Need infos about a certain Katana

[MultipleParadox]

Hi everybody,

just got a superb (concerning the low price) Katana and had a few questions regarding this;

first, here's the info I've got about mine:
http://www.handmadesword.com/226.html

That's about all I managed to get; I kniw it's also sold on Ebay buy sellers "Handmadesword" and "razorsharpkatana" (supposedly by SunpointUSA as well, couldn't confirm)

I'd like to know all possible relevant info about this Katana; I contacted Handmadesword.com and they were not particularly helpfull

I'm not really knowledgeable about steel type and hardness and what not (I do know about tamahagane though )

How would this Katana rate for Tameshigiri, cutting power/ability to hold its edge etc?

Anyway, that makes a lot of questions, but if some of you could chip in with some info, I'd be grateful!

Thanks!

O.

 

[galen59]

I've been watching this site for awhile now, I know of no one who owns one, I'm looking for answers from you.. was the blade straight upon delivery? take it through some katas, swing it trough the air, up, down ect. and with some force, does the blade take a curve after this...take it apart, whats it like inside.. can't wait for the answers.. G

 

[MultipleParadox]

Hi there, hopefully someone with more experience with Shinken will come around, but in the meantime I'll give you a "quick" review

Please note that I am no expert in the matter but I'm also a blade enthusiast and not some jerk that likes swinging katana for the heck of it The only "real" reference of Shinken/Katana I have is the Paul Chen's Practical Katana that we bought for my Brother 3-4 years ago. Otherwise I've *seen* a real good Iaito without really wielding it (around the 2000$ mark)

Blade is of fairly good quality and wont curve when "cutting" the air;
The Bo Hi makes a really nice sound too, which is, as you probably know, a good sign that your cut was straight;
it's been a long time I've practice so I'll have to practice a lot before I hear it often

The Tsuka feels like its plastic or something, not sure; it looks very similar to the PK's one (Practical Katana). As for the Same it's reported as genuine ray skin wraped in Japanese Cotton Ito. As I understand it the skin would be "in" the cotton, as it's definitely cotton that you wrap your hands around (which seems good quality but kind of soft; I just hope it will stay in this condition a long while)
Edit: I've noticed I was wrong with my understanding of Same vs Ito; Actually I mixed up Ito and Same or something along these lines. So yes the Ito is Cotton, the Same feels like plastic but since I don't know how real Same (Rayskin) should feel, I can't confirm this one. Hope it's a bit clearer this way

Mekugi are bamboo and not some other kind of flimsy wood.

Saya is wood laquered to a black piano finish, and the blade fits well in it.
The place where the habaki and saya meet could be a tiny bit tighter but it's acceptable. There's always some bits of woods sticking to the blade when unsheating it though. I'm considering blowing the saya with an air compressor to get rid of them.

Kashira and tsuba are solid brass, looks like handmade, but well made. Accent of gold and silver on the engraving give it a good look (apparently, it's plated gold and silver, not just some "color")

The Ha seems pretty sharp, I haven't put it to test and I probably won't in a while. Let's just say it seems sharper than my brother's PK, but take in consideration he's done some cutting on semi-hard target in the past year.

Polish is mirror-like, except for the Kissaki (Choto-Kissaki) which seems to have been done a bit more quickly. However, this does not alter its beauty

It's about all I can think of right now, if you've got any other questions or whatever, feel free to ask. By the way, I'm not considering to take it apart, yet...

O.