Well, I've had my Janawar Katne for a number of weeks now and feel that I've come to some conclusions about this rare beast and it's uses.
First of all, insofar as it's construction (it was made by Durba)it is beautiful. As with most of the Durba pieces I've seen pictures of, the lines are incredibly crisp and clean, almost machine-like in their precision. The blade is huge, thick and wide...with it's size and sheer toughness, it's probably capable of repelling any kind of melee attack weapon or two-handed sword I can think of. In addition the shape and weight combined with the sharpness of the edge...would do grievous damage, do say the least. However, though it has all these good qualities, I would not reach for it before I would any of my other swords...the Janawar could be best described as a weapon for none, a tool for the very large, and a unique piece to own (but not use) for most...
For some initial perspective, it must be noted that the Janawar is more of a Giant-scale khukuri, than a sword...thusly it abides by the physics and design of a khuk, which work marvelously for their intended size, but not so well for the janawar. For additional perpective, one should not that historical claymores of length 64"-67" weighed about 9-10 lbs. The Janwar weighs around that, and is 38" in length.
Khuks are designed with relatively small handles and made for one-handed use...so is the Janawar, however, though the small handle is effective at increasing power in a normal sized khuk, it makes the Janawar difficult to handle, as in with a huge powerful blade like the Janawar's you need an equally large handle to be able to stop and maneuver the thing.
The small handle makes the J very, very hard to stop and maneuver, and might even injure someone with a wrist problem if they tried to use it. It IS possible to grip with two hands, but is difficult to and involves using the habaki/bolster as part of the handle. One useful modification is too wrap the entire area from the bottom of the bolster up to the cho with material. This allows for a reasonably comfortable two-handed grip and considerably easier handling. It's downsides are that it messes up the look of the piece and prevents correct insertion into the scabbard.
On wielding the Janwar-
If one is intent of using it, they must use gravity to the fullest advantage. It should be known that once the J gets going it's like the guillotine has been dropped on whatever is in front of it (whether that be a piece of wood, or your foot...) it is quite nearly impossible to stop mid swing, and can only be controlled or halted near the end of the swing when your larger muscle group gain control over your wrists and forearms. The most effective way to use it is letting it flow and using gravity to direct it. Flowing, low to mid body level swings are the best bet...let the J ride on the momentum of the swing and use the remaining momentum to move for the next cut on the closest angle to the momentum to retain control of the blade. High and over head swings are ust plain dangerous and aren't recommended unless performed with extreme caution. The momentum of the weight, your force, and the curved blade create a ttremendously powerful swing that is not really controllable at all, though it is probably capable of splitting a zombie in two vertical pieces
When doing testing on a thick board of wood with the J, Kat, and Talwar, the two swords created gash like angular cuts...whereas the Janwar created wide, medium length cuts that spanned the with of the board, and sent the board flying off of it's harness at one point.
In conclusion, I can say that if you want something extremely unique and a little unusual, with extreme power, but little practical use, go for a J. However, if you want a truly usable sword with sword dimensions, weight, and hadnling, look at a Tulwar or Kat
regards
Matt
First of all, insofar as it's construction (it was made by Durba)it is beautiful. As with most of the Durba pieces I've seen pictures of, the lines are incredibly crisp and clean, almost machine-like in their precision. The blade is huge, thick and wide...with it's size and sheer toughness, it's probably capable of repelling any kind of melee attack weapon or two-handed sword I can think of. In addition the shape and weight combined with the sharpness of the edge...would do grievous damage, do say the least. However, though it has all these good qualities, I would not reach for it before I would any of my other swords...the Janawar could be best described as a weapon for none, a tool for the very large, and a unique piece to own (but not use) for most...
For some initial perspective, it must be noted that the Janawar is more of a Giant-scale khukuri, than a sword...thusly it abides by the physics and design of a khuk, which work marvelously for their intended size, but not so well for the janawar. For additional perpective, one should not that historical claymores of length 64"-67" weighed about 9-10 lbs. The Janwar weighs around that, and is 38" in length.
Khuks are designed with relatively small handles and made for one-handed use...so is the Janawar, however, though the small handle is effective at increasing power in a normal sized khuk, it makes the Janawar difficult to handle, as in with a huge powerful blade like the Janawar's you need an equally large handle to be able to stop and maneuver the thing.
The small handle makes the J very, very hard to stop and maneuver, and might even injure someone with a wrist problem if they tried to use it. It IS possible to grip with two hands, but is difficult to and involves using the habaki/bolster as part of the handle. One useful modification is too wrap the entire area from the bottom of the bolster up to the cho with material. This allows for a reasonably comfortable two-handed grip and considerably easier handling. It's downsides are that it messes up the look of the piece and prevents correct insertion into the scabbard.
On wielding the Janwar-
If one is intent of using it, they must use gravity to the fullest advantage. It should be known that once the J gets going it's like the guillotine has been dropped on whatever is in front of it (whether that be a piece of wood, or your foot...) it is quite nearly impossible to stop mid swing, and can only be controlled or halted near the end of the swing when your larger muscle group gain control over your wrists and forearms. The most effective way to use it is letting it flow and using gravity to direct it. Flowing, low to mid body level swings are the best bet...let the J ride on the momentum of the swing and use the remaining momentum to move for the next cut on the closest angle to the momentum to retain control of the blade. High and over head swings are ust plain dangerous and aren't recommended unless performed with extreme caution. The momentum of the weight, your force, and the curved blade create a ttremendously powerful swing that is not really controllable at all, though it is probably capable of splitting a zombie in two vertical pieces
When doing testing on a thick board of wood with the J, Kat, and Talwar, the two swords created gash like angular cuts...whereas the Janwar created wide, medium length cuts that spanned the with of the board, and sent the board flying off of it's harness at one point.
In conclusion, I can say that if you want something extremely unique and a little unusual, with extreme power, but little practical use, go for a J. However, if you want a truly usable sword with sword dimensions, weight, and hadnling, look at a Tulwar or Kat
regards
Matt
