Kiku Matsuda Tanto-2 pics

[nozh2002]

Excellent knife. Superb quality, design, sharpness. And another supersteel - OU31, 3 times togher then D2 and 10 edge retention of ATS34.

Very manipulative handle and balance. I guess it is real samurai fighting knife. I am only wondering how Kiku Matsuda was able to make one while they are banned in modern Japan? Maybe some key differences in style - no Tsuba etc?

After I measure sharpness is shows 60 wich is best out of the box sharpness I know - with Microtech Currahee and Spyderco Military, all others far behind.

 

[nozh2002]

Handle is very comfortable and easy to handle - I guess it may be very usefull for many fighting styles/ I don't know any, but can imagine - it is jumping in my palm by itself. I guess I hold it for a while and came to be trained knife fighter...

More pics:

I also like a lot this design, it is like military style (Busse, TOPS, Fehrman...), but too much class in it so it is like piece of art!

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[knarfeng]

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing, Vassili.

 

[SlamFire]

Message Deleted

 

[The Mastiff]

Excellent pictures as usual Vassili. That looks like "san mai" 3 layer steel when viewed from the top. Is it another carbon steel that it's laminated with? It is a work of art. I'd like to know more about that steel too. Joe

 

[Halfneck]

Mr. Matsuda's work is great, I handled a few at BLADE and they were all ergonomic with excellent balance.

I believe it is a carbon steel that is just acid-etched with patterns.

 

[nozh2002]

Most what I like is that this is Tanto knife from 40years in the business Japanese 5th generation knifemaker from samurai family known for 400 years from Sikahagara battle!

With all this fake tantoes around I guess this one makes record strait for modern Tantoes.

Being from 400 years old samurai family Kiku Matsuda I guess makes modern tanto keeping what samurais value in fighting knife combining it with modern technology and styles. Result is amaizing!
----------------------
No this one is not laminated (BTW I do not like this CS newly introduced term for warikomi or laminated blades - "san may", same as invented by them americanized tanto etc...). It is acid etched with some masking splashes on the blade, this pattern continues from one side to another over spine and also can be seen on tand top and bottom. Pattern is etched deep - I may sense it with fingertips.

This one made in American knifemaking tradition in military style introduced by Busse (if I an not mistaken). This is solid steel, full tang, micarta scales screwed. But with Japanese sense of class and design. And this makes it so attractive - almost irresistable!
-----------------------
About OU31 steel - to what was discussed here

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=481313

...I may add only info from SOG website -

http://sogknives.com/store/KU-01.html

"OU-31 steel It is a micro fine steel made by Nippon Koshuha Steel Co., Ltd. It features high hardness, HRc 64, and is 3 times tougher than that of D2. Reported to have 10 times longer edge holding than ATS-34 according to cutting tests."

Also this page - scan of some test report I assume, but I do not read Japanese so have no idea what it is about, OU31 is just better then 440C and ATS34 I think but in what?

http://www.geocities.jp/powerfull_knife/kick2/kiku_ou31.html

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[The Mastiff]

Thanks for the links Vassili. It was the 5th and 6th pictures, taken from above that made me think it was laminated. It sure is an impressive knife. Joe

 

[Native Justice]

Vasilli I can't believe you haven't sharpened it yet, what's up with that?

Beautiful knife! Thanks for great photos!

NJ

 

[1kimo4u]

great pics! great knife! 100% handmade! kiku's are sharp! almost like a busse with a asian accent. did you get it from jnd or tadgear? try the full contact!

 

[nozh2002]

The sharpness is excellent 60 gramm on the thread which I learn how to exceed only recently. It is best out of box sharpness and same as for Currahee and Military, so there is no reason to resharpen it yet.

Mine is from TAD Gear and what is JND? TAG Gear has all out of stock - I toke last one, they told me they may have some leftovers from Blade West next Monday.

If you have one - did it came with some box or it was just a knife and sheath?

Thanks, Vassili.

 

[1kimo4u]

jnd=japanese knife direct. owners are koki and jemmy (great customer service!). great selection of kiku knives! get one before they're gone! all my kiku knives came with kydex sheath. no box or paper work. none needed! knife speaks for itself!

 

[Neo]

Damm Vassili

Just when I thought there where no more knives that really could grab my desire, you show these pics.
It has a very nice authentic design.
I like the handle shape a lot.
The first Kikuo's I saw had less rustic handles, with more sharp corners.
These didn't appeal to me at all and made the knife look cheap and uncomfortable

 

[1kimo4u]

so sorry! JKD=japanese knives direct! too much jack + coke tonight! i think the rc fighter is my next kiku!

 

[Irezumi]

Excellent knife. Superb quality, design, sharpness. And another supersteel - OU31, 3 times togher then D2 and 10 edge retention of ATS34.

Very manipulative handle and balance. I guess it is real samurai fighting knife. I am only wondering how Kiku Matsuda was able to make one while they are banned in modern Japan? Maybe some key differences in style - no Tsuba etc?

Great knife mate but there is no way that OU31 is 3 times tougher than D2 and 10x the edge retention of ATS34..however from what I have read it is a superior steel to both, just not that superior. Also, samurai didnt have such a thing as a fighting knife, a tanto's purpose was for committing seppuku (suicide) and these knives and full blown hand made swords aren't banned in Japan, the government just limits a swordmaking to making a certain number each month. Love the knife though and it is bargain compared to the limited edition SOG version that looks quite similar to this (with a polished hollow grind on the SOG though).

 

[1kimo4u]

imagine a $2500 user!

 

[spyken]

I'm not a nihonto expert but I believe that tantos came about around the Heian and Kamakura periods, together with the tachi. This was before the change to the uchigatana and later katana and wakizashi. Tantos were sometimes used as stabbing weapons, apart from Irezumi's accurate description that they were tools for ritual suicide. But they were not slicers. Women would sometimes carry short tantos, known as kaiken (or bastardized in the west as kwaiken) for protection. There were generally made in the aikuchi style.

but back to Kiku-san's intepretation. I think it's gorgeous, love his handle treatment.

Vasilli - is that black or green canvas micarta on the handle? I absolutely love it.

 

[spyken]

oh, just saw your observations about tanto and Japan.

the nihontos are greatly controlled in Japan. from my understanding, if the handles are bolted or secured permanently to the handles (ie. without a removable tsuka and no mekugi), then these sort of tanto are classified as knives and not swords, thus not subject to the same kind of licensing/approval system.

 

[Irezumi]

yep you are right about the control of the nihonto in Japan Spyken..tightly controlled and the japs have spent the last 50 years trying to get the ones back that they lost in the war. Still a number of smiths making modern ones though which are probably better than than the old nihonto and they are the ones that are restricted with a quota. That is why they are so expensive. Some makers make extra than their allowed quota and they are unsigned, and sell for less.

 

[spyken]

absolutely. I read in Yoshindo/Kapp's book that the modern swords actually cut better than some older blades. in fact, in one cutting test, a koto sword warped/bent, a slightly newer one (still antique nihonto) chipped but the modern shinsakuto sufferred no damage. metal does get fatigued.

I am interested in that scale material in Kiku-san's tanto. Very nice. Is that black or green canvas micarta?