Our custom katana project is live ! Unlimited options and fast delivery.
After months of dealing with a lot of problems (may they rest in piece) we finally got some good things coming out of the box. In case you didn’t noticed it yet, we now have the “customize your own katana” project up and running !
A short description of how this thing is working. You can go to here and start to design your own katana by choosing all of the components you like to see on your dream sword. There are over 20 different option boxes there that have multiple choices. Not sure how many actual combinations that you can make there..let me know once somebody figured it out ..
So you start with choosing the components (if you click the catalog, a pop up window will appear with pictures of most of the components) and you will see instantly how much your dream katana will cost.
So once you got it ready, just proceed with the checkout process as usual. And no you won’t be billed yet 
After we received your request, we do send it to the forge and they will make a drawing of the blade with all of the specific measurements you gave us in order to give you a better understanding of how the blade will look like.
Later on we’re planning to provide you with a full drawing of your katana, including tsuka, fittings, saya, etc but that’s another story and need lot of work to achieve that.
So only after you saw the actual drawing and you agree with the specs, we will ask you for a 50% pre payment so the forge can go ahead and start forging your sword. During the whole process, pictures will be taken and send to you so you can see the progress of it.
Once the sword is ready, it will be send to our warehouse where we will personally inspect & compare the katana with the exact specifications you gave us (and confirm to you of course) once more just to play the game safe. If all is ok, we will ask you for the other 50% of your creation and ship it out.
The delivery time for a custom order is around 50-60 days which is quite fast..and we’re taking orders from all over the world so this service is not limited to European countries only !
However, if you feel that the different options we offer are not enough to create your own unique katana, we have another solution
Send us your request, together with exact measurements and pictures if you have from (other) sample katanas and the forge will once more work it out for you. There are almost no limitations in this process and I’m sure we’re about the only ones in the sword world who are offering such a customization service at that price level !
In case you like to add some more value, we do have good connections with Japanese companies who can look for antique or new super duper high quality fittings to mount you sword !
No need to tell you I’m really excited about this custom thing and it took us nearly 2 years to find a forge who had the right knowledge & skills (and was prepared) to support us. I’m planning to go to the forge again somewhere next year and I promise you to come back with lot of video’s & interviews !
Besides that good news, the forge did start working on a new order for our standard line and we hope to receive them before end of the year or beginning next year..not to make you too curious but there might be some unannounced surprises in that delivery
A little note about the folded blades Konron is offering, you can find a pic here of how they make their own steel (tamahagane) to forge these folded blades which does have a kobuse lamination by the way !
Konron’s 9260 Quality Katana, a review with video
9260 Konron Forge Katana - 2e Generation REVIEW
review by Serge Winckelmans
This summer I was on vacation in Spain. Been there, my eye felt down to a ornamental katana set, and I bought it. Once I came back in Belgium I searched the web for a real katana and I found a site (in Belgium) who would deliver me a real (low budget) katana. When I saw the testings of this katana, my mind was sold to swords in general.
The next thing I did was ordering a KONRON 9260 katana at samoerai sword shop (dot com). A few days later I found a site on the internet which claims helping people finding decent swords for a reasonable price, this site was sword buyers guide. From that moment on I learned a lot of things about swords and what they can do. I own a few swords now so I can see the difference between the different suppliers. All I can say is that this katana is a decent backyard-cutting sword with nice fittings. The review will tell you the rest.
The katana is through hardened, which means that the traditional clay process wasn’t used so you won’t find a hamon on this blade. This katana is great for frequent cutting exercises (tameshigiri) . Cutting multiple rolls of beach mats or Tatami omote , goza, or even bamboo and other medium hard targets are no problem for this sword (see later in this review). This katana doesn’t has a real hamon but on the other hand it uses real Japanese fittings, Japanese cotton ito, signature on tang and a unique serial number. Dry handling of the blade revealed that it is quick and light, the fittings seemed at first glance to be tight and well placed. I’ll get into details later on.
DESIGN, FIT and FINISH
The Blade
A deep bo-hi runs the length of this curved blade. The blade came sharp. No Hamon.
The kissaki is well defined and attractive, coming to a razor sharp point that would be useful for stabbing. More on the blade when we get to the cutting tests.
The Tsuka
The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin and wrapped with real Japanese cotton ito. The fuchi is a beautiful flower pattern which is gold plated painted.
The menuki are real Japanese gold plated fittings. As you can see, the rayskin is very attractive.
The Kashira
Has a beautiful flower patern, which is subtile gold plated painted. No plastic fittings!
The Tsuba
This is the Japanese “sunburst” design. This is a classic known tsuba but still a beauty on each kind of katana.
The Saya
Black lacquered wood, no scratches, no defects. Not much else to add there, it looks really good.
The sageo is a high quality, thick cord and very tightly wrapped.
A nice touch is the golden colored shitidome, which gives the saya that dash of color and character.
The Konron katana fits very well in the saya. I prefer to have a snug fit and not have the katana fall out if turned upside down. I feel this is safer. One thing I noticed is that the koiguchi (saya opening) is completely lacquered like the saya.
TESTING
I first tested the sword on plastic bottles (different kinds) filled with water.
Then I hung up a bottle on a cord
As you can see, NICE clean cuts!
On the last one I used a tatami mat.
My last touch against the tatami mat.
And again, nice clean cuts. This katana is a real bone-breaker.
5 minutes of pleasure….
CONCLUSION
Is the Konron a decent cutter? Of course it is! The Konron katana seems to be a very well built beautiful looking sword. As it is a weapon, functionality is as important, if not more important, than aesthetics. The Konron 9260 katana definitely does not disappoint in the functionality category.
THE VERDICT
Historical Accuracy: N/A
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Handling: 5/5
Structural Integrity: 5/5
Value for Money: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5 (Excellent)
Battle ready katanas, next in line is the Kiku Katana.
Introduction
Recently I tested the Kiku Katana. The version I’ve got is without bo-hi.
I will start with this review with the looks, fit and finish of this katana. Then I’ll tell you
what kind of tests I performed with it, and my conclusions about the Kiku katana.
The Looks
The Kiku is delivered in a blue sword bag, which is suitable for full Koshirae ( the katana fully equipped with tsuba etc. )
The first thing which strikes me when I see this Kiku katana is the sori ( the curvature of the blade ). Even with the blade in the saya it is obvious that this katana is unlike the average katana. The sori is prominent and gives it quite a different look ( and feel, but that is for later in this review ).
The Kiku katana in his saya.
The katana has a tight fit is his saya and doesn’t rattle. It all feels very sturdy. The saya is painted in shining black. The paint work is tight and can withstand some abuse.
The sageo is nicely wrapped and is made of woven cotton. The ito is tightly wrapped on the tsuka and it’s made of imported Japanese cotton. The same is of real ray skin. The menuki is a koi Carp. The fuchi is simple but has a good finish. The tsuba resembles a “water theme”
The menuki. Fuchi, seppa and tsuba.
The tsuka is attached to the nakago with two mekugi. The entire tsuka etc. can be dismounted for maintenance of the katana.
The blade has a fine polish, and its yokote is clearly visible. The Kissaki is nicely shaped.
As the katana is thru-hardened there is no hamon line present.
Yokote and Kissaki. The Kiku katana in full.
The Specifications:
Total length : 103,5 cm
Tsuka : 27,5 cm
Nagasa : 75,5 cm
Thickness tsuba : 0,5 cm
Point of balance : 14,0 cm van de tsuba
Steel : 1060 spring steel
The Tests
Of course I’ve tested this katana. For this testing I’ve done several cutting tests.
For starters I have been cutting some paper. Just to see how sharp the edge would be.
This was no problem for the katana. To make it more of a challenge I’ve tried to cut
some pieces from a telephone book. This is also quite easy to do. After this I tried to
cut the telephone book in two with a single blow. It worked, but because of the sori
I couldn’t cut entirely through the length of it. Just half an inch stays together.
Cutting paper is easy. Even a telephone book isn’t a match for the Kiku katana.
I also tried the katana on some bottles, including a double cut on two bottles on top of each other. The Kiku is quick and manoeuvrable enough for this kind of action. A container from the orange juice is so nicely cut with the first stroke, that the top stays on while cutting it a second time. This shows U how sharp the Kiku katana really is.
The telephone book, cut in pieces. Second slash through the container, the
top stays on.
For my last two tests I first take a rubber boot and stick a hard plastic bottle in it. The katana
slices through this without any delay. Than I got an old sneaker which I tried to cut in two.
The Kiku gets through this as if it wasn’t there. But again I made a mistake with the sori of this katana. Because of this the last centimetre of the sneaker stays together.
You can watch al those tests here :
Conclusion:
This Kiku katana is a nicely finished katana. Suitable for dojo exercise but also for many fun filled hours of backyard tameshigiri.
I really had to get used to the sori of this katana, as it is much more prominent then with any other katana I owned. But once you get used to it, it cuts like a hot knife through butter.
It’s definitely worth its money.
Hans
The Japanese Katana, historical background info
The Japanese Katana (aka Samurai swords) has been in existence for thousands of years and is a heavy part of the Japanese culture. It’s existence has been known to display honor, and its service has continued with reverence and respect for this weapon. Coupled with the use of martial arts has branded the sword to be the ultimate fighting weapon.
War played a major part in Japan’s history and the people were always developing new types of effectively weapons, and protection armor. Their early weapons mainly consisted of bows, arrows, and swords, along with protective helmets and whole body armor and this helped to reduce the amount of injuries and fatalities throughout the wars they endured. Japan’s history spans back to thousands of years. The history of the emergence of the Samurai sword during the war battles for land that was between three tribes such as the Minamoto, Taira and Fujiwara during the 9th and 12th centuries A,D.
The Samurai people were known for their expert fighting skills through being able to fight while riding on horseback and on the ground. It was found that they practiced their battle strategies in an armed and unarmed practice scenarios. They focused on fighting using a bows and arrows with good precision in aiming and meeting the target. Throughout the 12th and 13th century they began to focus more on using swords to fight instead of using the traditional bow and arrow battle equipment such as the the spears and a weapon called the naginata. The use of the swords allowed for the knights to fight in close combat. The creation of the Samurai swords were during the period of 11th to the 13th centuries and in this time and age are priceless collectibles.
The Samurai people carried two types of swords which are the diasho, a shorter kind of sword that is between 12 to 24 inches in length and the other is a daito-katana sword which is a longer sword and measured more in 24 inches in length.
The Samurai people named their weapons as they felt that it embodied a soul of being warrior.
The Samurai sword is designed with an intent to be a sharper and tougher sword and has a curved blade. It is made with a combination of iron and carbon metals. The swordsmith focuses on using hammers, along with fire and water in order to shape the sword into the proper needed shape. The sword’s strength and sharpness is able to cut through all bones of the body. It easily became the most popular sword to use during on foot battle.
The Samurai people were known to be well respected warriors in ancient Japanese culture. The Samurai swords were a part of their wardrobe and in many ways were expected to wear it wherever they went. It was not only considered a weapon but also is related to the symbol of pride, and honor. The swordsmiths or blacksmiths were those that fit of noble standards and high class standing because they crafted these powerful swords that were the essential importance of the Samurai warriors.
Japan’s ancient history of the Samurai sword shows how the warriors were very much spiritually connected to their weapons and became one with their swords while fighting in the war battles.
