Shinto Katana

R

Rhett

Joined
Jun 17, 1999
Messages
58
Does anybody know anything about the Shinto Katana from CAS Iberia? I saw it for sale on the internet and it looks good, But I'd like someone's opinion who owns one or has handled one.
 
I sell these swords hand made by Paul Chen. I love them. There has been a lot written about them in other forums and some is good and some bad. Some say the edge is too hard. It is a well made sword. For using? I would not hesatate to use this if I knew what I was doing. For the money they can't be beat. BTW one of the highlights of my trip to the Blade Show was meeting Paul Chen. Check out this site. http://www.casiberia.com/sections/oriental/oriental.htm

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Danny Ridenhour
1-888-KnivesRUS
www.888knivesrus.com
Check out our new website!
 
I personally don't own one but I've been researching this sword for sometime.

The Shinto is the best katana in it's price range, period. It's a major step up from the stainless wall hangers, but still lags far from the top end martial arts grade swords that'll cost $1500 and up.

If you got your heart set on a Shinto, make sure you are getting the new version. The new Shinto has a 11" tang, that's 5 inches more than the old. Trouble is they look the same on the outside and has no distinguishing item number from CASI (yet).

You should consider the other 2 swords, the Golden Oriole and the Musashi. I personally don't like the Musashi because it has that leather handle wrap.

I am thinking of getting the Golden Oriole and having the handle professionally shortened (present length is inaccurate), then have it re-wrapped with silk in the color of my choosing. The cotton wrap on these things is not martial arts grade and will fuzz with use.

I would not advise you to get one for martial arts cutting. The word is that QC is streaky. Sometimes the heat-treat is just right, sometimes the sword is brittle, making it unsafe for contact use.

Let me know if you wnat more.
 
I got one last year about this time and I've really enjoyed mine. Polishing is about all mine's used for, as I think any real use would be a detriment to the handle/blade juncture as there's only a traditional bamboo menugi holding the tang inside the handle. As it is, when I swing it I can feel movement at the juncture. Mine's definitely more for display purposes at this time. I did consider making another handle out of oak or micarta for actual use.
 
Prof,

The 3 new swords all have two pegs for redundancy.

Can you tell what wood is the handle made from? I was told it's a weak wood. Yellow Poplar or maple would probably be a good alternative.

If you're going to redo the handle in wood, you might as well get enough ray skin for a full-wrap. Currently there's just two strips. A full-wrap would be more secure.

 
Actually, if I were to rehandle it for cutting purposes, I would do so with one solid material without any type of wrapping; sort of the idea behind the full-tang katanas. Then I'd be able to interchange handles with the provision I can fresh new babmoo menugis that are not worn. I'm thinking more and more about just investing in one of the full-tang stainless deals from CAS. I really don't want to ding up the Shinto in any event. I heard the new ones have two pins, but I really don't think that they are made for cutting purposes still.
 
I've been selling the CAS katanas (and wakazashis) since their introduction. I have sold about 20 of these swords (Shinto, Golden Oriole, and Musashi) and all my customers have been absolutely delighted with them. I consider them to be an exceptionally good value for your dollar. We had only one problem, and that was a Musashi model that had some glue seepage in the saya. CAS's customer service took care of it immediately. Contact usage should not be a problem, however it is a risk with ANY sword. I have seen many original Japanese swords chipped and broken in contact. The skill of the swordsman is an important factor. I would recommend that you seek out an experienced instructor in Kenjutsu to help you hone those skills.

Richard
Owner
Blade Runner Knives

[This message has been edited by namvet67 (edited 01 July 1999).]
 
Anyone interested in a review of these and other swords take a look at swordforum.com- magazine section. I spent hours reading reviews last night.. Very interesting!
 
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