At first this samurai sword is coming in a well packed wooden box, so not the the cardboard boxes which hanwei normally is using.

The specs for the Bamboo Mat katana from the piece I have checked.

Blade / Nagasa 72,74 cm
Handle / Tsuka  27,94 cm
Motohaba 3,3 cm
Sakihaba 2,55 cm
Motokasane 7.5 mm
Sakikasane 6 mm
Weight 2lbs 11.8 oz
POB 15,2 cm from the tsuba
Steel HWS-2S differentially hardened

The blade is the first thing I will look over. It has a geometric chu-kissaki which is always something I can appreciate. The O-choji hamon is really looking good and gives this blade an extra sentimental value. The shinogi Ji is mirror polished and gives a nice contrast. The shape is Shinogi-Zukuri with a strong sori and this creates a nice curve.

 The rayskin same covering the tsuka is really good quality from what I have seen and felt. You can see some nice big nodules on it. The Tsuka Ito is wrapped very tight with black cotton.

 
The menuki are made in golden sparrow theme. The Tsuba, Fuchi and Kashira are made of blackened iron. The Tsuba shows a woven bamboo mat and has some golden details. The Fuchi and Kashira matches the bamboo mat Tsuba theme.

The Saya is black with a nice black Sageo and is fitted with a buffalo horn Kuragata and  Koiguchi. The Katana I have checked had no rattle and the Habaki fits the Saya very well.

Like most Hanwei Swords this piece is well constructed and the parts are put well together. The katana feels very balanced and light for a full blade (no-Hi). The Tsuka feels real comfortable in my hand and looks very well. I have cut some tatami and they cuts were very clean. The fittings with gold is something you can like/dislike. But this most exciting is the awesome choji hamon, I really like this one. Also the geometric kissaki is very well made. I personally can recommend this beautifull piece to everyone who is looking for a katana who want to buy something beyond the enty-level katana’s.

The Hanwei Factory in Dalian is damaged due to a big fire on March 6. The damage destroyed buildings, equipment and fortunately, no human were involved. This causes a mayor effect on the product supply and this can effect the product delivery now in Europe. The general expectation is production level is back in Januari 2012, this forging has already begun again. To rebuild the factory has started already!

Soon will there be more on Huanuo Sword Art

The lines for now, will be HCS 1060, HCS 1095 and Chinese Tamahagane Steel, the products will differ in the style of polishing and treatment. (Hybrid- and traditional Hand-Polished) We also in future will sell Chinese Swords and Western Style Swords together with Japanese Styled wakizashi’s, O-katana’s, and tanto’s. We have developed the highest quality functional swords with geometric kissaki, Chu- and O-kissaki, custom fit tsuka’s, traditional Hand polish is with 7 japanese stones and some more new features.

So for more questions, please contact me or keep an eye on my website!

 www.katana-samurai-sword.com

 The blades are made from Tamahagane iron sand, the traditional ingredient of the real Japanese Sword. You can definitely say it is very unusual to use this material for a katana outside Japan. The Tamahagane Paper Crane Katana is sourced and made in China and due to those aspects Hanwei can make a Katana with a relatively low price. I understand the controversy if you may call this Samurai Sword made from Tamahagane because it is made in china but can surely admit it is made from the same raw material. They are using modern techniques like a powerhamer and less rituals. They made this functional sword with a Chinese Tatara (Japanese Steel smelter). This charcoal fired furnace produced this raw steel from iron stand and this is broken in parts and sorted in High and Low carbon pieces. They used the low carbon pieces for a shock absorbing mune (back – core steel) and the High Carbon pieces for a hard ha (edge- skin steel ) for functional use. The skinsteel is forged and folded 8 till 12 times, to remove slag inclusions, voids and make the steel more homogeneous. The Skin steel is wrapped around the Core steel and this is forged into a blade. Paul Chen’s ambition to make a traditional samurai sword for the lower and middle class are clearly in his range of products and it something I can appreciate.

But now let us see this tamahagane from the Hanwei Forge.

Overall look, Tsuka following the nagasa.

Here you can see the nice and excellent finished Tsuba. You can see the Paper Cranes flying on it

Tightly wrapped black silk Tsuka Ito.

Hanwei used Japanese stones for a traditional hand-polished blade.

Fittings i.c. kashira.

Nagasa (blade) with a gunome midare hamon in my opinion. You can see the hada (folded layers aka grain) in the hamon.

Geometric kissaki.

Menuki shows thespian masks.

Overall look

Tamahagane Paper Crane katana: video
 

 
You can check this nice paper crane tamahagane katana in my webshop.

Anyway,  I hope I maybe some day can welcome you!

Jordy Klaver

So in the practical Series you can find a new Practical Special Katana, this should answer some demands customers have nowadays.

 First let we see the general specifications and dimensions:

• High carbon forged blade
• Carbon %: 0.62-0.7
• Blade Steel Designation: 65 MN
• US Equivalent: 1566
• Quencing: Water
• Blade Edge: 58-62 HRC
• Blade Back: 38 – 42 HRC
• Differential Hardening
• Overall Length: 39″, 99,06 cm
• Blade Length ex. hababi: 69,5 cm
• Blade Length incl. hababi: 72,0 cm
• Totally disassemble
• Tsuka: 28,0 cm
• Motohaba: 3,0 cm
• Sakihaba: 2,1 cm
• Weight: 2lb 2oz, 956 gram

 This katana is made of hand forged High-Carbon steel and is differentially hardened using the traditional claying method. Of course this katana undergoes the acid bath treatment to make the hamon more visible which is a prominent aspect of the Hanwei katana’s. The Habaki perfectly fits the blade and doesn’t show any gap. The Blade does not have a Bo-Hi so this makes the blade very solid and gives less resistance while cutting a target. This Katana has a Shinogi-ji is mirror polishing and the Ji is rough polished, I personally like this contrast. The Kissaki is cosmetic but very proper made.

 The fittings (Kashira and Fuchi) are made of blackened iron and simple but very solid and they look okay.

The Ito (handle wrap) is made from suede and feels very tight and pleasant. The Practical Special Katana I checked had some little uneven diamonds in the Ito and  in my opinion this can be more precise. Unfortunately the Same underneath the Ito is also fake (synthetic same), this really isn’t very authentic. The Menuki is brass and shows the cherry blossom, a well-known theme.

They Tsuba is nice, a beautiful Musashi (Double Ring) which is very suitable for loosing weight. Also made from blackened iron and proper finished, it can do his job for sure.

The saya is black glossy and has a buffalo horn scabbard mouth (Koiguchi). The Habaki fits perfectly in the saya and doesn’t make an rattle inside.

So now we will see the differences between the Practical Special katana (SH2376) and the “common” Practical katana (SH1070) from Hanwei.

The two share the same thickness but the blade is 1,5 narrower at the habaki (Moto-Haba). This practical Special katana feels very light, it really is extraordinary. This Katana is really  quick and manoeuvrable. I used some light targets and this katana stand this test without any problems. This katana is really designed for light targets with multiple cuts.

You can disassemble the practical special katana and this is a big benefit. The Nakago (tang) is mounted with Mekugi (Bamboo Pegs) so not glued like the practical katana. So now you can check very well your blade and replace the Tsuba very easily.

The hamon is not straight but wavy, this makes an entire new blade and gives a new sight.

The Menuki is brass instead of plastic and this is more authentic.

Conclusion:

This katana certainly is more authentic and feels very well while using. The antiqued iron  fittings are also very nice.  It is a big improvement they now have a disassemble katana in this price range. Unfortunately it is a pity they used fake Same for this practical special katana. It is an excellent light katana for a reasonable price. You can check them out in my webshop: www.katana-samurai-sword.com.

Most people are excited about the Ninja Swords which are off course in many Ninja Movies and Ninja Games and maybe was their first contact with Martial Arts. I will not go more deeply in the dispute about their authentic historically relevance but will only try to find about their quality.

So which Ninja Swords will we check? I have chosen between the Kouga Ninja-to, Iga Ninja-To and the Practical Shinobi Ninja-To (black same) and have a closer look at them.

Hanwei Practical Shinobi Ninja-To -  SH2268

•  Hand Forged High-Carbon Steel Blade (1095 High Carbon Steel)
• Differential Tempering
• Antiqued Black Iron Fittings
• Synthetic Same Handle Wrapping
• Covered with Imitation Black Leather
• Black Japanese Cotton Sageo
• Weight: 706 gram
• Blade Length ex. Habaki 58,7 cm
• Blade with Habaki 61,2 cm
• Handle Length: 26,0 cm
• Saya Length: 68,5 cm
• Overall length: 87,2 cm
• Width at Base: 2,7 cm
• With at tip: 2,0 cm

 Hanwei Kouga NinjaTo – SH2430

•  Hand Forged High-Carbon steel blade (1095 High Carbon Steel)
• Differential Tempering
• High quality fittings
• Battle wrap tsuka
• Real Same (rayskin)
• Black Japanese Cotton Ito and Sageo
• Weight: 2lb 3oz, 985 gram
• Blade Length ex. Habaki 55,6 cm
• Blade with Habaki 58,3 cm
• Handle Length: 28,0 cm
• Saya Length with spike: 69 cm
• Overall length: 86,3 cm
• Width at Base: 3,0 cm
• With at tip: 2,1 cm

 Iga Ninja-To from Hanwei – SH2431

•  Hand Forged high-carbon steel blade (1095 High Carbon Steel)
• Differential Tempering
• High quality fittings
• Rattan wrapped saya
• Weight:985 gram, 2lb 3oz
• Blade Length ex. Habaki 55,7 cm
• Blade with Habaki 58,4 cm
• Handle Length: 27,5 cm
• Saya Length with spike: 65 cm
• Overall length: 85,9 cm
• Width at Base: 3,2 cm
• With at tip: 2,2 cm

So all Ninja-To from Cas Hanwei  (Paul Chen) are made from 1095 High Carbon steel. (1095 reflects the carbon content of the steel). This High Carbon steel is very suitable for Swords due to their excellent properties. The Ninja Swords are differentially heat treated in the traditional style with clay treatment, resulting in a hardened edge for cutting and edge-holding capabilities. Also a softer body (core) for impact absorption and shock and stress tolerance. The clay treatment and heat treating process causes a hamon (temper line).

The first thing what differs from the Shinobi Ninja-To and Kouga/Iga Ninja To are the packing materials. The Shinobi Ninja-To is packed in the classic polystyrene foam Hanwei box with a wrapper. The Kouga and Iga Ninja To are packed in a carton box with foam.  Inside the are packed  in their swordbags and a plastic bag.

 So when we take them out off their packaging all the swords in my opinion really have quality overall look and Hanwei’s trial to develop a Ninja Sword are well done.

The second big difference between the Practical Shinobi Ninja-To and Kouga and Iga Ninja-To off course is the temperline. The Practical Shinobi Ninja-To has a straight hamon and the Kouga and Iga Ninja-To have a wavy hamon. All of them have the standard Hanwei frosty hamon (acid etched) so you cannot see the original temperline but they all show a nice prominent hamon.

The third big difference is the tsuka. You cannot disassemble this Pracital Shinobi Ninja-To so the nakago is glued into the Tsuka. The Kouga and Iga Ninto are mounted with traditional bamboo mekugi (pegs) so you can disassemble this Ninja Sword for maintenance. The Same (rayksin) underneath the Ito is real for the Kouga and Iga Ninja-To. The Pracital Shinobi NinjaTo Same is fake and synthetic and the Ito (handle wrap) is synthetic suede. The Kouga and Iga Ninja To Ito is made off Japanese cotton.  The Ito feels tight and feels fine for all of them. The Practical Shinobi Ninja-To shows a nice menuki, which presents a Buddhist three pronged trident. The Iga Ninja-To both have a traditional wrap and shows Clouds and Sun and Moon Menuki. I really like the finishing touch of both of them. The Kouga Ninja Tsuba is blackened iron and shows  the Kouga Mon and pierced Kanji. Kanji are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese writing system.

I really like the tsuba’s from all Hanwei Ninja-To’s. They are all made off black iron and really makes a nice Koshirae.  The Practical Shinobi shows a Tsuba in the classical square ‘Ninja’ hand guard style, it really is a nice ttribute Ninja sword mystical traditions and shows ‘secret’ hand positions (kuji-kiri) used in what is effectively Japanese magic. The Tsuba from the Iga Ninja-To shows a Iga mon and wave motif and feels very solid.  The Kouga Ninja-to tsuba features the Kouga Mon and pierced Kanji. Kanji are Chinese Characters that are used in the modern Japanese Writing System. The Habaki and Seppa (spacer betweeen tsuba, tsuka and blade) are brass and looks attractive. The Ninja-To’s which are checked by me did not show any play and feels very tight.  

All the blades have same thinkness: +/- 6 mm the pieces I have seen, so they all are appropriate for light tameshigiri. The difference tip of the blades are very different from the Shinobi and Iga and Kouga Ninja To. The Shinobi has a stubby point of the blade and the Kouga and Iga Ninja-To has middle sized round point. The back flat section of the blade is polished in fine mirror finish and clearly defined from the middle section.

They Saya are also very attractive for all of them, the Practical Shinobi Ninja has a mystic demon head and nice finish. The Iga and Kouga both have a spike which are basicly weapons also. You can see them all in my webshop with some more pictures and movies, check ‘m out at www.katana-samurai-sword.com.

By the way I must mention specs will slightly vary from piece by piece.

 Practical Shinobi Ninja-To

 Kouga Ninja-To

 Iga Ninja-To

I wanted a solid and beefy blade for my cutting training and for my “shadow” gekken or Iaido Kata’s.

A sword to train sequence of tameshigiri. When my level will be sufficient, I will use my MAS from Yong Soo Park.
But for training Tameshigiri I found it with the Hanwei Practical Plus Elite!

The sword, out of box, is very nice. It gives a good impression of force and elegance. The saya is not lacquered, and I like it. I like lacquered ones only in more expensive swords, with a fine handmade lacquer. For me, it’s better a modest thing that a boorish lacquered thing how I saw in many other sword in this price range. The inside of the saya is made so and so, with a no snug fit and the risk that the katana fall out if turned upside down. Best thing is the koiguchi, often not present in the other sword of this price range.
The sageo is unwrapped: that is the best thing for me. First, because in another swords, with wrapped sageo, when I untied it, the lacquered saya was damaged: do other suplliers wrap the sageo on the “fresh paint” ? Second, because I’m buying a sword, this sword, for practice and not for collection. Certainly, first or last, I’ll buy a sageo made by a better cotton than this!

The tsuka is wood wrapped with real rayskin, tsukamaki is done with a good black cotton ito. It gives a very good sensation when handling the tsuka: you can feel the handle that follows the nakago curve: it’s incredible for a middle budget sword of this price.
Also a nice feeling tsuka is fundamental for who like me are looking for intense practice sword!!
The only problem I find (like on all not Japanese originals), is that the Tsuka it’s too long. About 22 or 24 cm. is my favourite measure.
A very fine “sunburst” tsuba and traditional fittings complete the sword. I like very much the “sunburst” tsuba !!

The blade transmits a striking image of power !! The blade is razorsharp, with an elegant and sinuous line united to an impression of wild power. There’s no bo-hi, that’s how I want it to be in a good cutter, but it doesn’t feel heavy at all. The back of this blade is nice polished. The etched hamon is, for me, too evident: the acid etching is too artificial looking. The kissaki is defined, coming to a razor sharp point that would be useful for stabbing. Even on the boshi. The acid etched hamon is too evident. The blade length is perfect, also perfect is the point of balance: I feel the blade, I feel its inner power, I work with simplicity the inertia strength during the kesa and gyakukesa giri. All in all, I am very impressed by the quality of the blade. In fact, while I’m doing tameshigri, the blade flies away and pounces on the target cutting and cutting and cutting.

My conclusion.
An excellent sword for practice, with a very competive price when compared to not only the other similar swords but also the more expensive ones. Naturally more expensive swords comes with a better koshirae, but seldom they comes with a better blade !
If You want a collection sword …. spend more money and buy another, more expensive, sword. But If you are a martial artist, and if You are looking for a weapon for your training and your tameshigiri, the Hanwei PP Elite is good for you.
For me, this is the perfect sword for a medium level martial artist or for an artist who, already owner of an important sword, needs a very efficient blade to support his work.
Also I need to give a big appreciation for the courtesy and the professionalism of www.katana-samurai-sword.com.

Tiziano Santambrogio. Italy
Asian arts of fighting and wellness expert; Gestalt counselor

Basicly Davenport and Bain discovered in 1920’s this new steel microstructure and they gave it a name: marensive-troostite, due to it being intermediate between the already known low-temperature martensite phase and what was then known as troostite (now fine-pearlite).

Bain’s colleagues at the United States Steel Corporation called it Bainite and the scientific community took up this name in 1947. They also discovered the two distinct forms upper- and lower range bainite.

Hanwei took over those theories and so they have not to learn it from anybody.  Paul Chen cum suis just put the theory into practice and experiment with the materials until they had perfected the process. They blades at Hanwei are made from genuine L6 tool steel and the blades are forged and shaped in the normal way, then carefully heat treated to achieve the required Bainite and Martensite structures before final polishing. Rough billet shaping is done with an air hammer but the blade is held in the hands of the smith at all times. The blade is not folded during forging. Both the blade and edge will need to be tempered after quenching. Hanwei’s tempers the blade in 300 c for 2 hours and tempers the edge in 200 c for 2 hours. They quench the blade in nitrate and quench the edge in oil. The acid used in the baths is sulphuric acid to make the hamon more visible.

Geometry adjustments, basic shaping and rough polishing is done with various types of grinding, sanding and polishing machines but at all times the blade is held in the hand.  The grinding and polishing machines are fairly basic items that sit on benches, like those we might have in our own workshops at home, and are not huge industrial machines.  The blade is always held in the hand during the whole grinding and polishing process and at no point is it fed into a machine or fixed into a machine. No CNC machinery is used.  Final polishing is done by hand using both modern ’sand’ papers and traditional stones.

So finally Bainite is a structure of high-carbon steel that combines great strength with excellent flexibility and shock absorption characteristics. It has been known as an exemplary Katana blade component for a number of years but its use has been restricted to a few top-class master smiths, due to the difficulties involved in performing the exacting heat treatment procedures necessary for the production of a Bainite blade body in combination with the very hard Martensite Yakiba (edge section) required for Katana blades.

In this steel quality they have made two katana’s the Praying Mantis katana and the Oni Katana.

The praying mantis katana is made in Shobu Zukuri Style, it is very nice and this style has no yokote line (a line vertically from the edge of the sword to define the tip of the sword). The tsuba, fuchi and kashira shows a praying mantis, which is a symbol of cunning and power in Japanese culture and is consequently a highly respected theme in Samurai swords.  The katana has a Bo-Hi and makes this katana much lighter so easier to handle. So off course also it is a real cutter. Personally I like a lot the contrast between the dark copper and golden accents. The proportion is more standard 29/11 compared to the Oni Katana 29/14. The Sword Weight: 1.130 grams and has a Chu-Kissaki. The ito is green silk and the length of Blade is 73,6.6 cm

The Oni Katana are mythical creatures from Japanese folklore similar to western demons or trolls. In modern culture they are beginning to move away from this menacing connotation into the role of guardian or protector, similar in character to gargoyles. Their power and ferocity, however, have not diminished. There is a Japanese saying which translates to “Oni with an iron club”, or to be of an invincible nature, a fitting association with the 29” L6/Bainite blade on which our Oni Katana is built. The blade features the geometry of our Performance Series for outstanding cutting ability. The 14” tsuka is wrapped in black ray skin and silk ito while the Koshirae feature Oni in various classical styles. A unique combination of folklore and functionality. The Tsuka is little long in my opinion and has no Hi. The katana is an extremely cutter and looks pretty nice. This katana is a bit heavy in my view. The Oni has Yokote and the Tsuka is little fatter than the Mantis. Both the katana’s has a nice and prominent Hamon.  The Sword Geometry is Shinogi-Zukuri and has a Chu-Kissaki. The sword weight is +/- 1.275 grams and the Ito is black Silk.  The length of Blade is 73,66 cm. BTW in movie I mentioned forge-folded that is not correct!

Good luck finding a good katana!

Jordy Klaver
www.katana-samurai-sword.com