Masahiro White Shadow Katana

by Steve
(Ocala, Florida)

QUESTION: I've been wondering about this sword. It's made by Masahiro which in my opinion makes buying it a gamble, but has had many good reviews on a few of the sites I've seen selling it. I've seen it for $150 on Kult of Athena, which refers to it as the White Ronin katana, but for only $110 on Swords of Might. I was wondering if you think it would be a good idea to buy one and if you think it would me moderately functional, or a really expensive wall hanger?

ANSWER: Hi Steve,

Personally, I am not the biggest fan of Masahiro as their QC is all over the map and there really is no one beyond the retailer to contact if there is a problem.

Some people swear by their swords, others - swear at them. My own take on it is that for the same money, there are better choices out there available - the Cheness Ichi Maru comes to mind - and for just a little more you could have a piece like the Wind Katana by Musashi...

Naturally though, these swords don't look the same as the White Shadow - so if it comes down to it that you are buying it for appearance only and for display purposes, nothing else much matters. But if it for performance - personally, I'd look elsewhere.

Hope this helps.

- Paul