Torawashi
November 9th, 2008, 04:04 AM
This is not a new sword for me but I have noticed an interest by some in Ryumon's products so I thought i'd do a review on this one. I don't do pictures so you can view it on Jason's SOM website but let me tell you the pictures don't half do it justice.
This sword is something special. I have one other Ryumon (the Shogun katana) so I was expecting good quality but this one beat all my expectations. First off, the sword: the blade is very sharp and well forged, with bo-hi. the hamon appears to be real and unetched. very well polished and finished. it has a medium kissaki....not the short one nor the super long spear point. Now for the koshirae: extremely well done on mine.....the tsuba is iron with an antiqued finish as are the menuki and fuchi/kashira......they are finished to look like oxidized metal, a slightly greenish cast and very attractive.....makes the sword look like an authentic antique. the same is of course genuine and it is well wrapped in high quality brown cotton (not the fuzzy stuff). it is double pegged. Now to the saya: this is what was intended to make it a showpiece.....the saya is lightweight and flat black, though not textured. the dragon scene is first carved into the wood of the saya and then hand painted in color. the work is beautiful. the sageo is very thick and high quality fabric, but I don't know whether it's cotton or silk....very nice though. what's that you say?? does it cut? Yes sir buddy it cuts.....it's a backyard cutting devil. this sword exceeded all my expectations and is a great addition to my collection. I highly recommend it. By the way, her name is Umi Ryu (Ocean Dragon).
This sword is something special. I have one other Ryumon (the Shogun katana) so I was expecting good quality but this one beat all my expectations. First off, the sword: the blade is very sharp and well forged, with bo-hi. the hamon appears to be real and unetched. very well polished and finished. it has a medium kissaki....not the short one nor the super long spear point. Now for the koshirae: extremely well done on mine.....the tsuba is iron with an antiqued finish as are the menuki and fuchi/kashira......they are finished to look like oxidized metal, a slightly greenish cast and very attractive.....makes the sword look like an authentic antique. the same is of course genuine and it is well wrapped in high quality brown cotton (not the fuzzy stuff). it is double pegged. Now to the saya: this is what was intended to make it a showpiece.....the saya is lightweight and flat black, though not textured. the dragon scene is first carved into the wood of the saya and then hand painted in color. the work is beautiful. the sageo is very thick and high quality fabric, but I don't know whether it's cotton or silk....very nice though. what's that you say?? does it cut? Yes sir buddy it cuts.....it's a backyard cutting devil. this sword exceeded all my expectations and is a great addition to my collection. I highly recommend it. By the way, her name is Umi Ryu (Ocean Dragon).