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Post by m0use on Dec 18, 2023 2:22:42 GMT
Hello, long time reader first time poster. I'm looking to add a custom katana to my collection, and it will purely be a wall decoration (I already have katanas and wakizashis for cutting stuff) In short, the goal is to make something as close as I can to Usagi Yojimbo's Willow Branch katana to go along with the comics I've collected. Details like no hi, black samegawa, green ito, solid rimmed 4 lobed mokko gata tsuba, kojiri and kashira of similar design, habaki should match tsuba (it has been inconsistently colored over time), stuff like that. The goal is to also go cheap, hopefully under $150, because I feel like this is something I may have to piece together or swap out parts to get everything down and I'm not keen on wrecking anything expensive. I would like guidance on where to start, like what parts I should prioritize when out looking for a close match to start off with (e.g., a katana with correct samegawa and ito but wrong tsuba would be better to start off with than one with correct tsuba but wrong ito), or a custom builder that has these kind of options to pick from. Any and all help appreciated.
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larason2
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Posts: 661
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Post by larason2 on Dec 18, 2023 4:10:21 GMT
Your needs are not that difficult to achieve. Practically any katana maker can get a cast tsuba that's similar, and the standard brass habaki looks like it will be close enough. Black samegawa is not that hard to get, and green ito is pretty standard. Looks like you just need a brass fuchi and kashira. Still, you'll probably need to make a custom order. There are tons of companies that can do this for you. I'm partial to Jkoo, because I just got a blade from them, but I'm sure you'll get other good recommendations. Jkoo might end up being too expensive, but worth a try asking. They don't do a lot of stainless steel, if you're into that, but personally I'd still rather get a proper blade with a nice hamon for display.
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Post by Arlequin on Dec 18, 2023 4:17:49 GMT
Hello, long time reader first time poster. I'm looking to add a custom katana to my collection, and it will purely be a wall decoration (I already have katanas and wakizashis for cutting stuff) In short, the goal is to make something as close as I can to Usagi Yojimbo's Willow Branch katana to go along with the comics I've collected. Details like no hi, black samegawa, green ito, solid rimmed 4 lobed mokko gata tsuba, kojiri and kashira of similar design, habaki should match tsuba (it has been inconsistently colored over time), stuff like that. The goal is to also go cheap, hopefully under $150, because I feel like this is something I may have to piece together or swap out parts to get everything down and I'm not keen on wrecking anything expensive. I would like guidance on where to start, like what parts I should prioritize when out looking for a close match to start off with (e.g., a katana with correct samegawa and ito but wrong tsuba would be better to start off with than one with correct tsuba but wrong ito), or a custom builder that has these kind of options to pick from. Any and all help appreciated. Ryansword could probably do it for cheap. If your willing to 300-600 for something marginally nicer, ShadowDancer(formally DragonSwordcn, they changed because the name was garbage for search engine optimization) Can probably do a nicer tsuka and blade with simple but nice polish.
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Post by wildv on Dec 18, 2023 12:31:41 GMT
I've seen a very similar sword from Hanbon forge - www.hanbonforge.com/It might be a bit more expensive, it's a bit tricky to get what you want for so cheap.
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Post by crazyjons on Dec 18, 2023 15:27:56 GMT
Try wang_katana 2011 on ebay. Their stuff is pretty nice and cheap.
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Post by pellius on Dec 18, 2023 17:07:14 GMT
Welcome to the forum
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Post by m0use on Dec 19, 2023 16:54:08 GMT
Thanks all for the responses so far, I will look into those recommendations. Not too worried about hamon since the comics didn't draw that detail in. A plain mall tier stainless blade would suffice for this purpose. Most I've spent on a blade is an RK Dojo Pro, and I really can't imagine going over that. I would honestly rather add another gun to the collection once we're talking about $400+ so that's kind of my blocker.
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Post by mrstabby on Dec 19, 2023 17:29:20 GMT
Have you heard of "mini Katana"? They specialize in that sort of stuff (anime Katana), no idea if they are worth their money. You might be able to ask them about your ideal blade.
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Post by fogofwar on Dec 19, 2023 18:28:41 GMT
take a look at RVA Katana, they have some nice looking swords on sale.
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Post by blairbob on Dec 20, 2023 0:11:44 GMT
The cheap furniture sets that HanbonForge and RyanSword are your best bet with stock blades at under $150. HBF wants a bit extra for a mokko tsuba in iron so I don't know if they offer that tsuba in zinc alloy. Brass furniture is an extra $45.
but you can green ito with black rayskin. Dunno about saya but they have basic colors.
Jkoo would customize something like RyanSwords or HanbonForge but when do you ever hear of a custom order they don't miss one detail on? I'm sure we're only reading about the few reviews out there compared to the number of swords they sell. Always seems like they offer some discount for something they semprinied up minorly.
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