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)

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

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.

If you are also armed with a knife, the first thing you need to do is get it in your hand in the proper grip. A proper knife grip should be a powerful one that you can stab and slice without a chance of losing your weapon. I prefer the knife pointing toward you opponent with your thumb over your fingers, like making a fist or a baseball bat grip. With this grip you can stab and slice with power and without loosing your grip on the knife.

Your stance is also very important; a solid stance that you can move from is best. If you have your feet shoulder width apart you can move forward, sideways, and backwards. This way you are not limited in your movement. You can dodge and strike your opponent when the opportunity arises. Your knife hand should be the front hand. This way your weapon is closer to your opponent, so you can use your knife to block and strike. Do you stand facing your opponent or turned sideways? This should depend on your distance from your opponent. If you are far enough away that they cannot reach you then the open stance is ok. If you are close, you will have to turn to the side to protect your vital organs and get in a better positon to thrust forward with your weapon.

You must practice your knife proficiency with a knife by using practice knives (plastic, wood, or metal dull knives) on dummies or a willing partner. Make sure you use eye protection and make some rules if you are using a partner. Practice blocking, stabbing and slicing. Your targets are neck, chest, and abdomen; these are the vital spots that can cause death. You should also practice targeting the inner arms and back of legs, these spots can incapacitate an opponent by cutting tendons and rendering the limb useless.

Knife use law is complicated, if you use a knife in a fight you must be justified in using a deadly weapon. In our great country we enjoy freedom with laws that protect the innocent, but it is your responsibility to know these laws and follow them. If you use your knife to protect yourself in a deadly confrontation you will have to justify this to the court, so be prepared by researching the laws in your area.

Your knife is a tool, and like any tool should be taken care of so it will work when needed. The old saying “A sharp knife is a safe knife” is so true. Here is a new saying “ A person that is prepared for the fight, will win”. This also rings true.

This article was written by Jeff Gaastra, a martial arts school owner and instructor since 1981. Jeff has a family owned knife store that you can purchase all major brands of quality knives. www.KnifeDealsPlus.com 800-867-7496 Article by Copyright © Jeff Gaastra, Reprint permission granted with this footer included.

When looking for some pictures today in our archive,  I realized that over de years we collected  a few 1000 high resolution pictures of katanas  and other samurai related stuff such as armors, kabuto&mempo, different sword parts, etc. While strolling through them, I did found some very nice ones that ..hell I even didn’t know they were still here

So I came up with the idea to make some of them available to the public ..

So if you need a nice desktop paper (wallpaper) perhaps you can find it here. Now, I can’t put all of them here in just 1 day so I will add new one’s on a regular base. To save to your desktop, click on the format you need. That will take you to the actual size of the picture. Go with your mouse over the picture and right click. You will see ’set as wallpaper’ or ’set as background’…click and you’re done…

If you have any requests, just let me know !

Here are the first ones :

 
1024×768 Download
1440×900 Download

1024×768 Download
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1024×768 Download
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1024×768 Download
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1024×768 Download
1440×900 Download

The most important thing to mention here is the fact that the new 9260 Konron swords are ready. If all goes well, which is dangerous to say, they will leave the forge this week or next week. The problem we face at the moment are the damn Olympics. The security in China is on red alert now and no transportation company is allowed to transport swords within the whole country. So that’s a major problem that can still take a while after the Olympics.

Now…we are having a very close relationship with Konron and the owner will take the whole order and drive them to the airport himself. Not a big deal you think….it’s a 8-10hour drive to the airport and 8-10 back so…

We don’t have very good pics yet of the new swords but here are some of them..’straight out of the box, not edited’

So what will be different with the previous generations ? First of all, as mentioned before, they are mounted with imported Japanese Fittings , better ito and signed on the tang. But that’s not all, we do have a little extra for you : There will be different tsuba designs available. I’m not quit sure about how many we speak here but expect 3-5 different designs to choose. And if they’re done their job at the forge (which is sometimes hard to predict) both the hi and non hi version will be available in 2 lengths…but don’t take my word on it for now.

Since there are a lot of updates on the 9260, we won’t be able to maintain the original price of 175 euro. So the new price will be 220 euro, which is (taking all of the updates in consideration) still a bargain.

We expect 50 pcs in this shipment (that’s all he can transport in his car) and looking at the backorders we still have for these, half of them are already sold. Now, I don’t want to make a sales pitch here but if you have any interest or planning to buy one, please make an backorder for it now. Last time, we had some angry people because they sold out just too fast and I do prefer happy customers

Second reason…the oil and especially the price of the steel is still going up and there’s very little chance we will be able to offer the next shipment at the price of 220 euro…

Once again, this is no “hurry-to-buy-it” talk, just for your information.

We do have lot of other plans with the Forge (since we’re partnering up with them) which does include offering traditional polish (just check this sample here) , using different steels (experimenting with the famous L6 steel now), offering real traditional katana kits (mainly for the collectors) which will include a tamahagane katana with traditional stone polish, Japanese fittings ,ect. The sword will be presented in a big box in shirasaya and with the koshirae.

We have some other cool things in mind but can’t say too much about that at this point….

Enough talk for today..ow yes before I forget ..just finished our discussion board so if you have any questions, or just like to share something, that’s the place to be. Perhaps you’re interested in becoming a moderator ? All help we can get is welcome ! Eather way, it would be nice if you could introduce yourself there so we have an idea of who our customers/visitors  are

If we talk about a hand forged katana, there is a smith involved to make the actual blade. He will start out with small steel bars. Which can be a single bar of monosteel (10xx series are the most common) or a combination of 2-3 different types of steel. In the later case the smith will need to forge and fold the bars into 1 billet. That’s is the ‘modern way’ of making a katana. In the traditional way, the Japanese smiths will create their own kind of steel to work with by using/creating tamahagane steel.

Whatever solution is used, a forge is needed in order to make and shape the katana’s blade. By heating and hammering the steel repeatedly , they ultimately will create a nice looking blade. Once the blade is shaped there are several other processes involved to finish the whole sword such as differentially hardening (by using clay), polishing, making the handle (tsuka) and saya (scabbard), habaki, koshirae (fuchi, kashira,tsuba,manuki),etc. Several craftsmen are needed in order to make just 1 katana !

So when we speak about a handmade katana, the blade of the katana doesn’t need to be forged by definition. With the functional katanas, there is also something called ‘stock removal’. When going this way, they start with a steel bar that has already the full length of a katana and they are ‘shaping ‘the sword by using a sand grinder or some other tools. There are even companies that are using CNC (computer numerical control) machines to shape their swords. So these processes doesn’t need a forge and a smith to make an actual blade.

They are still handmade and there’s no doubt that they can become a very nice functional katana .On the other hand, there are also the wallhanger types of swords  (still belonging to the handmade category) that are compeltely junk but let’s keep that for another article where we can take a closer look at both of them.

So to recapitulate :
A hand forged katana need a forge and a smith in order to create a blade while a handmade katana doesn’t

The All Japan Kendo Association has developed 12 katas, representative of forms, for Iaito. They are often referred to as Seitei Kata Iaido or Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei Seitei Gata Iaido. As a beginner with Iaido here are the 12 main forms you can expect to learn. With each one I have given the name of the kata, its rough English translation, and a basic overview of what the kata entails.

Zen Nippon Kendo Renmei Seitei Gata Iaido

1. Mae (Front): Starts from a kneeling position and is intended to stop a frontal attack.
2. Ushiro (Rear): Again starting from a kneeling position, and intended to stop an attack from behind.
3. Uke Nagashi (Receive, Parry, and Cut): From a kneeling position, you parry an attack coming from the left.
4. Tsuka Ate (Striking with the Hilt): Beginning with one raised knee you stop both a frontal and rear attack.
5. Kesagiri (Diagonal Cut): Beginning from a standing position you forestall a frontal attack.
6. Morote Tsuki (Two Hand Thrust): From standing, you stop three attackers. Two coming from the front, and one from behind.
7. Sanpogiri (Three Direction Cut): Starting from a standing position you stop three attackers (coming from left, right, and front).
8. Ganmen Ate (Hit to the Face): From standing you stop both a frontal and rear attacker.
9. Soete Tsuki (Joined-hand Thrust): Stopping an attacker from the left; starts with a standing position.
10. Shiho Giri (Four Direction Cutting): Forestalling four attackers from a standing position.
11. Sou Giri (Complete Cuts): Five different cuts beginning from a standing position.
12. Nuki Uchi (Sudden Draw): Beginning from standing you avoid and then respond to a frontal attack.

After you have learned these 12 forms well, you can take your 1st Kyu. Once you are finished most students move on to study Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido, one of the older forms on Iaido.

The response on the survey we held a few weeks ago was just amazing and I need to thank you if you did participate ! Really, these kind of things are so important to us in order to make the perfect sword for you. Everyone has a different taste, that’s true but it can point us out in the right direction.

Anyway, more than 70% of the voters were choosing for the Japanese fittings on the new Konron swords so….you get what you asked for and currently the swords are being mounted and they should arrive here within 3-4 weeks. Not only will they come with improved fittings and ito , there’s another bonus.

The swords will be signed on the tang…”Voila !” What about that my friend ? They will be signed and possible numbered so we can issue a certificate with them. You can find the sample signature here.

Now, what more do we have for you..ow yes, a few swords from the other new forge arrived in our store. So now we have available the new cheap battle ready katana  swords with black and brown ito. As I told you in our previous posts,  I did some cutting tests with it and the video is about ready to be released so you may expect them within 1-2 days .

We already finished another video of another 1060 steel sword with Japanese fittings, ito and sageo. We didn’t had the  time yet to do cutting tests with this katana but I can assure you they’re excellent cutters.

2 Custom katana are ready too , a 1095 Huanuo katana and a customized Practical Plus XL Light katana. This katana isn’t on the site yet so no need to search for it. The price is 425 euro..Just send me a mail if interested in this one.. Video’s are on the way as well. Yeah, planning to make a lot of video’s in order to give you an exact idea of the stuff we’re having here

Anyone who like to work on our samurai Tv channel by doing video sword reviews ? We send you the swords of course

By the way, we also have an affiliate program now if you like to earn some $$ ! You can subscribe here and if you don’t know what that is or how it works, just give me a little time to make a how to guide for you !

WHAT IS BATTO JUTSU RYU?
To start our look at this particular branch of the Japanese sword arts, let’s first talk about what batto jutsu really is. There are actually a couple places where you may find the term used, so I will define it both ways.

In its most common usage batto jutsu ryu refers to the Japanese martial arts schools that focus on tameshigiri (cutting with the sword). The emphasis of their teachings is the actual cutting with the sword. When you learn batto jutsu in one of these schools you can expect to put in a lot of time with cutting practice.

You may also here batto jutsu used interchangeably with iaijutsu. In this case the term is referring to the actual act of drawing and cutting with the sword in one fluid motion. Batto iaijutsu techniques involve drawing the saya back and the sword forward. This allows you to begin and complete the cut quickly.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO KENDO, IAIDO, ETC?
Batto jutsu differs from Kendo or Kenjustsu in that the sword usually begins in the scabbard, where with the other two budos the sword is already drawn. It also differs because in batto justsu the focus is on cutting, and cutting practice. In the other two arts dueling tends to remain the focus.

It also differs from Iaido in a couple of ways. There is more focus on actual cutting that there is in Iaido. The batto jutsu practioner will often practice real cutting techniques to practice on wetted straw mats, or bamboo. There is also more focus on the cut itself. With Iaido the cut usually takes place with the drawing of the sword. Batto jutsu requires a draw and then a cut.

You now have a basic overview of what batto jutsu is, and what it isn’t. If you’re interested in this budo, simply find a school that teaches it, get yourself a sword, and then get learning!