Japanese Katana Samurai Sword, Musashi Tsuba Brown, Sharp Blade

Being poor, but also a weapon loving nerd, this product was attractive to me. Upon arrival I noticed the nice sheath, the oiled up blade and the sharpness. I immediately went outside with it and slashed through a watermelon and the box it came in. It sliced nicely. Here is what all buyer's should be aware of: 1. The blade is full tang and of a decent steel. It comes sharp but not "cut a man in half with one slice sharp." Upon sharpening it I noticed that it was very easy to sharpen because of the type of steel and the blade shape. This is not an incredibly hard steel like some of my $400 blades that I bought when I wasn't poor, but it is hard enough for basic play. I sharpened it with a ceramic knife sharpener and it peeled off steel very quickly. That means this is great for cutting watermelons and playing real life fruit ninja but not great for hitting against other swords or armor. I currently have it scary sharp. 2. The balance isn't quite where I'd want it. It balances a bit farther up the blade than I consider ideal, but I'm no Samurai, so what do I know. Perhaps a longer, heavier haft would have made that better. 3. The blade is the perfect length and I'm 6'4" so unless you're name is Shaq or Sephiroth you won't need a longer blade length. 4. The brass looking piece that connects between the handle and blade seems a little cheap and says it's made in China. Buy some glue if it flies off at some point. 5. The handle feels nice and could be a bit longer but certainly is satisfactory. It isn't legendary quality but definitely surprised me in how good it feels and I believe that under light use, it will hold up just fine. Don't smack things with the handle, don't light it on fire, don't regularly soak it in swamp water, and don't fight walls 8 hours a day and the handle should be okay. 6. It came quickly, was secured with Styrofoam inside its sheath. The sheath was pretty good and the sword sits snugly within, requiring a slight tug to remove. I love it and the price made me skeptical but it exceeded expectations. Just buy it. You will feel like a bad ass, have a nice decoration, feel more secure with the knowledge that you could cut an intruder in half after a little sharpening, and you'll definitely be able to make your neighbors uncomfortable as you live your sword wielding fantasies.

Hello all. This is a thorough review for this sword. I bought this sword around a year ago and I still have it. I've decided to come back to give a thorough review for anyone considering this product. I'll say; it is a good sword for the price. Yes this is NOT a nihonto f"ú-{"f meaning it is not of true origin from Japan with authentic components. Nether less this sword is a great starter for anyone who is studying Kenjutsu or even Ninjutsu who is ready for a 'live blade'^*f j. The blade in my opinion is not sharp... some people say "OH WOW OMG, its razor sharp!!! O_O!!!!" But razor sharp in my opinion means you can cut yourself and not notice it till feeling something wet slide down your skin through the hair of your legs or arm. Here is a break down of the sword.... Steel-1045 High carbon Full tang-Yes Tang signature-/Year/Month/Day- No Mekugi Ana- Two Mekugi- Two-Color-'Smoked' Ito-Cotton Tsuba-Brass...Faux crane design Saya-Matte black Material -Wood Kisakki-CHU i'j Tameshigiri-Lightweight.....Plastic bottle worthy 'Soaked' tatami worthy....dry tatami maybe.... Length-40-41 inches Samegawa-Faux...Fake Habaki-One...Brass Seppa-Two....Copper....Faux...Fake *CHINA PRINT* Fuchi-Brass...Faux...Fake Sageo-Cotton Kashira-Brass Tsuka-Wood Hamon-Notare...Faux....Fake Menuki-Dragon-Brass Kurigata-Plastic Faux...Fake BoHi-Double sided.......... All in all this sword is OK for the money Its good for a present...cossplay....display...or a new beginner to seek his or her form. If you are looking at this sword and you have experience with martial arts and you want a real blade I personally would get a better more expensive sword or wait if you simply don't have the funds thus looking at this. Thank you all for considering my review upon your purchase if you do! ^ê"Nã 1 YEAR LATER review... I've had this sword now for about a years time; now I would like to include pictures and also address all the problems I have run into with this sword, so new buyers can get a more thorough idea of what 'might' happen to them in the future. The ito has completely been shifted and is a pain to grip so I simply took it off... Upon taking the ito off I was able to observe the menuki and the fuchi as well. The menuki is ok nothing special but both fuchi easily came off I looked inside and there was old rotten glue keeping it together. The same-kawa is fake with panels. The tsuba has also began to rust. After the sword is completely re-assembled, I noticed with the factory mekugi that the tsuka is loose...to fix this problem I created my own d.i.y seppa. Other than these small problems there is nothing else to report...There are more problems however I myself created them by being careless such as rust spots from not cleaning it often. I do enjoy this sword and I have done months/days/and long hours worth of research and I think for the price this sword is the way to go. *I can not review the sharpess of the blade because I do not perform tameshigiri, I practice shinkenndo and iai but no tameshigiri.*

I know buying a sword for $40 is begging to get ripped off. I wanted a solidly-made, sharp, carbon steel katana for display, iaido, and light cutting - and I didn't want to spend several hundred dollars on a Hanwei or other higher-quality blade right now. The only reason I took a chance on this sword was the other nine positive reviews. I'm really glad I did. For the price, the quality is very good. The sword is solid, no vibration, no distortion in the blade. It's definitely sharp enough to cut for practice or self-defense. I like the deep bo-hi - wasn't expecting that. The wrappings are beautifully done and the crane tsuba is pretty as well as functional. My one gripe is that the sword is somewhat loose in the saya along the length of the blade, and it rattles while being moved. A little annoying, but at the cost, I can't complain. Overall, good product. P.S. - Adding this several months after buying. I finally did some backyard water-bottle cutting with this, first time I've tried that after seeing others on Youtube. This blade went through individual bottles like they weren't there. Very impressive, especially since I'm sure my technique was lousy. If only tameshigiri mats weren't so expensive . . .

I teach iado, and other Japanese weaponry. I purchased this weapon hoping that it would be an option for students to purchase as an affordable sword for my students who cannot buy a more expensive sword. I was very pleased as I took the weapon from the package. the blade is not what I would call razor sharp, however it will cut quite nicely. a little loving on this blade, and you can make it very sharp. the hamon is fake, but what do you expect for a sword for less than 100.00 dollars, in this case less than 50.00. it is not spectacular in appearance, as you can buy one that is far more decorative, and you will pay for it too. the blade is a bit heavy, but I was pleased as to how straight it was, and for the quality of steel, it is really good. I cut a few matts with the sword, and it made good work of the matts, with clean strokes it cuts through a six inch diameter matt no problem. there were a few scratches in the blade after the cuts, but nothing that couldn't be fixed after a little loving. this sword is like a good chevy, it is affordable, dependable, and tuff. it's not a cadilac, like a dana abbott sword, or a true musashi hand made and folded. but if your looking for a good beginner sword to train in iado, or if your looking for a good weapon for home defense or zombie apocalypse, this thing is not matched for the money. if you want to go out in the back yard and be an ass clown and cut up milk jugs and fun noodles, then it will also be a good sword for you, although it makes me vomit to think of untrained idiots swinging around a fine weapon like this pretending to be backyard samurai. with years of training, you can become proficient with a weapon like this and appreciate the origons and rich culture. this sword is a good place to start if your on a budget. great weapon.

I started collecting modern functional manufactured swords back in the 80's when the hit T.V. show "Highlander" showcased many of them under "Marto" or "Maruto" for Pro Cut. (Currently United Cutlery) Back then, swords were shiny.., and sharp.., they were functional, I mean, "You could use them..," but they were brittle. And you never knew if you had one that could take a few hits or if it was going to simply snap. Stainless Steel made for a decent blade, but it just wasn't right. Until 2003 and "Kill Bill." And while there are no licensed replica's from the Kill Bill franchise, the movie nevertheless influenced a number of "Hand forged," "Carbon Steel," "Custom Designed," sword houses to open up and start producing for the United States. This was the first time the commercial markets were offered the opportunity to own a "Modern Replica" created from semi-traditional metals and modern-traditional processes. And at such an inexpensive price! The point is, with Stainless Steel there was "nothing to look at." But a hand-hammered blade of Carbon Steel keeps a crystal clear record of the entire manufacturing process. You can view this record when you look down the length of your blade. In this case, the blade was great. I mean, for the price I paid, the swordsmith (hammer operator:) did a decent job. But what I was impressed with was it's edge. Out of the box, this sword was by far the sharpest blade I have ever held coming straight from the factory. (And I've held a lot.) I'm not really sure what happened, but I'm guessing that the sharpener had a really good morning that day. And to those of you who know the difference, this was a "Hollow Grind" not a factory edge. Because of this little extra, I am going to give this very nice entry level blade five stars. For the price, you absolutely can not beat it.

Pros: I don't believe there is a better beginner katana unless you double your budget. It was very sturdy and sharp. Cut just fine through jugs with no chipping or defamation. Balance was great Cons: In the product photos the Saya and kashira were different though I do prefer the ones that came with it. The tsuka wrap itself was fine though it did have some play in how tight it was. My biggest gripe is that it seems that when they drilled the holes for the mekugi it was while the tsuka and rayskin was already on the sword. That left the rayskin in really bad shape. The reason I bought this katana was to learn to take apart and replace/fix other more expensive katana tsukas. For this purpose it is fantastic. All in all I believe it is a great beginner sword that can be used to learn everything needed before moving onto better more expensive swords.

An excellent value! I bought this sword as a test before committing to a more expensive Cheness katana in a fancier steel. I'm not sure I will still upgrade as I could buy almost 8 of this sword for the cost of the more expensive sword and I am so nearly completely satisfied. The main hangup for me is that in the hour or so of meandering through the woods slicing through any branches or sapling that looked at me wrong, I already made several poor cuts resulting in mild to severe sets on the blade. I would hate to have done that to a more expensive item. Most of the bends were a simple matter of placing the tip on a tree and carefully working the blade back to straight, however there is still a slight waver that you can feel by touch along the back of the sword. After coming back in I found the blade somewhat dulled, but had it back to about the same sharpness that the blade came with in about 15 minutes. My blade came sharp enough to cut paper with a slicing motion, but not enough to cut in without any sawing motion. The fittings were very tight and my saya(sheath) is a pleasant fit as well. The saya has stayed the same fit so far, but the fittings have already started to loosen up. The habaki(brass piece in front of the guard) has a bulge on the blade side that likely developed due to this looseness. Overall though the sword still feels very sturdy. So far the handle wrap has stayed tight and is very comfortable, but I wish the menuki(little decorative pieces under the wrap) were placed on the opposite sides as they sit under a right handed grip's fingers and under the palms of a left handed grip. With them under your palms, the grip is much more confidence inspiring and comfortable, so maybe these are for lefties, I don't know. I do have a couple other small gripes, mostly with the saya. As other reviewers have noted, the metal cap on the end will need regluing immediately as mine came off in the first couple draws. Also, there are a couple brass accent pieces at the hole for the cord are rattling around loose that should glued. A note on gluing the metal cap, if you're using gorilla glue, use a minimal amount as the fit is actually quite tight. I now have a ring of glue poking out. The holes for the tang pins were also very poorly cut, as if their tool was getting very dull, in the imitation ray skin. These are the only things spoiling the great aesthetics of this sword. That and the very obviously fake hammon, I would prefer a simple polish. Not only can you use this sword, but the fit and finish is plenty for this sword to make a great wall hanger as well. Positives: -Very affordable. -Carbon steel. -Great looks. -A pleasure to cut with. Negatives: -Will loosen after moderate to heavy use. -Small fit and finish issues -Fake hammon. Overall, I am extremely pleased with this sword and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting something to beat the tar out of and then hang up on the wall. Update: After giving this sword the business for almost a week, I've managed to wreck it. I made an almost clean cut on a 2.5" branch and in my excitement went for a sloppy followup cut. The blade turned while still in the branch and then stuck, which, after the turn resulted in about half of the blade being bent over the remaining piece of the branch. The side to side portion of this bend was fairly easily remedied and I thought I was in the clear, but the first attempt to replace it in the saya met with strong resistance.. Turns out the spine of the sword managed to stretch, resulting in the curvature of the sword being quite substantially straightened. I'm disappointed this happened, as I can't really find any other instances like mine, but I'm going to leave my 5 stars as the sword was a joy while it lasted. Some other notes: After some use the dark finish on the metal handle pieces becomes worn away leaving a quite pleasant copper tone to the areas your hands are in frequent contact with. The handle became loose after several hours of use, but was easily disassembled and fitted with a foil spacer that gave me again about the same amount of time before loosening. The edge held up wonderfully! There's not a single nick. The handle wrap started to move around and settlet into imperfect shape after about 10 hours but has remained overall tight. I would recommend checking the plate on the end of your saya and filing it down if necessary as mine overhung the wood and worried me that it might hit the blade. I would recommend removing the handle to clean it. Mine was covered in manufacturing dust and already had a couple rust spots. Be careful if you do though, as the grind for the edge continues onto the rough tang under the handle.

Hello. I'm anonymous. I bought this sword a few days ago and happened to conveniently get it a few days later, a mere exact timing that was given. It came in a big 3 foot long box, so you would kind of 'obviously' perceive what it is. Especially if it noted "Marshall Arts" on the company stamp.Of course, this was not a real big deal to me as I bought this for myself. As stated by other review[s], it slices through household objects easily, such as cardboard, and water bottles too.] When I first got it, it definitely had a bit of a dull edge on it; it was easy to tell that it was made in a factory. Some parts of the blade's edge was very sharp, others were very dull. Still, even without sharpening it, it managed to decapitate a poor innocent water bottle. The sword itself is very ornate, measuring 3 feet. The bottom of it did happen to snap off with my first swing at a brick wall [on accident], but with some hot-glue it was in marvelous shape once again. Speaking of hot glue, the cotton-ish raveling past the guard is hot glued on for mere decor, and doesn't take much of a beating to get something loose down there. Again, hot glue does the trick very well. Aside from minimal damage after a few water bottle beat-downs near the bottom past the guard, it held very well. PS: The blade was very oily when I got it and dull too. We're going to give it a sharper edge and a little bit of cleaning on the blade, and the thing would be as good as a semi-professional training blade. Best regards, An Amazon Customer.

Solid sword. Sharp edge. Everything in the description is accurate. Very pleased with the transaction. This is probably one of the best deals on the internet for a steel Katana of this quality. And... It looks awesome.

No me ha llegado desde hace meses , está detenido en Monterrey , pero no se el porque , o algo mas

Pleased with this product & service from this seller.

Super impressed, The steel is thick and this baby will not bend or break, it would be hard even if your intention was to do so, honestly this is quality for 100$ and would recommend it to anyone, much heavier than I expected. Very happy with it.

Arrived on time and as promised.