The Official SBG Katana line were my (Paul Southren's) own personal designs, the kind of swords that I would personally want for my first SERIOUS traditional Katana.
Developed from 2008-2010 this product was handed over to Proswords in late 2010 but sadly, despite high demand, the forge making them became a casualty of poor market conditions - and charging such low prices for such an exceptional sword was in the end unsustainable...
As such, this review is presented here to document a bit of SBG history - and while the project was ultimately unsuccessful, it did raise the standard and our experience with it shall be rolled out into future projects to provide the sword community with other truly exceptional swords at the best prices possible.
- Paul Southren
The Torakami
The Flagship of the Official SBG Katana line reviewed
The Torakami or Tiger Spirit Katana has indeed been tested and 'reviewed' on the site
here, it is more of an overview by the editor of the site and designer of the sword itself, and while I try to be as objective about it as possible, naturally some bias is going to creep in whether I want it to or not!
Thus, a second (or even third) opinion review is in order - and that is exactly what this review is, with an overview by one Torakami owner and some cutting tests by another to try and give you the most accurate picture of what this sword is, and what it isn't, as possible.
So with the stage set, let's take another look at the sword that I must admit I am proud to call my own design.
Official SBG Katana: Torakami Review
Review by SBG Forum Member "Rombarumblethorn", Canada
I would like to begin by clearly stating that I have no real life experience with swords; martial or otherwise. My past exposure is limited largely to literature and
online gaming! The closest I have ever come to sword practice would probably be bayonet fighting drills in the battleschool over 20 years ago.
Don't get me wrong, I've always loved swords and martial arts. However, aside from some youthful exploration of unarmed enthusiasms my interest has largely been relegated to occasional window shopping, reading and casual discussion. I am highly unqualified to review swords for anyone, least of all such a passionate community as SBG. Yet, I think both Paul and the Torakami deserve what little I can contribute. If not to entertain then at least on the chance we may catch the eye of a potential inexperienced buyer such as myself. Besides, my friend is an amateur photographer, we had some fun shooting pictures of the Torakami at a nearby beach in Victoria, BC and I really should not let his efforts go unrequited.
My wife and I chose the Torakami (my Christmas present this year!) for several reasons. As newbies reading about the pitfalls of lower priced swords (I realize the Torakami is above the primary target price range of SBG even though it was marked down) we were somewhat disenchanted with the prospect of our first purchase. The friendly yet informative style of SBG went some ways to encouraging us. The owner of said site beginning to establish his reputation as a dealer in the market with such vested interest boded well, as did his guarantee of quality control. We found Paul's conviction combined with the integrity of SBG's community to be a major selling point. The price of SBG's professional line also appeared to be very good by contrast with other offerings on the net.
Finally, as a youth my favorite martial experience came from a Gung Fu Kwoon which used the tiger as a symbol and called itself "Tiger Claw". I still do some of the exercises these days from time to time. Not often enough to be any good, just enough to remind me how bad I am. Yet, enough to enjoy the memory and be a little sentimental. Anyways, on with the sword!
Oh... please forgive the ever present tissue fragments, an unfortunate result of my first sword cleaning. I have since absconded with my friends lens cleaning cloths. Also, my post is more a collection of personal aesthetic impressions than an educated review. Mods please feel free to move me, delete me or warn me from further ramblings, breaches of etiquette, etc. Thank you in advance for your indulgence.
Background and Historical Overview
Unfortunately, I cannot speak accurately to the historical accuracy of the Torakami. However, aside from the "Tiger" theme, I was also attracted to the fundamental shape of the Torakami, technical specifics of Kissaki's and like matters aside. I enjoy the proportion between tsuka and blade and what appears to me to be a balanced curve throughout. Perhaps, I misjudge or my inexperience shows, but for some reason the shape speaks to me of a particular notion I hold for classical katanas. I'm sure in reality there are many and varied appropriate shapes. It does seem that a lot of swords in this price range have longer and straighter tsukas which I find less appealing for some reason.
Er... in contrast, just in case we cut with these swords one day; our recent purchase for my wife is significantly lighter and has a proportionately much longer tsuka which is somewhat tragically (for me) straight. Should we ever get to this point, I shall surely steal her sword for my first cuts. You'll also notice I selected the option for no Bo Hi. I did not know what a Bo Hi was before I visited SBG, but I certainly did not want one to clutter up my marvelous Torakami blade. Yes, I'm sure I need less sword to begin with... no matter!
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
We ordered my Torakami on December 20th and it arrived the 8th of March. Paul emailed us at the time of shipping and kept in touch until the sword landed at our door. Paul's service exceeded our expectations. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the packaging. We were concerned upon delivery as the packaging tube was broken in a few places. Luckily there was no perceivable (to us) damage as the sword was well bubble wrapped and the stars aligned in our favor. It is possible that a small chip in the habaki occurred during shipping, but for us the damage is negligible.
Never having handled a live katana I was unsure of what to expect. My No Hi Torakami feels very solid in hand with significant though comfortable heft.
Statistics
I pulled the statistics from the Torakami's page on SBG:
Blade length: 29"
Handle length: 11"
Overall length: 40"
Blade thickness: 0.3"
Blade width: 1.18"
Weight: 2lb 12oz
Point of Balance: 5.1" from tsuba
T-10 Tungsten Tool Steel
Differentially Hardened with prominent Hamon
I did not weigh my No Hi version. The POB measured from the Tsuba seems to have increased to roughly 6.1".
THE COMPONENTS
THE BLADE
Ahh, the blade.
The blade has what I believe is often described as presence. Our friends hold my wife's new katana and they remark on it's attractiveness and the dangerous looking edge with admiration.
They often hold the Torakami only briefly, with a nervous glance at the blade and an immediate desire to abdicate responsibility for it's potential. My version of the Torakami without Bo Hi seems to balance at just over 6 inches from the tsuba, or around one inch further along than the Bo Hi blade. The hamon undulates rather evenly right to the tip of the blade and is obvious in most light yet strikingly subtle at the same time. I have little to compare it with, but everyone who sees the blade is interested by the hamon.
My wife fears for the potential evisceration of valuable electronic appliances and potential legal action by local pet owners, so my inexperienced hands have yet to cut with the blade.
At a friend's request I drew a piece of paper down the top portion and it sliced easily through. I have little doubt the blade is very sharp straight out of the bubble wrap, duffers beware. I am very impressed with the blade and although I cannot speak to more specific blade qualities, I believe most newly aspiring swordsmen or swordfondlers would be very happy.
THE TSUKA
I find the Tsuka very pleasing. As I mentioned before the Tsuka seems to have an appealing curve in proportion with the blade. It feels like a good size for me (medium hands), the wrap is very tight and the handle along with it's fittings have no play or looseness to them at all. The color in photos of the ito is often misleading. In person the ito appears a darker brown rather than a lighter orange shade. I much prefer the real life color.
I am not planning to disassemble the handle anytime in the near future, so all I can add is everything appears to be very well put together.
THE TSUBA
The tsuba along with the other fittings does a great job of carrying the "Tiger" theme. Everyone who has seen the sword has enjoyed the the detail work. The tsuba is solidly fitted, no rattles and no looseness.
THE FUCHI, KASHIRA AND OTHER FITTINGS
All of the fittings are solidly fixed. The menuki dragons appear well placed, but are perhaps a little inconsistent with the Torakami's theme. We wonder if the small chip shown in the habaki occurred during shipping due to the weak package tube. Originally, not knowing what to expect, the brass fittings on the Torakami were a small point against choosing it for me. I had thought iron would be a safer bet. I need not have worried. The brass fittings on the Torakami are quite solid and appear very durable. Overall, we're very pleased with the quality of the fittings.
THE SAYA
One of the few areas where costs seem to have been cut on the Torakami is the Saya. For me this is a good thing and what I had hoped for. The sageo wrap came fairly loosely attached and the saya's presentation appears plain by contrast with the sword, but still well constructed. My Torakami fits very snugly and without any rattle. To draw smoothly the tsuba requires a preemptive nudge with the thumb. The sword stays firmly in the saya even when the saya is turned upside down and given a brief but firm shake. Yeah, that makes me nervous and was only done for this review. No pictures, alas.
HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS
This is the first Katana I have ever held. Now that my wife has received hers I have held... two! By contrast with my wife's sword the Torakami is much heavier and the POB is more advanced down the blade.
Paul did remark before that the Torakami had originally been designed with the Bo Hi in order to preserve the balance of the sword as a whole. At that time it remained in question as to whether or not a No Hi version would be offered. I was very happy when the No Hi Torakami came up for sale. I chose the No Hi Torakami based primarily on personal aesthetic preference. I did want a solid and reliable weapon that could one day be called upon to cut well. I was not looking for a forms display piece or for an Iaido practice sword. If the day comes in which I need one of those I'm sure suggestions will also be at hand. For my purpose I think the No Hi Torakami will do very well. It would be worth noting that this version of the Torakami probably suits a stronger user in terms of handling. I would not be the least bit surprised to find that some MA instructors may consider the No Hi Torakami a bit blade heavy for their average students, at least for the purpose of learning techniques and forms. From experience I can only say that the No Hi Torakami is far quicker in the hand than a FNC1 rifle with bayonet fixed.
TEST CUTTING
I did not perform any test cutting. Paul's reviews on the home page contain tests on the Bo Hi Torakami. If these are any indication (admittedly by the seller) then I suspect the No Hi version will cut as well. For what it's worth; at a friends request I did draw a slack sheet of paper along the blade beginning near the tip and it cut easily.
ADDITIONAL (INDEPENDENT) TEST CUTTING RESULTS
EDITORS PREFACE: While I did indeed subject the Torakami to a heck of a lot of test cutting before it was made available to the sword community at large, as the author of this review did not really use it for cutting himself, here's some results from a HKD instructor and forum member "Chiburi" who certainly does!
Rolled up 7 mats and cut through them today with (initially) a kesa (see video link - not sure how to embed it). Gotta love the Torakami - it took some good effort to get through 7 mats, but it felt really good using this sword.
7 mats rolled up is ridiculously heavy - quite surprised by that! It was so big, it didn't really fit very well on the stand, you can see it leaning to the side.
Alas, I had to use a garbage can for this one, as my wife was tired of me soaking the mats in the bathtub. The garbage can wasn't big enough to soak the entire mat, so you'll notice the bottom is pretty dry.
Quite a bit of fun. On one pic, the sun was shining a bit too much, so you can't see the total "depth of the cut," but it was 15" total. Pretty happy with the angles of the cuts - hope you enjoy!
Click here for the video (link opens in a new window)
After cutting the rolled up mats, to see what the SBG Torakami would do to a 1" oak dowel. thought it would be a good "destructive" test for the blade. Alas, nothing happened (thank goodness). It cut right through it. I can't believe this blade!! Not a mark on the blade (other than some wood) which easily came off. Kudos Paul!
CONCLUSIONS
We're very happy with the Torakami as is. The packaging does need to be improved and the menuki could follow the tiger theme better. However, we are very glad to have purchased the Torakami for such a reasonable amount and these minor shortcomings are more than acceptable to us with that in mind. We would not hesitate to purchase another sword from SBG. Aside from weak packaging shipping went very well and Paul was in touch of his own accord throughout the process.
Pros
- Great service and guarantee of quality control
- Newb friendly buying experience
- Attractive theme with good presentation
- Beautiful blade with nice Hamon
Cons
- Package tube broken in several places upon delivery - possible minor damage to sword.
- Saya construction plain, fittings made primarily of the saya wood I think.
The Bottom Line
I would recommend the Torakami along with SBG's "Professional Grade" line of katanas to anyone who was looking for the same things out of their sword that I was. The Torakami offers a modern interpretation of a nicely presented artistic theme combined with a very solidly functional sword at a good value. The professional grade SBG katanas should offer similarly solid construction and function while allowing for some personal customization. Especially for inexperienced buyers looking for something a little different in the right price range, or even just peace of mind, I would suggest considering SBG first.
WHERE TO BUY
As explained in the intro to this archived review initially the official SBG Katana line were sold direct at the SBG Sword Store but were handed over to Proswords.com in late 2010. In late 2010 it became apparent that the forge behind them was experiencing difficulties and now it appears that the forge is out of business..
Sad indeed, but we learned a lot from this project. And if you were one of the lucky few to have purchased one of these when you had the chance, now you know how lucky you really were..!
I hope this review of the Torakami Katana has been helpful. To return to A Beginners Guide to Authentic Japanese Swords from The Torakami, click here
