Sokojihara Demon Warrior Katana Review
Feb 27, 2021 20:36:40 GMT
Post by Kane Shen on Feb 27, 2021 20:36:40 GMT
The Demon Warrior is one of the latest offering with a clay-tempered T10 steel blade from Sokojikara. I tested this katana thoroughly and found it to be a quite hefty yet durable sword with a lot of niku (muscle) on the edge bevel suitable for heavy duty cutting. At 2lbs 12.6oz (1284g on a 28.75" blade), it isn't supposed to be handled with a lot of finesse, but rather a war sword to withstand the peril and abuse of battlefield scenarios and survive edge-on-edge parries, contact with polearm shafts and jamming through the gaps of armor, likely designed to be a sidearm for armored combat when the user is amply protected by the harness. The modest distal taper (7.5mm thick and 31.4mm broad at the habaki, to 5.3mm thick and 24mm wide at the yokote) confirm this design philosophy.
It has an impressive look featuring a incredibly crisp yet natural hamon clay-temper line from the competent polishing, and a large bronze tsuba depicting the story of Omori Hikoshichi from Japanese mythology with vivid sculpting. The tang also feature a more pronounced curve than the average katana on the market. The fit and finish isn't without flaws, of course, and I demonstrated all of them down to the most minute details. Nevertheless, at 300 dollars, it has all the essential features for practitioners while oriented towards heavy cutting. It withstood all the tasks and abuses I threw at it without a scratch, and can launch surprisingly clean cuts when the edge alignment is adequate. Combined with the classy appearance and the unique theme, these led me to believe this is a rather solid offering as a readily available katana someone can order and start swinging 2 or 3 days later.
It has an impressive look featuring a incredibly crisp yet natural hamon clay-temper line from the competent polishing, and a large bronze tsuba depicting the story of Omori Hikoshichi from Japanese mythology with vivid sculpting. The tang also feature a more pronounced curve than the average katana on the market. The fit and finish isn't without flaws, of course, and I demonstrated all of them down to the most minute details. Nevertheless, at 300 dollars, it has all the essential features for practitioners while oriented towards heavy cutting. It withstood all the tasks and abuses I threw at it without a scratch, and can launch surprisingly clean cuts when the edge alignment is adequate. Combined with the classy appearance and the unique theme, these led me to believe this is a rather solid offering as a readily available katana someone can order and start swinging 2 or 3 days later.