What's your take on the Bugei Trading Shobu?

ERdept

ERdept

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May 17, 2005
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I've always wanted a Katana since I was a kid and on a whim while looking at their site. I made a call and asked them what their most robust blade was. The answer was either the Samurai model or the Shobu, the latter being of older origin and different design with more curvature to the tip.

Anyway, the rep said they were good cutters. So I went and bought the Shobu. I won't cut anything with it, but wanted a quality, robust sword to pull out every now and again, admire, show friends, then occassionally slice a 1/2 in limb from a tree just for kicks.

cliff
 
Well... it should be able to handle a 1/2 inch tree limb.. assuming decent cutting technique. Just don't expect it to fare amazingly... axes are better :D.
Ahem... now that my obligatory and oh-so-boring comment is over:
SFI search on "Bugei, Shobu, review"
It has a good amount of blade presence..
 
Thanks for the link. Very interesting and glad to know that the more primitive style of blade that I bought is very robust in nature. If I do cut something, as I am an amateur, I know that my cutting technique will be poor and don't want to damage a lighter and more expensive Bugei product.

Thanks again,

cliff
 
Why not just use an axe or a kukri if you are going after tree limbs? Why take the risk of damaging a several hundred dollar sword on a tree? Just because its a robust blade does not make it impervious to damage (and trees can be very hard on swords), it will be a good way of getting it chipped or bending it. The fittings will also become loose very quickly.

But I can't stop you..just don't get anyone else hurt..
 
I did it because this is America, and I decided that I wanted to. BUT, I do understand what you are telling me. I just did it 2 times actually, but according to Bugei Trading, all their swords, but especially the Shobu and Samurai models are the most robust and actually meant for Tameshigiri. Which is cutting rolls of tatami mats. But these mats sometimes have a 1 inch square pole that the swords chop through incidentally. Each sword it tested this way.

And, as I've said, I don't do it often, just for kicks every now and again. It's like having a Ferrari, cleaning it collecting and preserving it, but every now and then taking it to redline once or twice a years around a few blocks the down 1-2 exits of the freeway. Every now and again to make use of my pride in ownership and use. Or driving your Mopar Roadrunner with it's built 440, roller rockers, high rise manifold and purple cam, to the track every few months.

Then I drive my regular car to work, it can get door dings, I don't wash it, and it's paid for. I can then use my machette for soft plants and my Gransfors Brucks axe to really chop, IF I really wanted to chop a pile of wood. But no, I'm doing something the sword is entirely capable of rarely just for my personal pleasure.

If I wanted a pile of wood, I'd probably buy it from the lumber store. If I needed to make a pile of wood from trees, my chainsaw first, then limb the tree with it, than cut into log sections, then take the logs and split them with an axe or a maul. No sword necessary

cliff
 
ERdept said:
According to Bugei Trading, all their swords, but especially the Shobu and Samurai models are the most robust and actually meant for Tameshigiri. Which is cutting rolls of tatami mats. But these mats sometimes have a 1 inch square pole that the swords chop through incidentally. Each sword it tested this way.
Click to expand...

True that the Samurai and the Shobu (as well as their other swords) can handle tameshigiri (and most will handle the dowl rod in the middle) however it is done be people who have been trained, miss alignment of the edge or poor form and the sword could very well chip or bend. Just becasue James Williams or Big Tony are able cut tameshigiri with a dowl in it does not mean that anyone who picks up a Bugei sword can do the same.

But its your money, do what you please.
 
Exactly, as stated earlier, I do this rarely and am an amateur, therfore I chose the most robust sword, the Shobu, in order to be less susceptable to my amateurish attempts at cutting.

I concur. Oh and focus on post #5 above.
 
I'm not 100% sure about this cutting of the pole.

I have built a stand for cutting such rolled up mats in my Kendo class and I didn't have any photos to go by, but from what I was told, the pole in the middle of the mat is just to hold the mat standing up to be cut.

My design had the pole not set so high as to get cut.
My design idea was that cutting the wooden center pole would be an error as this would likely cause a blade chip.
Remember katana were designed to cut flesh, perhaps a bit of leather armor too, but mostly flesh. Flesh is a soft target.

The sharpened cutting edge of a katana is important, but way more important is the cutting action of the person with the sword.
You don't just 'hit" the target!....You "cut" the target.
Thats the movement of the sword into the target, a 'cutting' movement, not a simple strike.
 
Some people like to put things inside of the tameshigiri, like green bamboo or dowl rods in order to simulate bone (never really got how hard wood simulats living bone..).

But most tameshigiri is done with just the mats stuck on the stand, and yes hitting the rod that is keeping them on the stand would be a mistake.


I still think its a bad idea to use a sword againt a tree, but its his money.
 
I think so too...
Tameshigiri is meant to represent real flesh cutting.

If you want to see how your sword would do in such cutting, then I would not be useing it to cut brush around the house.

However, if you got your sword in the first place to cut whatever target you got, then you got to also understand the way the Katana was designed to be used.

The design is for 'cutting" not chopping.

As you bring the sword into movement, your intent is to 'cut" whatever you are aiming at.

The katana was not really designed to chop as in machete chopping.

To sharpen a Katana you have to know what you are doing. Thats why so many Katana's are hidden in the backs of closets and under junk. People who spend a lot of money for a good katana , yet who dont know much about them, misunderstand the failure of chop something clean as it not being sharp enough. This leads them to attempt to sharpen the sword themselves.

You can ruin a good katana in seconds if you attempt to sharpen it yourself most of the time.

But a wood chopping machete can be sharpened in a few seconds with a file and little experience.

the correct tool for the job..
 
Thanks guys! Goodbye. Focus on post #5. Keep focusing on post #5.

Thanks for the link to the Bugei trading forum. That was the most most helpfull reply. A Machete is not for chopping wood. As you say, the right tool for the job. Re read post #5. Buy firewood. If if have to cut lots of timber, I ...Re re-read post 5. If I need to chop trees... re-read post 5. If I want to cut soft plants, like cactus or brush, re read post 5 for the answer.

cliff
 
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