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(More customer reviews)I have never seen anything like this until I got this sword - it is amazing! The blade is true handcrafted damascus (folded) steel, but unlike the typical look of damascus blades, this one is black, with copper-red colored layers sandwiched in between. I have NO clue how they achieved this effect ~ all I can think is that they used a combination of black and red steel to get this amazingly beautiful dual-color design, and believe me, the pictures for it do NOT do it justice!! If you look really closely at the pics and enlarge them a bit you will see what I'm talking about, but it's not until you get the sword in your hands and unsheath it that one realizes the depth of the craftsmanship. I bought this sword solely because of its unusual damascus blade (well, and I was looking for a white katana) and I just cannot think of any words to describe the uniqueness. It is NOT a painted-on effect, or a design that was added after the sword was made, like many cheaper swords. It is true handcrafted, hardened carbon steel that is razor sharp, and will function like a "real sword" because it IS a real sword. Even my display swords I test out when I first get them, and this thing will slice through rolled tatami mats like they were rolls of wet paper towels. Note that this katana should not be mistaken as a ninja sword; it is done in the style of the more traditional straight-blade samurai katana, lacking the curve that in the blade that was used later in more recent centuries.
The price is kept low because they use some lower end stuff for the add-ons. The tsuba, menuki, kashira, fuchi and seppa (spacers) are all copper-colored in matching contrast with the copper-colored streaks in the blade, but they are actually cast in zinc, a cheaper aluminum alloy that is inferior to solid iron or brass that the more expensive swords come with. If one was actually going to use it for battle, then the zinc stuff would likely shatter in no time, but since it's very likely going to see little use and be a display piece, the accessory materials shouldn't matter much. Especially since it keeps the cost down. Plus, one can always opt to upgrade and replace all that stuff at a later time, as I have done to customize some of my katanas. It's still an impressive looking katana, and the tsuba is a very cool depiction of a dragon coming down around a horse-drawn carriage with a samurai inside, and that theme is continued around the sword onto the kashira (pommel) where there's another smaller view of a samurai sitting in a tent or carriage, with the dragon hovering above, and the fuchi (collar) where we see a countryside home one one side and another horse-drawn cart on the other. They claim also that the handle is wrapped in real stingray skin, except I actually own several real stingray skins because I rebuild katana handles, and I know what the real deal looks like. I hate to say it, but it looks like the handle is actually cow or pig leather that's had a bumpy texture hammered into it. It's not synthetic "pleather" like most lower-end katanas come with, for sure, but the beads are too soft; real stingray skin has hard bumps that are not so uniform or close together. I'm not 100% sure but I'd be willing to bet on it.
Some Negatives:
While talking about the handle, I'd like to point out that before I even touched it, as it slid out of its protective bag (it comes with a black & white fabric bag), I noticed immediately that the white wrapping on the handle was dirty. It looked like someone who had been working on a car engine grabbed it and tried it out. I'm not super-picky, but come on, the thing is WHITE, and it's very likely going to be someone's display piece! Of course the more you handle it, the dirtier it gets, even if your hands are clean. It doesn't bother me too much because I will likely re-wrap it at some point in the future (and do it with genuine ray skin), but not everyone takes their swords apart and knows how to replace parts on it, or wants to HAVE to. Also, the peg-holes around the 2 pegs that keep the handle firmly on the tang of the blade are oddly and sloppily widened on the one side. On the side they were hammered into place, they're all neat and tight, but on the other side there's big gaps around the pegs, you can see splintered wood, and the leather is all chewed up. It looks like someone quickly hacked-out the material so the pegs would come through, and they didn't do a very good job of it...another reason I feel like I want to remake the handle myself.
Another con is that every time I unsheath and resheath the sword, it gets TONS of white waxy crap clinging all over it. The inside of the scabbard must be full of bits of wood, white paint flakes and what appears to be bee's wax, and the junk is tacky and does not just wipe off with a cloth. The bits of stuff are static-clingy, and the wax just smears up and down the blade. Because of the wax you have to use sword oil to get it clean (or rubbing alcohol, then re-oil it), and then when you resheath it, it just gets even more crap all over it again, especially if it's slightly oily. A REAL pain in the butt! The saya (scabbard) itself is nothing special, it is white painted and varnished wood, with white sageo (wrapping) and a copper/black reinforcement in the kurikata (knob) in keeping with the theme of the katana. One should be careful handling the saya as it can dent rather easily if one bangs it around...I already marked up the end of it when I knocked the blade into it, and the varnish will crack and flake off if you really whack it.
At any rate, for the cost, you are getting a compromise. A really beautiful, unique, higher-end blade, with some lower-end attachments to keep the price down. I can't really complain because I've seen this exact same sword going for $250 on ebay and some other sword retail websites. It was also for sale on Bud K, and I missed a 10% off sale because for some reason I cannot place an order with them without having to go through this big thing on the phone about my physical address "not matching" my credit card. So I actually came to amazon for that specific reason. Shinwa is a well-known, reliable, quality sword manufacturer that uses the true handcraft method to create their blades; they are not machined. While the little booklet that comes with the Shinwa katana talks about Japanese this and Japanese that, keep in mind that it is still made in China. If you want a sword literally made in Japan it's going to run $500 and far beyond, into the thousands. This is as good as it can get for a sword under $150, and that taken into consideration, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The blade alone is immaculate and I would give it 5/5. The only reason it gets a star off is because of the cons I mentioned, but mainly the sloppy pegholes that I think really detracts from the art that is entire piece.
Like any real katana, with the proper tool (a little brass hammer and wedge, which can be purchased for around 10-15 bux, usually comes in a kit with polish powder, rice paper and oil) one can knock out the tang pegs and completely disassemble the entire sword, and reassemble it with same tool. One shouldn't really need to unless one was simply curious how katanas are constructed, or for cleaning purposes. I do suggest buying some choji oil and rice paper to keep the blade properly oiled, and it's often good to disassemble the blade to oil it so no moisture or grit gets trapped under the collar or hilt. Also, get a nice sword rack or wall mount for this and keep it on display well out of the reach of children. I shouldn't have to say it, but just for the sake of safety, **THIS IS NOT A TOY** You will likely be very tempted to "try it out" when you first get it...who wouldn't...just use common sense and be careful.
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Shinwa White Knight White Cord Katana Sword DamascusShinwa swords have a quality standard like no other and you won't find a more functional or beautiful katana at this price! This sword measures 41 3/4" overall, and features a 28 3/4" hand-forged black Damascus steel blade that has been folded more than 2,000 times for pure cutting power. The blade offers a heavy blood groove in the traditional katana design and is build to perform with razor sharp edges on both sides. The handle offers genuine ray skin with a white nylon cord wrap, a cast zinc menuki and tsuba. The coordinating wood scabbard completes the authentic look and feel of this mighty weapon. Shinwa, KZ747WDZ
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