Musashi's Hand Made SwordsWhen it comes to value for money, I have found the hand made swords by Musashi Swords to be some of the best pieces out there in the sub US$100 mark. But extremely cheap yet functional ‘Budget’ swords are not the only string to their bow. They also have another range of blades that are priced at what you might call the middle level for entry grade cutting Katana in the US$150 to $200 range.
These 1060 carbon steel hand made swords are custom made for Musashi swords at the forge of the legendary Sword Smith, Chris Zhou from the Zheng Wu Knife and Sword Company (whose custom Katana typically retail for at least US$2000 and up).
And I had even heard rumours that these swords were very similar, only custom made in quantities exclusively for Musashi swords...
Not to mention a post here on the esteemed Sword Forum International which suggested that it was on par with the US$500 Furuyama Falcoln Katana (at least, performance and handling wise - if not anywhere near as attractive)...
So needless to say, being a big fan of fully functional hand made swords, I was intrigued...
In this review, I will be taking a close look and testing out one of their permormance series Katana to see if they represent the same level of value as their budget range. And while going into this review I was highly doubtful they will be able to keep the same value to money ratio as seen in their $59 budget Katana, well - read on and make up your own mind...
Musashi Swords Wind Katana
Perhaps in some ways, these high expectations made it difficult for me to be subjective in my review.
But when that much anticipated long rectangular box arrived at my doorstep, I admit to being both excited by the possibilities and yet also a little sceptical...
The packaging of their mid level hand made swords certainly does create a good first impression. Unlike the $59 Wind Dragon – which just came in a plain cardboard box, the Wind Katana was neatly packed inside a double latched, navy blue display case featuring white dragon embellishments. And upon opening the latches, I have to say that this is without a doubt the most beautifully presented package I have seen for ANY sword under the US$300 price point - period!
From the way it had been designed a little wider to neatly and safely seat the bonus cleaning kit, to the envelope containing an informational card giving the swords ‘vital statistics’, these hand made swords were presented in a very classy way. Even the silky blue sword bag came with an inner lining of the same orangey gold material that graced the inside of the box. But all this made me wonder... Because while for a $179 Katana the packaging was wildly beyond my expectations, I couldn’t help but think as I unravelled the blue fastening cord of the sword bag, just how much of this presentation was at the expense of the actual sword inside... Well, one way or another, I was about to find out.
When I opened the bag and had my first look at the sword, I actually felt it was a bit of an anticlimax...
Now I am probably being a bit too harsh here. After all, these hand forged swords are honestly marketed as ‘designed for practical functionality and simplicity in mind’. But at first I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was that made this Katana look just a little – dull... It wasn’t really the black cord ito wrap – which was extremely tight and evenly wrapped, if the texture was a little 'synthetic' feeling.
And it wasn’t the authentic ray skin wrap, which was even with nice sized nodules and not a hint of the wooden core peeking through the sides.
And it certainly wasn’t the golden horse menuki, which were extremely attractive. I got it! It was the tsuba! "...I REALLY didn’t like that tsuba...!" Supposedly iron, closer examination revealed it actually appears to be black powder coated copper. While this is not in itself bad, it was so dark that the pattern of Japanese waves and two birds on the wing was kind of muddled and hard to make out.
Deciding to liven it up a little was actually quite easy though - by simply scuffing away the top layers of powder coating with some fine grit abrasive paper - and the image you see to the right is the result of a about 2 mins of light scrubbing, which in my opinion is a great improvement over the dull powder coated black...
I kind of wondered why they hadn’t done this at the forge, as it looked much better with the highlighted copper edges against the black background. "But aesthetics aside for a moment, there was one final thing that caused me some initial concern..." And that was the fact that this hand forged swords handle was attached to the nagako (tang) by only one bamboo mekugi peg... Now in itself, this is no big issue. Indeed 90% of all high end authentic Japanese swords only have one peg. And it did provide me some comfort to find it was a bamboo peg instead of the cheap (and unsafe) wood used in so many other production blades. But it is generally preferable that a production sword under the $300 price point have an extra peg for security, as the friction fit of the tsuka was often not what it should be, especially on swords that sold for under $200. So naturally, I had to 'pop the hood' and check that it was all in order before proceeding. Using the mekugi-nuke brass hammer supplied in the cleaning kit (which, incidentally, had in it one of the nicest white powder balls I have seen!) – the peg came out easily and I proceeded to carefully loosen the hilt by gently and alternatively tapping on each sides of the tsuba with a small rubber mallett.
In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have been too suprised here as I don't think it was a fluke. After all, the forge where these hand made swords are created generally only does custom work, and these swords are custom made to Musashi's specifications.
But at the time, I was quite amazed at how good the friction fit actually was! Indeed, everything was far beyond my expectations.
The tsuka core was strong looking and without any hairline fractures or faults. Indeed even the habaki, which is on most other production swords so jammed on that it is impossible to remove, seemed to have been perfectly custom fitted to the blade! I was literally blown away!
These hand made swords were created with a precision that demonstrated that Chris Zhou does not lend his good name to any product, regardless of the price, lightly.
But it just kept getting better and better... Indeed - the CARE with which these hand made swords were subject to became even more apparent when the blade was unsheathed from the saya. The saya had such a fit that holding it upside down would not release it, yet it could be so easily drawn that I actually checked to see if they had cheated and it was held in place by a magnet(even my wife commented on this!)...
Anyway, enough about the fittings - marvellously crafted as they may be. It was time to get down to the business end!
THE BLADE These 1060 carbon steel hand made swords are not differentially hardened – so therefore any hamon seen has to be purely cosmetic – as it is on all monosteel Katana. Yet when I first saw it I had to do a double take... "I’ve NEVER seen such a subtle and attractive 'pseudo' hamon!"
These pics simply don’t do it justice.It certainly isn't like the standard ‘just sitting there staring at you’ fake hamon you see on every other monosteel sword. It was done in such a way that as I angled the blade it faded in and out of existence. And it was only by extremely close observation with a magnifying glass that I was able to make out some very (very) fine ines from the wire brush that created it – truly a masterful job! After getting over the shock of the beautiful hamon, I took in the rest of this hand made swords twenty nine and a half inch blade and was struck by its overall amazing standard of craftsmanship.
The only thing that made it anything less than perfect where a series of small scratches here and there. But naturally enough, since this was to be a cutter and not a sit on the shelf display piece, it would no doubt get a few more over the years. Now of course, there is one more important thing to tell you – and that is the sharpness of this hand made swords edge... It was evenly honed and frighteningly sharp! Just touching it with my fingertip made it obvious that the polisher of these hand made swords had made giving it the proper geometry and sharpness a very high priority! A quick paper cutting test confirmed that it didn’t just feel sharp, but that it also sliced effortlessly – and I was getting excited about putting this hand made sword to the test. Overall, this blade was one of the best I had seen. And a flex test revealed that it had been beautifully tempered (the official paperwork that accompanies it says to a Rockwell Hardness of 57), able to bend up to 45 degrees and return to true without any deformation of the blade!
Truly amazing. But the best was yet to come...
My favourite part of any review is always the cutting. And I had a feeling that this sword was not going to disappoint. The first target, a humble cardboard box, fell evenly into two pieces from a swift diagonal cut – with swift being the operative word. I neglected to mention it earlier, so impressed with this hand made swords construction and attention to detail. But at 2.56 lbs and a point of balance 5.9” from the tsuba, this sword has been designed for speed and precision – each strike causing the bo-hi (fuller) to emit a very satisfying and audible Tachi Kaze whoosh as it sliced the air. Anyway, for my next test I decided to confirm its cutting ability was up to scratch with a water filled buddy bottle sized soda container... ...And what was supposed to be a simple test actually yielded a very important lesson about how nicely tempered this hand made swords blade really was... Now normally, a buddy bottle is a good test of a swords cutting ability. If the blade is not sharp enough or has the wrong geometry, the pressure inside will cause it to be batted away. But my problem was I misjudged my cut by a few centimetres – and instead of hitting the body, I struck the extra thick hard lip of the cap...
Now in traditional hand made swords like a Katana, hard plastic like this can actually cause chipping - especially at a Rockwell Hardness factor of 57 like this one. But, as a testament to this blades heat treatment and construction, it went through the cap and the thick lip without breaking a sweat – leaving no marks or chipping of any kind on the blade, and slicing the lip cleanly as if it wasn't even there.
Impressed by not only its cutting ability, but also by its edge durability, it was time to move on to the next test. And since it had performed so well, I thought that a little water filled plastic milk container action was in order... Lining up 8 bottles end to end on a wooden table, I lined up the blade and let fly...
As you can see, my aim was a little low – but the sword passed through each target without losing any speed whatsoever, splashing water everywhere from the low cut and making me I turn my head in case I got a face full of it!This hand made swords cutting ability was really starting to impress – with each cut so far just passing through whatever was in front of it without registering!
The time had come to use it on some more traditional targets. And what could be more traditional and deserving of a hand made swords blade than soaked tatami mats wrapped around a core of bamboo?
Going into the test, I was confident, even quite excited. And indeed – it did not disappoint, with the first cut slicing right through the mat, the bamboo core and out the other side ever so cleanly and with an absolute minimum of effort. A couple more cuts, and despite some bad form – including a scooping rising cut (I was definitely having an off day with my cutting), the blade cut with the precision of a surgeons scalpel, following the angles I provided for it and really highlighting my bad cutting technique...
There was little doubt that this fast and well balanced sword was also deadly effective and eminently functional.
While this hand made swords fittings may be a little plain, the old saying of never judging a book by its cover could not be more appropriate.
With a razor sharp, perfectly tempered and breath-takingly beautiful 1060 carbon steel blade, excellent handling and some of the most functional and precisely crafted fittings – it was clear that the folk at Chris Zhou’s forge who created this line of hand made swords definitely paid VERY close attention to the details. And while at first, I had my doubts, in the end this sword proved itself to be worth every penny - and then some... This sword is seriously underpriced. Indeed, even at $299.99 it would still be worthwhile. But it is available for nearly HALF this price...
WHERE TO BUY The Wind Katana retails directly from the official distributor for $229.99, which even at this price is still a very reasonable deal for hand made swords like this.
However, the most reliable place for both exceptional customer service and the very best price on the internet is here at True Swords.com where you can get these hand made swords for just US$179.99 (Update: NOW US$159.99 - Plus they have also improved the tsuba, click on the link for pics!!!)
I hope this review on Musashi's Hand made swords has been helpful. To return to A Beginners Guide to Authentic Japanese Swords, from Musashi's Hand Made Swords, click here
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Having been so impressed with Musashi Swords’ 
The target I created was made from a thick length of tough river cane and a half mat of premium grade Mugen Dachi tatami omote with the diameter and overall consistency, so I am told, of a human wrist...
