The first of a new collection from Iron Tiger Forge; a tatami cutting series that is purpose designed to meld a practical and powerful cutting session Katana with a price well suited both for new students of Japanese martial arts and sword collecting enthusiasts. The well-tempered and fine forged blade takes inspiration for its dimensions from the famed “Dotanuki” katana which emphasize sheer cutting power with a thickened and groove-less blade spine designed to bring as much mass as is practical to bear onto the target so that it strikes with decisive and fierce velocity and mass, a form well-suited for repetitive mat or bamboo cutting.In addition to this, the tip of the blade has a widened, wedge-like form designed to allow it to pierce with great ability whilst resistant tip damage.
The keenly sharp blade is mono-tempered with an attractive, but simple polish so that scratches from mat cutting can be buffed out and the blade restored to its original polish without needing special training or katana-specific tools and stones needed for other Katana with high-end “art polishes”. The mono-tempered blade has more ability to slightly bend, flex and return true than a differentially clay tempered katana and is much more likely to return true and straight after a misaligned cut than a differentially tempered katana which can easily be bent from an cutting strike that is not executed with perfection. This makes it well suited for those who are learning or perfecting their form without the fear of bending and damaging a clay tempered katana. The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, a steel that has a higher carbon content and hardenability ceiling than many other lower high carbon steel katana and this aids greatly in keeping the blade edge sharper for longer.
Though a practical Katana, the fittings of the sword are still artful and full of the spirit of the Katana and the warrior class who wielded them. The tsuba, fuchi and kashira are cast from from tough and durable blackened iron and the highly detailed “perched hawk” tsuba is surmounted by seppa and a habaki of brass. The wooden tsuka is fitted with panels of black-lacquered genuine rayskin and is overlaid with well wrapped teal green ito grip wrap crafted from artificial silk, which does a much better job of having the correct feel and texture of silk ito than the more common and “scratchy” chemical fiber ito seen elsewhere. The sword is completed with a wooden saya scabbard which is finished with a textured black lacquer that is substantially more resistant to scuffs and scratches then the common high-gloss lacquer used on other katana. The scabbard has a koiguchi, kurigata and kojiri that are crafted from finely fitted and smoothly polished buffalo horn. These not only give the scabbard an elevated appearance, but have the practical utility in being more resistant to splitting from impact than wood and their presence helps the scabbard maintain its integrity against impact or pressure on its more vulnerable points. A sageo cord of matched red and black flecked artificial silk completes the sageo. Included with the sword is a cloth sword bag for storage and transport.
keithdahl (verified owner) –
After receiving this katana and inspecting it, there are some imperfections. The saya doesn’t fit perfect (tiny gap) and the tsuba isn’t straight and has some variation in it. Everything else looks excellent. The ito is tight, the tsuka is well constructed, the koiguchi and kojiri are horn, and the blade is well formed and well polished. Overall outstanding construction quality for a $300 katana.
This sword is sharp enough that water bottles cut with ease (even two at a time). I’ll update this review when I have time to try tatami.
Overall, this sword is definitely worth the asking price. I’ve pay more for worse.