dulled gold color brass with diagonal, decorative scratches.
Habaki length: 15/16 inches
Habaki fit to blade: almost perfect, top of habaki about 1/3 to ½ mm higher than topside of blade (shinogi-Ji). I fixed with a slight amount of steel-impregnated, auto engine repair grade, JBWeld.
The Tsuba:
Above: blackened iron tsuba
Above: another view, blackened iron tsuba
Above: other side of tsuba, both sides unsigned, unlike some of the other Jkoo tsuba choices, which have signatures.
Tsuba: blackened iron, floral arrangement of leaves in a circular pattern
Tsuba thickness: 3/16”
Tsuba length (ha to mune direction): 3 inches
Tsuba width side to side): 3 inches
The Seppa:
Above: copper seppas
The Tsuka:
Above: Jkoo tsuka
Above: same side, tsuka, one mekugi per my request
Above: tsukaito of dark brown Chinese cotton
Tsuka length: 11 ¼ inches
Tsuka: wood with full wrap of raw, white, small nodules ray skin
Tsuka ito: dark brown Chinese cotton
Tsuka ito wrap: traditional “criss-cross”. Very tight. Diamonds even.
Tsuka Mekugi: one bamboo mekugi
Tsuka width (ha to mune) at fuchi: 1 1/2 inches (with ito)
Tsuka width (ha to mune) at kashira: 1 3/8” inches (with ito)
Tsuka thickness (side to side) at fuchi: 1 inch (with ito)
Tsuka thickness (side to side) at kashira: 1 inch (with ito)
The Fuchi:
Above: blackened iron fuchi
Above: closeup
Above: top face of fuchi
Above: Jkoo iron fuchi was on tight. Hard to remove. But just a good fit. No glue. Tsuka full wrap rayskin option. Panels the other choice
Above: inside of iron fuchi
Above: with fuchi removed, tsuka wood can be seen. Good fit, no cracks, shows full samegawa wrap
Fuchi: blackened iron, waves, non-shiny
Fuchi length: 1 ½ inches
Fuchi width: 7/8 inches
The Kashira:
ABove: blackened iron kashira. Round top is comfortable. More so than flat top designs. IMO
Above: kashira, side view
Above: Jkoo kashira top view
Kashira: blackened iron, waves, non-shiny
Kashira length: 1 1/4 inches
Kashira width: 5/8 inches
The Menuki:
Above: one of multiple choices for (brass) menuki
Menuki: dulled golden brass, leaves & flowers
My Thoughts:
On tsuka length: I am 6 feet 2 inches tall, and find a 29 inch blade feels right and a 11 inch tsuka is a better fit for me than a 10 ½ inch tsuka. And a rounded kashira (tsuka end cap) is more comfortable than a kashira with a flat top and edges.
Summary and nit picking:
Overall, this Jkoo katana feels a little heavier and more powerful than average. It has a pretty good feeling for a sword purposed for cutting. Not a water buffalo cleaver. Not a light and zippy speed sword. Rather a sword that can multi-task, but whose best trait is power cutting, while still a general purpose capable sword.
The Good:
Pretty blade. Nice looking midare hamon. Beautifully done blade polish that is not a Japanese fingerstone polish, but looks almost as good. Balance feels to me to be a bit more towards the kissaki than some of my other China-made katanas, giving me more power in the cut. Tsukaito (tsuka wrap) tight and even. No blade-in-saya rattle. Sword furniture…all tight and secure, no play or looseness. Visually beautiful. Flawless saya lacquering. Correct habaki to koguichi fit. Beautifully translucent brown real buffalo horn saya furniture. Excellent fit and finish. No metal or wood bits inside the tsuka. Clean inside the tsuka. A lot of features and quality for a $300 dollar sword. A good looking sword offering good value for the money. A blade made at Jkoo’s very own forge. Not directly related to the sword, but Jkoo/Sinosword’s custom sword order menu is fun to use and offers a lot of choices. Plus Jkoo/Sinosword’s representative, Van Lang, does excellent customer service.
The Bad:
The only real complaint I have is the almost but not quite perfect habaki-to-blade fit.
The brass habaki vertically mismatched the blade by approximately 1/3 to ½ mm (about 0.02”), so that in a noto, the tiny bit of raised habaki protrudes enough to hit/scrape against the wood of the koguichi. Jkoo needs to make the habaki a perfect fit to avoid this.
The other bad is that even though just a $300 dollar category katana, it is such a pretty katana that I can’t bring myself to use it for other than eye candy. It was a sword that I bought to be a backyard “beater”, but turned out to exceed expectations with looks and high build quality so I could not bring myself to do anything with it but admire its looks and cut air. Normally, I think of a $300 sword as a good solid beater. The Jkoo swords I’ve bought rate a step above.
Robert Hamilton, California September 2019