Handmade Japanese Shirasaya Samurai Katana Sharp Sword-KENSHIN

I expected a fairly cheap blade to hang on my wall for looks, but I must say, I was astounded to find that this is very well made and very sharp. I did have to clean the blade upon receiving it. The blade did come pre-oiled though, which made cleaning it as simple as taking a soft rag and wiping down the surfaces. While oiling the blade myself, I did slip and I managed to cut my hand. I was amazed at how little it took to give me a cut, so be warned if you buy this, it is not a toy, and it is very sharp. It is the sharpest around half way up the blade. Further down, it becomes duller, but not false-edge dull, just not sharp enough to cut you super easily. I only found this to be the bottom three inches of the blade. Any further than that, I would definitely not care to run my finger along it. The bamboo peg, or mekugi, is not completely flush with the handle, but only sticks up about 1/2 mm. The sword is fairly tight in the scabbard, but not tight to the point where you would struggle to draw it. I think that once it has been drawn a few more times, it will loosen up, but as it is now, it is somewhat tighter that I would like. The weight of the sword is very nice. I read one comment that was questioning whether it was full tang, but judging from the weight and balance, I would say that it is. There was a small area near the end of the blade that had a small metal spur, but that was easily removed with some very fine sand paper and a couple seconds at a whet stone. The only real complaint I have is that the word "china" is printed right on the blade. It's not very big and you can't see it unless you are quite close, but it still irks me to a degree every time a blade is stamped like that. Long story short, this makes for a beautiful wall piece that is also very well constructed and could be used in a pinch. (I just hope the ninjas don't come back again)

Long in depth review! I'm a first time katana buyer but I've done a lot of research before buying because beong a responsible sword owner means being proactive and learning what you own. Hope you enjoy my review, thanks for reading! I've had my Shirasaya for about four days now and I can tell you, it is well worth it. The quality and the price is absolutely astounding, I got mine at 45$ but even the base price at 70$ is great too. I'll start by saying it is beautiful, bareblade katanas are my preference, and the color and slickness of this particular one is right up my alley. The finish on the wood looks great in room light, and espcially in the sun. When you take the sword out of the saya, the blade shines and you truly can see it is a robust sword. That being said, when first unboxed it really does need a cleaning. The blade is factory greased and has some gunk on it. I went ahead and bought a katana cleaning kit for 9$ that came with choji oil, rice cleaning cloth, and an uchiko ball. Keeping the blade away from body, I first wiped it down with the cloth, then powdered the blade, then wiped that off, and finally used the oil with the rice cloth to wipe the blade down which is really what maintains the sword. However, I ran out of the rice cloth instantly, a bit disappointed that the kit came with about 5 cloths, but I reaearched that using regualr tissue paper will substitue just fine. After doing this, bam! The blade looks perfect. Now about the blade and its strength! Out of the box, razor sharp and can easily cut paper diagonally. This blade is said to be practical against water bottles or jugs, and fruit. I beg to differ though, as the strength of this blade and sharpness could easily be used to cut rolled bamboo mats, or possibly even bamboo poles. 1045 Carbon Steel is durable, and has a nice denisty, but this blade is flexiable as well which is what it needs anyways. This isn't folded carbon steel, but there is a full tang and that means the blade is secure and very strong. I would not advise hitting tree logs, stumps, bricks, or plywood though. Enjoy the sword and test how strong it is, but do not jeopardize it, or the safety of yourself and others. So yes, this blade is battle ready. Sharp enough to cut clothes and skin, and as home defense weapon, if it came down to it you could rely on this katana. Do not attack someone unless you absolutely have to though, because even in self defense you may have charges pressed on you, if your judgement is bad. As a beginner of sword collecting, it's important to practice before actually picking up the katana and thrashing it around wildly. Bokken is a formidable technique and great to learn for cutting and or slashing with a woden katana, before using the real katana. For those who may question can this blade deflect another blade, I would say hypothetically yes. Using the backside of the katana would be the way to do this, or if you had to the bottom of the actual blade. I would never ever recommend blocking with the blade (ha) but when you cut with the katana you are only using the top 10 or so inches anyways, so if the bottom blunts it would not be the end for the katana. Althogh there is no tsuba which means the blade of your oppoent would clash on your hand if the blade slid down. The ha very may well crack or chip, just as any of the blade can if it the object it contacts is harder than itself. Honestly though, I really have few complaints about this katana. Mostly regarding the interior or the saya, surround the top and depth of it. It's kind of rough and looks splintered, if I was skilled with sanding I may attempt to do so myself but as a buyer, have to do that anyways though. Other than though, no catch to this blade, a great deal for the quality that it is at. I could not be happier, and I would like to expand my collection even more now! Great for any katana or sword collection, can't beat the price, and is actually usuable! Like I said this is sharp, so always be weary of the surrounding area and use safety. This is all my opinion, and based off the product I recieved, and I'm not a professional katana expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Really is one of a kind, and a great deal though, Ace Martial Arts has brought you a good one!

It is sharp, nice wood, on the blade is written China, just FYI, I don't mind at all. I like it. No planning to cut anything, just to move around, training some moves, so don't know how super strong or brittle it is, but it feels and looks solid.

Very nice buy. I bought this for my wife and she loves it. It is lite enough for her and enough weight to do some damage. It is a very nice looking sword. Very clean and womanly look to it. Even my female boss loved it when I got it in at work. Thanks so much.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it is full tang and that is nice its not super heavy it feels very sturdy it did not come very sharp only the tip came sharp and got worse all the way down so it will take some work to be able to chop bamboo or limbs shipping came late by a week and was way overpriced the sheath is a bit of a bitch to put the sword into but overall i like it definitely going to make some modifications to it and i dont know what this musha box talk is it came in a cloth wrap inside a cardboard box

Mon premier katana il est très beau par contre pas très coupent mais pour le prix je suis satisfait

For its price its a pretty decent deal, sturdy blade and it is full tang, despite there only being one peg. Sword came sharp but i gave it a bit of a finer sharpen, the sword I got is not the colour of the pictures. (Its a much brighter red) overall I have to say its a decent sword, not a huge fan of the handle but it can easily be replaced with another if you prefer something with more grip.