Ryujin T10 Tool Steel Budget Gunto Katana

My review is for Ryujin's offering of this item through the SBG Store (found under "Hot Specials") , sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com/product814.html  I was looking for a sword to purchase through the SBG Store to support the site, and this one appealed to me.  I'd been wanting a "cutter" gunto that I could use without imperiling a historical artifact.


Historical overview

The Type 98 shin gunto sword was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1938 as an officer's sword.  It was a minor modification of the previous Type 94 which had been worn with two suspension hangers, like the tachi style kai gunto (Navy) sword.  The 98 went to a single suspension point.  Unlike the arsenal-made, government-issued NCO swords that it is sometimes confused with, it was an officer's individual purchase item, and was made by a number of civilian manufacturers for private sale.  While there was an overall design specification for it, considerable latitude was allowed the producers in how they did things.  To begin with, the Type 98 mountings came in 4 different official quality grades, at different price points.

Great variation was also allowed in the blades allowed to be fitted.  Those who could afford it put antique blades in them, and a good many more bought traditionally-made blades from living smiths, but with the increasing mobilization of Japan during the 1930's, there were always more new officers than swords available, especially those with traditionally-made blades.  This led to production of both DH and TH monosteel blades not unlike those made today in Longquan to meet the demand.

To avoid a tedious discussion about how closely the fittings of the sword being reviewed conform to IJA military specifications or resemble various original makers versions of the Type 98, I located photographs of an authentic original Type 98 closely resembling the Ryujin reproduction, to show that such variants existed.  Those pics are immediately below.

For those interested in more information about the Type 98, as well as other gunto, I suggest the links below as a start.  There are numerous detailed photos of original fittings.

ohmura-study.net/900.html
ohmura-study.net/903.html
ohmura-study.net/904.html
ohmura-study.net/905.html

Full Disclosure

I have no financial, business, or employment association with SBG or Ryujin.

The sword was delivered well packed in a cardboard box containing an attractive, brocade-covered, display box.  The sword itself was inside a black sword bag embroidered with a Ryujin logo.  The box also contained a sword cleaning and disassembly kit in a wooden box, as well as a "RYUJIN Sword Certificate"  listing some stats about the sword (but leaving the production date blank), folded inside an envelope styled to resemble an NBTHK origami envelope, and made of genuine paper.

As soon as I had the katana out of the bag, I was immediately impressed by its appearance and feel.  The steel saya added an impressive amount of felt weight.  The surface textures and firm attachment of the various parts of the koshirae gave an immediate impression of a quality item assembled with care (yes, very unusual).  I also noticed that the suspension point was in the correct position, rather than where it was illustrated in the ad.  Then I shook the whole thing to see what would happen.

I was amazed that the tsuka and saya seem to fit perfectly, being tight and without any play or rattle. I've never had that happen on a production sword before. I was further impressed that the saya was wood lined (though the ad doesn't promise it), as well as that the retention catch worked flawlessly and the wood lining was properly and carefully inletted to fit the kuchigane and catch. The tsukaito was tight, and no fittings were loose.

The detailing and texturing on the metal parts would have raised no eyebrows back in the day, as the swords were being sold in various classes of quality. The one I was shipped might actually have been a "step up" for many an impecunious young IJA officer back in the 1940's.

Statistics


Nagasa Length:  27 1/4 inches    (69.2 cm)

Tsuka Length:  9 3/4 inches        (24.8 cm)

Overall Length:  39 inches           (99 cm)

Motohaba/Sakihaba:  1 1/4" / 7/8"     (3,2/2.2 cm)

Motokasane/Sakikasane:  9/32" / 11/64"  (7.1/4.3 mm)

Moto-shinogi-gasane/Saki-shinogi-gasane:  19/64" / 6/32"   (7.5/4.8 mm)

Sori: 41/64"  (1.6 cm)

Tsuba Width:  Modified mokko style, 2 1/4 by 2 1/2 inches  (5.7 by 6.4 cm)

POB (Point of Balance):  5 inches from tsuba.  (12.7 cm)

Weight:  2.4 pounds  (1.1 kg)

Components

The blade I received is nothing spectacular as an art sword, but fully acceptable, and would not look out-of-place in original gunto koshirae. It has a counter-polished, non geometric yokote, and a chu kissaki.  The nakago has a mei done in vibropen ( ) along with "RYUJIN" and a serial number stamped on it. It was shipped with a generous coating of oil secured with easily pulled off plastic wrap. The removal of the blade wrap did not make the saya loose. The hardness is proper, and the blade slices foam rubber (a good test for sharp, better than paper) perfectly right out of the box.  For a Longquan sword, the blade has a high shinogi and noticeable niku. It's not your usual slim-sided mat cutter, and I suspect that an honest attempt was made to copy a gunto blade.

This photo demonstrates that there really is a hamon there, it's just deuced hard to photograph.  Once I'm through reporting what the blade originally looked like, I'll probably give it a decent polish and enhance the hamon. 

Getting the tsuka, tsuba, and nakago to part company was a tedious business.  Besides the complication of the locking mechanism, there was a too-tight press fit between the bottom seppa and the nakago, and the habaki had been forced on so tightly that I decided not to mess with it yet.  Reassembling everything afterwards was a rare treat as well.  Originals are never that snug.

                                                                                  

These last 2 pics are a demonstration of the low and the high of the brass work.  The menuki detailing is underwhelming, but most of the other parts are quite nice.

Saya

The saya is enameled steel over a wood core.  It's very well done, and it fits with no rattles.

Handling Characteristics

The blade feels well balanced and is maneuverable.  The tsuka is comfortable, and the menuki are placed in one's palms when using a proper katana grip.  Handles like an original.

Test Cutting

                                                                      

Cuts pool noodles cleanly, flat and straight. Cuts 2 inch diameter, thick walled green bamboo without blade damage or bends.  As can be seen from the photographs, it's controllable.  In the second photo, there was some deflection from cutting through a joint in the bamboo.  All three cuts were double target cuts.  Three successive cuts as shown did not perceptibly dull the blade.  IMHO, "This blade will kill!!"

Conclusions

Overall, the execution of this piece (coming from someone who has seen and handled both many real gunto, as well as possibly the worst that China can commit on reproduction gunto) is incredibly and amazingly faithful in detail, within the range of variation permitted by the IJA for an officer's personal purchase items like a Type 98 gunto. In other words, with a few minor reservations I'll explain below, Ryujin nailed it on this one.



Pros

A remarkably close copy of the Japanese Type 98 shin gunto, better than any of the other Chinese attempts that I'm familiar with.  The blade has a graceful form, is DH with a real hamon, and cuts well.  It holds an edge well, and resists damage.  The parts are tight, the saya fits, and the locking mechanism works as well as on the original.  For the overall quality of this sword, the price is delightfully low.

Cons

The tassel is well made, but too darned long to use.  Look at this photo:

The suspension ring ends are sloppily butted and misaligned. Originally, a Type 98 had a "seamless" copper alloy suspension ring.  Even the NCO swords that this split ring was copied from had the ends aligned.

The semegane is visibly farther from the ishizuki than on the originals.

The corner perforations in the tsuba washers are more trapezoids than perfect little aoi-leaf hearts.  They need a bit of dressing with a round needle file.

Now that I'm done recording this for posteriors, I'll also bend the sarute into more of a U-shape like it should have been to start with, or replace it with a cord loop, like most of the officers in the IJA did.

The Bottom Line

To summarize, this is probably the very best modern Type 98 shin gunto reproduction currently available as a production sword, is equal to the originals in usability, and very nearly in quality and appearance. It's a great cutter as well.  It's also probably priced as low as something of this quality possibly can be.  For what you get, it's a genuine bargain.  WW II military re-enactors take note.