Real katana not sharp?

[Jason_D]

Hello , every katana i have held in my hand is not sharp (i pass my hand throught the blade and it isnt sharp at all). I stumbled upon a youtube video where they cut straws (tameshigiri i think it was called) and the katana seemed to do perfect in cutting perfomance.Is there anything wrong with all the katana i have held or is this how they are supposed to be?

 

As always , thank you for the information.

[Shamsy]

Probably wouldn't state that you touch the blades with your hands here.

[Jason_D]

Probably wouldn't state that you touch the blades with your hands here.

 

I always clean it up if you are worried about rust.If there is any other reason not to touch it , please educate me.

 

Thank you for the information.

[PNSSHOGUN]

It is sharp enough, remember it is nearly a 1kg blade being swung at high speeds with all force concentrated onto that edge. The Japanese sword was made for cutting people with clothes, armour etc etc, not paper.

[Jason_D]

It is sharp enough, remember it is nearly a 1kg being swung at high speeds with all force concentrated onto that edge. The sword were made for cutting people with clothes, armour etc etc, not paper.

 

Great answer , thank you.

[Ken-Hawaii]

I have several Nihonto that I could shave with, but not all.

 

The "straw cutting" is indeed tameshigiri, & almost always uses modern shinken that are specially made. Not something you would want to use Nihonto to cut.

[Bruce Pennington]

Jason,

What kind of sword is it? Something from WWII?

[raaay]

Jason ,

 

lots of reasons why you don't touch any blades with your hands it leaves permanent finger prints etc. just for starters  + talking over the blades also leaves microscopic water droplets that cause rust and marks that are difficulty to remove if the blade is not cleaned properly . 

 

see help FAQ above for more information.  

[Brian]

Swords aren't "sharpened" as such. It is a by-product of the polishing stage. So if a sword is out of polish, it is likely also not at its optimum sharpness.
And since it costs several thousand $'s to polish a sword properly, most leave them as is, in a semi-sharp state. It is not the most important thing in a Nihonto anyways, although the state of polish is one of them.

[Jason_D]

Jason,

What kind of sword is it? Something from WWII?

 

One is the ww2 kai kunto you have seen here.The second one goes back years ago (i was a little kid) , it was love at first sight. My father (he is a collector also) says it was a Kanezane sword.I took the sword secretly and i hit a plastic action man toy i had with not the expected results i had as a kid (cut it cleanely) , then my target became the couch in the house , which the result was a cut on the couch but not deep enough.Having seen this two swords i had this question , how did the samurai cut down people with armour when i couldnt cut a plastic toy or make a deep cut throught the couch.Now , dont blame me , i was just a kid that wanted to play samurai , now i respect and honour the items i have in my possesion like a treasure.Thats my story and how i came to ask this question about the sharpness.

 

Below is the result on the couch...

 

[Jason_D]

Swords aren't "sharpened" as such. It is a by-product of the polishing stage. So if a sword is out of polish, it is likely also not at its optimum sharpness.

And since it costs several thousand $'s to polish a sword properly, most leave them as is, in a semi-sharp state. It is not the most important thing in a Nihonto anyways, although the state of polish is one of them.

 

Does anyone sharpen old samurai blades today? I think that will destroy the swords collectibility and value.

[Jason_D]

Jason ,

 

lots of reasons why you don't touch any blades with your hands it leaves permanent finger prints etc. just for starters  + talking over the blades also leaves microscopic water droplets that cause rust and marks that are difficulty to remove if the blade is not cleaned properly . 

 

see help FAQ above for more information.  

 

Very usefull info , will keep it in mind.

 

Thank you ray.

[vajo]

I have made a Katana from wood for my son. As is made it i made a sharp wood edge and a sharp tip because with his 11 years he want cut something with it. You can not image how sharp wood can be. After he played around in the garden destroying carton and bushes i was going to make it unsharp. It was to dangerous.

[dwmc]

https://katana-atoz.com/wazamono/

 

 

Dave M.

[Jason_D]

I have made a Katana from wood for my son. As is made it i made a sharp wood edge and a sharp tip because with his 11 years he want cut something with it. You can not image how sharp wood can be. After he played around in the garden destroying carton and bushes i was going to make it unsharp. It was to dangerous.

I find it difficult to believe that wood can do that much , but ill take your word on it , i trust you

[Jason_D]

https://katana-atoz.com/wazamono/

 

Thank you Dave , great article , i had heard that they tested swords on bodies of prisoners lined up.

 

Dave M.

[RichardP]

Aw man, that would make for a great saidan-mei: “On Tenpo 14, cut through two sofas and a barcalounger.”

[ChrisW]

Aw man, that would make for a great saidan-mei: “On Tenpo 14, cut through two sofas and a barcalounger.”

Yes, this please. The two sofa-cut test.

[RichardP]

Yes, this please. The two sofa-cut test.

[ChrisW]

This should be a T-Shirt with the Kanji on the back.

[Dave R]

Not Nihonto, but the urge dates to a long way back.

[Oshy]

Hi Jason,

 

The cutting potential is unlocked with proper technique. At the highest level, its the slicing motion as opposed to a baseball bat swing that really helps get through the target cleanly. The blade geometry and target material has an impact as well. Certain blades are better suited or even purpose built to cut certain materials (tatami vs bamboo for example).

 

Thanks,

[Jason_D]

Hi Jason,

 

The cutting potential is unlocked with proper technique. At the highest level, its the slicing motion as opposed to a baseball bat swing that really helps get through the target cleanly. The blade geometry and target material has an impact as well. Certain blades are better suited or even purpose built to cut certain materials (tatami vs bamboo for example).

 

Thanks,

Thank you Oshy , so its basically a matter of technique also.

[Ken-Hawaii]

The technique term you're looking for is "hasuji." The sound associated with good hasuji is "tachikaze."

[Jason_D]

The technique term you're looking for is "hasuji." The sound associated with good hasuji is "tachikaze."

Thank you for the information , its nice learning new terms.

[Dave R]

 Follow this link for more on the subject of "sharpness". http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/sharpness.html

[Bruce Pennington]

And since we're on the "sharpness" topic, you also have the peacetime/wartime regulation:

 

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/sharpening-dulling-blades-were-taken-granted-675938/

 

I doubt your kaigunto falls into this category. The peacetime window was a narrow window and your kai would have been made after that.

[Jason_D]

 Follow this link for more on the subject of "sharpness". http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/sharpness.html

 

 

And since we're on the "sharpness" topic, you also have the peacetime/wartime regulation:

 

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/Japanese-militaria/sharpening-dulling-blades-were-taken-granted-675938/

 

I doubt your kaigunto falls into this category. The peacetime window was a narrow window and your kai would have been made after that.

Thank you Dave and Bruce.Very usefull info.