This is the 2nd Generation of the Byakko Katana; All comments from the Matthew Easton review were taken into account when updating this model!
In Japanese folklore a Tiger that lives to be 500 years of age turns white and transforms into a powerful Yokai spirit animal – the Byakko, the Celestial Tiger of the West with the power to direct both tempestuous wind and beasts to its will. This Katana from Balaur Arms takes its martial inspiration from the tiger, an example to all warriors for its perfect and peerless match of speed, grace, sheer muscled power and unflinching fierceness – a mirror for the Samurai spirit. Legendary actor Toshiro Mifune would take inspiration from the Tiger for his predator-like movements coupled with an unblinking, threatening stare to create an air of tense danger when playing a skilled Samurai or Ronin.
Like its Tiger namesake, a strike from a sword such as this is both a swift and decisive blow that commands finality to mortality. The fittings of this katana ably walk that line between ornamentation that demands professional respect and the practical materials and components needed for a Samurai’s sword of war.
The blade is forged from tough T10 high carbon steel which has been clay tempered in the traditional manner, as can be seen in its vibrant and genuine hamon in the Togari style. The blade was painstakingly polished to a mirror sheen to fully bring out the beauty of the steel and the rippling hamon of a hardened, wear-resistant steel edge. The blade edge has “Niku” shaping behind it to ensure that it is more durable and resistant to chipping and damage than a flat edge. The blade has no bohi groove to ensure that it strikes with the additional mass needed to deliver maximum force to the cut. Such swords were popular in times of war when a durable and hard-hitting blade was desired for battle against opponents wearing thick cloth and armor. Additionally, the blade has a genuine geometric Yokote style tip – not only is this feature more authentic to historical katana, its wedge-shaped geometric planes serve to reinforce the tip for thrusting and puncturing into the weaker points of an opponent’s armored defense. This is feature that is often overlooked in many other katana which instead simulate this feature using differential polishing.
The blade has been set into a hilt that has a tsuba of practical and robust stainless steel with an antiqued iron embellished in gold and silver detailing which bears the visage of the stalking Tiger on one side and its prey upon the other. Its fuchi collar and kashira pommel are likewise of antiqued stainless steel. The habaki is cast from detailed brass and offset with seppa of red copper. The hardwood tsuka grip has panels of genuine rayskin which are bound in a practical and tight Katate-Maki “Battle Wrap” of artificial silk tsuka ito which is finished with a pair of brass Tiger menuki beneath the folds.
The sword is paired with a scabbard of well-carved wood which is finished with a textured lacquer that is more resistant to scuffs and scratches than the high gloss lacquer seen on many other katana. Koiguchi, Kurigata and Kojiri components are crafted from genuine and finely polished buffalo horn and they serve their purpose of helping to prevent the saya scabbard from splitting at its seam. The sageo cord is of matching silk and a cloth katana bag for storage or transport is included.
Please Note: In the Video section you can a cutting demonstration with this Katana, including an impressive double-cut through a double roll of thick tatami!
Please Note: Like many other production Katana, some small or light scuffs or scratches may be present on the blade
Rusty harden (verified owner) –
Very beautiful blade would give 5 star but I have to warn on my sword in particular I had to hand file to get the sword to properly go into its scabbard. Still not quite but it’s usable. The pegs look like they where punched threw on the handle instead of drilled so they look blowed out. And for some reason when swinging the sword it rattles in the handle. Yes I own two 60$ swords and neither rattle when swinging even after chopping full blown trees. And I own 2 swords of northshire swords of similer price and they don’t rattle. I also didn’t have to file on the scabbard to get them to be able to deploy with my thumb.
joel.c.thompson (verified owner) –
Beautiful sword, just got it today. The blade looks good except for one thing: the tip had been dropped. It’s just the small bit at the very tip, but it’s definitely folded over. Kind of disappointing. I’m debating what to do with it. I’m not very skilled at sharpening, I’m afraid of doing more harm than good in trying to fix it.
knowledgeispower1482 (verified owner) –
This is one of the best value Japanese swords in this price range. The fit and finish was fantastic. All the fittings and wrap were super tight. Blade geometry is superb, balance is amazing, came paper-cutting sharp out the box, just an overall great sword. It has a lot of authority in the blade but is controllable enough to stop a full-power swing mid way without any strain on your wrist. Easily wielded in one hand and it cuts light targets like a laser. I’m really impressed.
The only negatives are a few very minor nitpicks like a little scuff on the fuchi. the hamon being a little too close to the edge on some points, but nothing you would notice without looking very hard. I didn’t experience any of the negatives the other 2 reviewers did. I have bought a few different swords so far and this one is hands down the best quality for the fairest price. You are getting a $600-$700 sword for half the price. I will definitely be buying more of these LK Chen made Balaur Arms swords. KOA, please stick with this manufacturer, hes a keeper!
David –
Thank you for the 5-star review. We want to be clear about the maker. The Balaur Asian line is not manufactured by LK – and indeed, not all of the Euros are. Pls take a look at the product description to see which are part of our LK collaboration and which aren’t. All Balaur are designed and approved by our in-house team, although the maker may vary.
John P –
Beautiful sword but not quite what is advertised.
This was given to me 6/29/24 as a 40th birthday gift. My only gripe is the yokote does not look anything like the photos. The execution looks “pointy and angular” like that of a ninjato. I don’t know if this is a fluke or a quality control issue, but it’s disappointing enough for me to include this in my review. Please note that its hard to justify mid level katana purchases as some advertised features are not present in the physical product.
As far as the positives go there’s much to appreciate especially at this price point. The Tsuka-ito is tight and the diamonds are consistent. The fittings look well finished, though the kashira isn’t flush. It has some edges that can catch on the bottom of your hand, but it’s gorgeous. The tsuba is stunning and very detailed. It looks very high end much like the copper seppas. Also, the habaki is seated with a gap on one side and not at all symmetrically seated but that’s no deal breaker for me. The hamon is very visible and prominent. I love the saya. bull-horn throughout and a perfect fit on the blade. No rattle, I can handle the saya with the blade sheathed upside down and give it a light shake, though I don’t recommend ever doing this, and the blade remains snug in the saya. Overall, I would still recommend (only for the price) this sword and Kult of Athena. I’ve purchased a few blades from them and I can attest that they are one of the best places to buy honest, quality, and functional swords from numerous reputable forges.
If I could give my advice on how to improve this, I would suggest spend more time and effort on blade accuracy and I would feel more comfortable recommending Balaur Arms.
David –
Hi John,
Thanks for providing your review – On that Balaur katana and others like it they have a “geometric yokote” style tip which is deliberately chiseled and angular in its form. It is an additional detail for a more complex geometric form for the tip which is intended to reinforce the tip to reduce possible impact damage from thrusting / puncturing by dissipating excessive oppositional force in controlled directions. While a historical detail for many katana, it is often omitted from many other production katana to reduce production labor and they instead opt to differentially polish the tip to create a faux geometric effect in its place. However, there are many different katana tip shapes so not all of them are angular like the geometric yokote is – others can be more smooth and sweeping so there is quite a wide variety of tip styles. What you say about the photo does make sense and we can see how by the angle and lighting that the differing geometric planes of the tip are not made as vividly clear as they could be to emphasize and highlight that geometric shape. We will add an additional photo of the tip for clarity for this item. Thank you!