Musashi - 1060 Carbon Steel - Differentially Hardened Katana

I bought 3 katana including this one, on the low end, with a Hanwei Practical XL and Tori Elite on the higher end respectively. I've returned the Hanwei's and kept this one. It is a great looking katana good for both display and Iaito/technique practice. I wouldn't do any heavy cutting with it, b/c I don't think it's designed for it. If you want a low cost chopper that you can beat up as you learn the techniques, the Hanwei Practical XL is better. This katana would work for the same purpose if you want to beat up a nicer looking katana. I have tested this blade for light cutting of foam rolls, cardboard, plastic water bottles and it only gets scratched (expected). Heavier cutting with poor technique will likely result in a deformed blade/edge. One thing I am impressed by, functionally, is the fit of the seppa (blade collar) in the koiguchi (scabbard mouth). After prolonged drawing practice time, the fit is still holding unlike some higher end katana where I've had to shim inside the koiguchi to keep the katana from falling out of the saya (scabbard). The upside...great object lesson in "never catch a falling knife." ;) So in that sense, this katana is safer. The edge and kissaki are sharp. The hamon (differential hardened line) is enhanced and looks great. The clay wasn't just applied in wavey form but also has some nice crosslines on some of the peaks which adds to its beauty. There is a well defined yakote line on the kissaki (tip section) which also adds to the looks of the blade. IMO, the looks of the blade, overall, is half the beauty of a katana. For modern mass production steel, my blade looks great for the price. That's the value of this katana, IMO...great looking display and practice katana for very low cost, respectively. The saya (scabbard) is as described and looks as good as katana saya that are a lot higher priced. Attractive low cost tsuka/ tsuba combo. Great first katana for a beginner needing a 'live blade'. It's not a toy and will seriously injure anyone who is careless and disrespectful of the weapon this katana is.

A few years ago you would often hear you can't buy a good katana under 300 dollars...WRONG...welcome to Musashi!I had some Amazon gift card money and decided to buy myself a birthday present.All fittings and wrappings seem right except for the habaki (blade collar) which is a minor detractor. The Tsuba (guard), Kashira (pommel) and Fusha all have an antique finish, the Tsuba is gorgeous. The cotton ito is right and the same is real rayskin which is a nice touch. The Saya (scabbard) fits snugly on the blade and is pretty much perfection, the piano finish is nice and should hold up well, the sageo is a bit loose but that's not uncommon. The blade is a bit longer than usual Katanas but not out of the norm, it has a full bo-hi (fuller) and is nice and nimble with enough weight for good cuts making a nice woosh through the air. Since it is differentially hardened it does have a hamon which is almost unheard of at this price, the edge (ha) passed the paper cutting test with no issues and I'll leave it alone for now. The 1060 steel is a definite upgrade from 1045 steel and inspires confidence. Overall a great sword at this price level!

I bought this sword in particular because I thought the Buddhist tsuba was pretty cool. Came two days early, which was really lovely. It's a beautiful sword; if you're not a collector and you're not disenchanted by already having handled a bunch of swords then you will probably be taken aback by how cool it is when it arrives and you get to hold it in person. I can still get caught staring at it sometimes, bouncing sunlight off of the blade to get a good look at the hamon (which seems real).However, there are several mysterious dark marks on the blade that I can't seem to get off. I think it might be stains from the grease that it came with to keep oiled and I hope that it really is something as harmless as that. Other than that, it's a fine blade in a very well put-together mounting.Another thing to add is that while it's not dull, it wasn't really that sharp either. Anything stronger than a filled liter coke bottle can withstand it enough so that it won't cut clean through (though it may still do some damage). It's still pretty sharp though, and they never claimed it to be razor-sharp, so you can't hold it against them. Just don't expect anything that can cut cleanly through paper in the state that they deliver it to you.

If you're like me and you're extremely interested in Edo Japan, samurai, katanas, or all 3, and you've been dying to get your first sword... this is the one. It's extremely well made for the price. I opted to pay the $130 instead of some of the $60 dollar swords because I wanted it to be made properly, actually be sharp, and require some care. This sword delivers.It arrives beautifully packaged, sharp, oiled, and completely clean. There's no rattling or loose parts, it doesn't feel cheap or poorly put together. The weight feels perfect too.Make sure to buy the suggested sword cleaning kit along with it. You'll need it to clean off the initial oiling it comes packaged with and apply a new, much lighter application of oil. This is 100% worth the buy, just like the rest of the reviews suggest. For your first sword, you can't go wrong with this.