Charliebrown

Hi Michael, Greetings! Please to meet you. I train at the Toyama-Ryu Iaido Association in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong branch of Zen Nihon Toyama Ryu Remei. Would be happy to link up with you in the future! Charles

Hi All, Many thanks for the respectful guide and insights for my Shinken purchase. I respectfully agree with all of your points. I am here to learn, so I apologize beforehand if I seem a little amateur asking silly questions My school is the Toyama-Ryu school, where I practice. So, technically, we have an Iaito for Kata practice and a cutting sword for Tameshigiri Tatami Cutting (without bamboo core).. I do see my seniors practicing with their Shinken swords though. The sword I was concerned of had a Bo-Hi on it. As for sharpening, I ALWAYS and will ONLY send it to a professional in Japan for it. Even if it costs $$$$, oh, and yes, it costs a lot to maintain a blade nicely. I do not encourage people to sharpen their swords without the proper training and knowledge! (Replying to Michael) I understand that the price is a factor, and I also respect the culture and traditions. My sensei encourages me to practice with a Shinken eventually. As for timing, I am trying to learn more before my purchase and would love a visit to Japan just to do so (AND the best food haha). I have a few blades in my collection, so from a collector's point of view, I would love to learn more about blade geometry, performance, and its practical usages. Thanks for all the insights! Charles

Hi All, First of all, thank you for all the messages. The points you all have stated are sound. You are right, I should head over to Japan and get my hands on it and try it. Just an interesting post in regards to the thickness and the definition of kasane.

Hi Mark, Yes, good question. In terms of Length wise 71-72cm is recommended for me, as my sensei would suggest. My main concern is more on the geometry of the blade, as I might need some assistance and clarity on the thickness issue. The thinner it is, the lighter which is logical, but what about the uniform thickness of 0.5cm? How does that affect the balance and durability of the blade? Is it also suitable for cutting? Many thanks! Charles

Dear Nihonto Members, Greetings! I am a new member here, and I am in the midst of finding myself a good katana for Iaido practice. Even though I am around 5.10". I am comfortable with a katana blade length of 71 -72cm. I do know there are many factors to consider when looking for a particular katana for each purpose. Whether it's for shinken practice or just for display. I came across a katana with the following specs and was wondering if it's a good fit for Iaido practice. However, when I was looking at the overall geometry of the blade, it shows a uniform thickness of 5mm from the Moto-Kasane to Saki-Kasane. Is this normal? How does it affect the durability and cutting performance of the blade? Oh, and for reference, it also weighs around 900g with fittings on. What do you guys think? Can you help a brother out as I am trying to figure and do more research before my first purchase of a modern shinken for practice. Blade length(Cutting edge): 71.0cm Curve(SORI): 1.6cm Width at the hamachi(Moto-Haba): 3.14cm Thickness at the Moto-Kasane: 0.50cm Wide at the Kissaki(Saki-Haba): 2.70cm Thickness at the Saki-Kasane: 0.50cm Weight including handle: 900g approx* Looking forward to your positive replies! Many thanks! Charles

Here are some of the Bonji Characters. Anyone here know more about this?

Hi All, Here are so more photos for your reference. I will upload the bonji in the following part of this post. Enjoy! Charles

Yes! Thank you both for the kind words! Thank you for the correction, and I do understand the hassle of auto-correct. 😄 With that being said, heres a photo of the Tanto.

Hello Everyone, I just joined this forum and would like to introduce myself to you all. My passion lies in Fine antiques especially from Japan. I started collecting knives and all sorts until I bought my first late edo Tanto from Jumyo. Its a Ken Tanato ceremonial piece with Sand-script writings on it. I have since collected two more blades. One of them dated 1935 (Aug) showa period, by Kasama Shigetsugu The sword is a copy of Kanemitsu works from before. Another one is a Gendai Nihonto made by Enju Nobutsugu that copies the Minamoto Kiyomaro with an O-Kissaki, dated 1985 (Aug). Since then, the study and collection has been my main passion and I hope to learn more and know more like minded people! Thanks and have a great one! Cheers, Charles