Ryujin 65mn Steel Iaito Katana
May 21, 2020 3:59:35 GMT
Post by foxanidu on May 21, 2020 3:59:35 GMT
INTRODUCTION:
I was in the market for a nice looking Iaito blade that I can begin practice with at home without chopping my fingers off, at a 100-200 dollar price range. I searched around and came across the Ryujin 65mn Spring Steel Iaito katana on the SBG store. There were a couple sites I could've bought it from but the SBG store had the customization options that appealed to me more.
STATISTICS FROM THE CERTIFICATE:
(The blade is not sharp despite what the certificate says, its an iaito blade)
INITIAL IMPRESSION:
200 dollars later and I received my katana a week later. Everything was matched to my specifications in the order. It came with a sword bag, certificate, and a katana with the blade wrapped in a sticky plastic that was easy to clean off with some elbow grease.
The very first thing that caught my eye was the samegawa which had this weird coloring to it, almost like it was stained with some coffee by the person who put it together. I plan to lacquer this in black when I find the time. Unfortunately everything felt pretty loose out of the box. From the ito wrap, menuki, to the habaki which didnt fit to well either. I know I didnt pay too much for this katana, but the quality of the tskuamaki was pretty poor regardless. The saya was pretty tight so I had to really try to get the blade out. I sanded down the mouth of the saya for a better fit afterward.
THE BLADE:
The blade is made of 65mn spring steel that's advertised to withstand blade on blade contact. I asked for bohi, so I can hear the tachikaze when I swing it correctly. It also has a nice and shiny 'gunome' hamon. Being an iaito blade it comes unsharpened, but what sets this blade apart from most iaito is the blunted tip for extra safety. Overall, I'm happy with the blade itself.
THE TSUKA:
As I pointed out earlier, I'm disappointed at the quality of the samegawa its pretty ugly and I dont know who thought this was acceptable even for a 200 dollar katana. The ito wrap is fairly loose and I can move the menuki around without having to unwrap the tsuka. I can guess the quality control varies from dealer to dealer as all the parts are sent out from ryujin and the seller puts them together to fit the specs of the buyer. This is my biggest gripe with the katana.
FITTINGS:
"Fudo Myoo" tsuba.
Brass "wave" fuchi, kashira.
"Vajra cutter" menuki
Wood Saya
Im pretty happy with the koshirae, everything looks great, it all comes together. I ordered the fudo myoo tsuba because it matches well with the vajra cutter menuki.
HANDLING:
2.5 lbs, A fairly heavy blade for an iaito, but since its made of steel instead of aluminum this is expected. For long periods of practice it can prove tiring to handle for some but I like the added weight since it feels closer to a shinken. Its weight falls towards the tip and feels lively in the hand when practicing kata.
CONCLUSION:
PROS:
-Nice blade
- High quality Tsuba, fuchi, kashira and menuki
CONS:
- Poorly wrapped ito
- Stained samegawa
- Loose fittings
I'm sure the quality varies from order to order but I still feel like its a gamble. I liked the koshirae and the blade but everything felt loose and the quality of the tsukamaki was a big turn off. To avoid getting a dud, I would search elsewhere.