HI Katana's

I have two Bura Wajaski's. (Wakazashi) Both Satisal wood handles, one carved, one smooth. 26", 25oz. 25" , 23oz. They both have withstood some crasee chopping. No soaked mats wrapped around bamboo, but much wood, PVC pipes, carpet rolls and alot more. The edges have no sign of wear. My HI Wajaski's are very well balanced and feel great in use. As with all my HI blades, I think they are worth so much more than the cost. From what I've read about the Kami's I think they know how to work the steel and what type of steel to use for working tools and weapons. If it was better to fold the steel in HI blades I think the Kami's would be folding the out of it.
 
If you're looking for a user and you're willing to scratch up/chip out/resharpen a $4000-$8000+ katana, by all means buy one. For me, grinding out a chip or resharpening a $4000 blade would break my heart. Instead, it would get a coat of nano-polish and be a wall-hanger out of my nieces and nephews reach the second it got delivered.

If you're looking for a tough user that won't break your pocketbook nor your heart when you use it/abuse it/maintain it, call up a very nice and capable woman named Yangdu, and tell her you'd like to buy some of her blades. Tools are much more fun when you're not afraid to use them.

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They both have withstood some crasee chopping. No soaked mats wrapped around bamboo, but much wood, PVC pipes, carpet rolls and alot more. The edges have no sign of wear. My HI Wajaski's are very well balanced and feel great in use.

Many thanks ...thats exactly the information I was after! :D

Just luv getting into the yard and doing lots of "crasee chopping" on water filled jugs and 1/4inch thick cardboard tubes without the fear of bending or chipping an original nihonto blade.

I'm sure the Wajasaki and Tarwar will make great additions to my HI Khukuris too!:cool:
 
Not to put down the HI guys, but I think a katana purist (aka the Japanese) would refer to these as KSOs (Katana shaped objects) at best.

Just like they tend to not be that great at producing western straight-bladed swords and such (as a good duplicate of a gladius has been escaping the sharks for a while now).

Cpl, not real sure what you mean about the western straight-bladed swords here or the Gladius but my HI Manjushree comes real close as far as shape goes.

I also have an HI Tarwar that I'm rather fond of but the Manjushree will always remain my favorite HI sword.:)

This one isn't mine....

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Well, if the Manjushree is supposed to be a gladius, the tip is way too blunt. That's what I mean, they get close, but there's certain things I think they just don't understand why we want them a certain way. I think it's a cultural thing, they probably have little exposure to western blades and history. I don't mean it to be offensive or condescending, just that there's certain things they don't do all that great. . .yet. On the other hand, I've yet to see a western knifemaker make a kukri right.
 
I'm surprised no one's speaking up for the tibetan blades. I've got a short HI ke tri that I love. Mind that I haven't done any serious cutting with it yet (got some plans, heh heh), but it's fast, well-balanced, sharp, it's got a good stabbing tip, and it's quite adaptable to Chinese dao forms.

To be honest, I got the short ke tri for close quarters apartment defense (i.e. when I don't want to shoot the neighbors by accident while dealing with a burglar), and while I really, really hope I never have to use it, it's a good weapon for close quarters, and unlike the wakizashi or a khuk, you can stab as well as slash and chop.

F
 
Can't stab with a wakizashi, kat or khuk?! :O

I agree with you... and don't.

Traditional Wak. and Kats, yes... the HI ones i'm pretty sure you could stab with, with no problems whatsover to the blade or to you. Given that the HI blades are full tang with wood handles and metal fittings, as opposed to cork and rayskin that a blade might slice through in a thrust. (Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about Wak and Kat's beyond a touch of traditional theory and training and what i've picked up in these forums.)
As for Khuk's, it depends which ones you have. The UBE's have an upturned blade and are therefore suited to it.


For something completely different
Speaking of the Tibetan's... there was one on the Dotd the other day. Last i checked no one had snapped it up yet. How have people found the Tibetan's, short and long for use and feel?
 
Oh, I agree that you can stab with most HI products. After all, you can stab with a baseball bat, although you have to put a lot of energy into the stab if you want the bat to penetrate :)

Still, I don't think that I'll spend much time stabbing with a WWII khukuri. It's not the best stroke for the weapon. Obviously, other khukuris have sharper tips, but in all cases, the tip isn't in line with the hilt, so only curving stabs are effective. This contrasts with the HI tibetan, where the tip is in perfect line with the hilt, and stabbing is easy and accurate.

Basically, I think of the HI Tibetan as equivalent to a medieval European cut-and-thrust, with the advantages that the hilt is long enough for two-handed use, and the blade is one-edged, making it easier to do half-sword techniques.

F
 
I'd guess 15"

15inch blade length or overall length?

I just carefully tried swinging my 20inch C.A.K. inside a house with 8foot high ceilings (and I'm 5'10") and it came mighty close to hitting the ceiling.

So in reference to fearn and any one who desires to have a sword "for close quarters apartment defense.." maybe we should be looking at Khukuri not a sword?:confused:

As a result I'm now thinking of a 20inch Chitlangi.
 
15" OAL. It looks fairly small to me.
20" seems to be my sweet spot.
Looking at my 18" WWII earlier today, I remarked how small it seemed. 22" Dui Chirra is on the long side, but lighter than an AK, so it wouldn't be bad. 25" CAK needs two hands.

Yeah, a 20" Chitlangi could be a robber's worst nightmare.
 
Ya. I've got a 15" (Overall) BAS and it's about the same size. Good for apartment defence ;)

I agree... can't really swing a sword inside a house...
 
Since we've drifted to the topic of urban self-defence... I think in the unlikely event that there was an intruder in my apartment, I'd opt for something like a jo stick. Except in the most dire circumstances... I'd opt for non-lethal force to minimize my chances of jail time. I know the old adage about being judged by twelve rather than carried by six, but ideally I'd rather not do either. :D
 
Fortunately, where I live there is a castle doctrine.

Not only that, but it was established before we got the castle law, that anyone breaking into a house while the occupants were home was automatically considered to have intent to cause grave or lethal harm and the occupants were justified in using lethal force.
 
Except in the most dire circumstances... I'd opt for non-lethal force to minimize my chances of jail time.

As another who lives in a country without the rights of our US cousins I hear you loud and clear.

But one also always needs be prepared for Zombie attacks! Thinking about what you would use gives me a great deal of diversion from the 'reality of the law.'
 
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