Justice
October 23rd, 2007, 05:52 PM
Out of the box
I purchased a Paul Chen Tori katana a few months ago simply because I have found the fittings on the blade very attractive. When I received the sword (it was not a SofM purchase so I won't disclose the retailer) I was very pleased by what I got.
My initial reaction was, "Damn, this is a big blade." At first I thought I was sent a Tori XL by mistake. However I personally checked the blade measurements and verified it was indeed the Standard. For me, this was perhaps the biggest disappointment in the entire sword. While I was expecting a wider cutting blade, I was not expecting it to be THIS wide. I'll specify the measurements later.
Koshirae
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori1.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori4.jpg
However there were many things that actually caught my attention as being specifically well done. The koshirae set on the Tori is particularly well done. The steel fittings have a deep brown patinated finish to them that is quite attractive. The tsuba is of mokko-gata shape, a popular shape that somewhat resembles a four leaf clover (some tsuba went as far as to completely copy that shape, but it is doubtful the Japanese knew the Irish significance of a four leaf clover). The tsuba features a tsuru, or crane flying above water with reeds growing on the bank. Because Bugei has the "Crane" katana, and Paul Chen was already making the "Tsuru Iaito", I guess their only choice was to simply call this the "bird" katana.
The Saya
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori6.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori7.jpg
The saya was particularly well done. The buffalo horn koiguchi (thoat) was a high quality dark brownish horn as opposed to the typical lacquered over horn most Paul Chen blades have. The horn then gracefully transitions into a spiral wrapped rattan. Rattan is most often used in binding a damaged or cracked saya. However many samurai liked the style even without any damage. The Dotanuki sword in "Lone Wolf and Cub" has an entirely spiral wrapped rattan saya.
The rattan was nicely sanded and shaped and lacquered over very well in a smooth gloss black rattan. There were several rough spots between the rattan binding, but they were unoticeable unless searching for them. For the most part the rattan was almost perfectly executed.
The lower section of the saya was brown lacquered in an ishime or "stone" finish. It is a flat brown with a speckled texture finish that would sever well for a Samurai out in the rough. A gloss lacquer finish scratches and mars easily, a flat finish does much better for a traveling Samurai. The brown and black rattan combo of the saya strikes a very beautiful contrast, especially for people tired of an all black gloss saya. My only change for the saya would have been adding a steel kojiri (end cap) to the end of the saya in a Tori theme, but this is my personal idea. The buffalo horn already on it serves perfectly well.
The Tsuka
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori4.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori2.jpg
The tsuka of the Tori is also well designed. It has an ever so slighty waisted tsuka in Rikko style. While it is very slight, the waisting might be more apparent with a silk wrap instead of the suede leather it has because suede is very thick. The tsukamaki, as mentioned done in a brown suede, is actually fairly well done. it isn't the nicest tsukamaki I have ever seen on a Paul Chen sword, but it is nice nonetheless. The diamonds are fairly well shaped and consistent in size. The main feature of a tsukamaki is to be tight, which I would rate it a 7 out of 10 in tightness. Most of the maki was done very tight, but a few areas were slightly loose. However loose leather has less give than loose silk, seeing that leather doesn't have threading that can be easily shifted like silk. For the most part the tsuka has no compromise and would be ready for tameshigiri practice. Also, on the ura side of the tsuka the ito was tied a little sloppy when creating the ura side knot. Leather is a little harder than silk to manipulate though.
The same-kawa (stingray skin) is actually decent quality. not the highest quality Paul Chen has used (that honor goes to the Kami katana) but decently sized nodes with the emperor node (the largest of the group) present. An emperor node is always a welcome sign because it denotes a choice of high grade materials. Most of the Paul Chen swords do not have emperor nodes like those in the forged and practical series. usually only the folded steel blades use this quality of materials. Of course the emperor node doesn't have any functional quality, it just lets you know the choicest part of the rayskin was used. The same was sort of matte black lacquer coated. A gloss black often times looks classier and would have matched the saya rattan better.
The menuki on the Tori are kabuto (war helmets). The fuchi and kashira are done in the same theme as the tsuba, reeds over water. My only complaint about the new Paul Chen swords is that they are not using shitodome anymore. Shitodome are the small brass insets that go in the kashira that help protect the tsuka ito from being damaged during use. There isn't much chance of that with most kashira, but at the least they are a nice aesthetic touch.
The blade
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori8.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori9.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori10.jpg
As I mentioned, I felt the blade was slightly too wide. The blade measured about 1.37 inches at the motohaba (where the habaki is) and 1.08 inches wide at the sakihaba (where the kissaki starts). This is a slightly progressive taper, but I felt it should have been scaled down slightly more. Say, 1.3 inches at the motohaba and .9 inches at the sakihaba. This would have still been a very wide blade, but with a higher degree of taper. I honestly though I had a XL blade when I first got it, but the XL katana has a 1.44 inch wide blade at the habaki which is even wider still...
However, despite being slightly too wide for my personal tastes, this was still a nicely shaped and executed blade. The overall polish of the katana was quite good, it strikes a beautiful chord between having a visible jihada (folded steel pattern) but still not being too showy. Too many sword makers think a damascus steel looking folded blade is an asset to their product, but the ultra vast majority of traditional Japanese nihonto (antique japanese swords) have very subtle folded steel. Sometimes it almost looks like they were trying to hide the fact it's folded. Anyways, the jihada is a well polished mokume style hada (wood burl). The blade seems a tad over 1/4 of an inch thick, and has a fairly agressive distal taper to slightly over 1/8th of an inch near the yokote.
The hamon was well executed and very evenly etched, but my problem with the hamon is that it is too cookie cutter. the hamon is an undulating "notare" style hamon pattern. Most of the Paul Chen swords have this style hamon. Although it is a beautiful pattern if done right, the notare hamon is particularly unsophisticated, much better suited for a simpler mono-steel blade or a practical series blade. Some of the newer Paul Chen katanas like on the Shinto katana have a very vibrant and exciting midare-choji hamon pattern which is perhaps the single most beautiful hamon pattern I have seen from Paul Chen. Even a straight (suguha) hamon pattern would have been a welcome change to the Tori.
The shinogi was well polished on the Tori. There were several areas that exhibited ware (pronounced wahr-ey) which are open areas in the folded steel pattern. Although many people complain and gripe about ware, the vast majority of it is uncalled for. Hand made pieces are always susceptible to flaws, and ware is one of them. Many nihonto exhibit ware as well. Laminating the steel to form the folded pattern is much harder than people imagine, often times tiny gaps will form unbeknownst to the forger until the polish begins. To me it is an unacceptable double standard for a collector to decry ware in a production sword while surpassing (or even in some cases complimenting) ware in nihonto or custom swords because they show "the beauty of a hand forged and polished blade by a custom smith". Seems to me a flaw is a flaw. Ware for the most part do not effect the sword in functionality. it could be compared to damaged paint on an otherwise well working car. Most ware is only 100ths or even 1000ths of an inch deep.
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori11.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori12.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori13.jpg
The yokote (kissaki line) is actually a real geometry change, which is the proper way to create the kissaki region. Most production katana simply polish in a kissaki, the yokote is supposed to be the area where the blade tapers to the point. The habaki is typical for a Paul Chen katana. For the nicer ones like these, a double habaki like the Kami or maybe a solid silver one like the Tsuru, Gorin, and Oni katanas might make the sword feel more valuable. After all, the Tori is much more expensive than those blades except the Oni.
For the most part, the Tori katana is an exceptional blade. However, as is my preference, the blade is slightly wider than it should be in my opinion.
Overall Handling
The Tori was a very light and well balanced blade, especially for the size. maybe this is why I couldn't get used to it, it felt like a blade that should have more mass and weight, but ended up being quite light. it is by no means an aluminum iaito, but it had an odd feel. The reason for this is that the blade has no niku (literally "meat"). The blade is quite flat and doesn't thicken towards the shinogi ji (ridge line) like many Paul Chen katanas do. Although blades with little to no niku are excellent mat cutters, they also aren't the most durable katanas in the world. Many people have bent Standard and XL blades and thought they got a poor or inferior product. Actually, the skill of the cutter is what dictates bending a katana on a bad cut. And wide as the XL series is, without niku they are still easy to bend.
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori14.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori15.jpg
However, for what it is, the Tori was a very enjoyable blade to handle. Not a lot of exertion is needed, and for an experienced cutter it would handle goza or tatami very well because of the incredibly sharp and wide blade. These "Kotetsu" style competition cutters are indeed a nice addition to the Paul Chen line. They provide tools for the modern day practitioner to develop their skills with. Although blades with no niku wouldn't have lasted long against flesh and bone, no one today (hopefully!) will never have the need to use it on such a target, so tatami is probably the only thing they will ever encounter.
As of such, I would give the Tori a hearty recommendation. It is a very pretty blade, one I wouldn't mar by cutting with it, but one I wouldn't hesitate to use if I had the inclination.
Overall Aesthetics 8/10. A very pleasing sword. Could have used shitodome.
Handling 8/10. Lighter than it should be, but still has a presence.
Cutting ability 0/0 (did not cut with)
Value (based on average sale price) 7/10. More expensive than other folded blades, but a good value overall.
Tsukamaki 7/10. Could have been tighter in spots. The ura knot was a little sloppy.
Tsuka fit 9/10. The rosewood tsuka was a tight fit on the nakago.
Saya fit 8/10. Very little rattle and a tight grip at the habaki.
Quality of materials 8/10. For the price, higher quality rayskin could have been used, but overall it was good.
My rating 8/10. Recommended.
I purchased a Paul Chen Tori katana a few months ago simply because I have found the fittings on the blade very attractive. When I received the sword (it was not a SofM purchase so I won't disclose the retailer) I was very pleased by what I got.
My initial reaction was, "Damn, this is a big blade." At first I thought I was sent a Tori XL by mistake. However I personally checked the blade measurements and verified it was indeed the Standard. For me, this was perhaps the biggest disappointment in the entire sword. While I was expecting a wider cutting blade, I was not expecting it to be THIS wide. I'll specify the measurements later.
Koshirae
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori1.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori4.jpg
However there were many things that actually caught my attention as being specifically well done. The koshirae set on the Tori is particularly well done. The steel fittings have a deep brown patinated finish to them that is quite attractive. The tsuba is of mokko-gata shape, a popular shape that somewhat resembles a four leaf clover (some tsuba went as far as to completely copy that shape, but it is doubtful the Japanese knew the Irish significance of a four leaf clover). The tsuba features a tsuru, or crane flying above water with reeds growing on the bank. Because Bugei has the "Crane" katana, and Paul Chen was already making the "Tsuru Iaito", I guess their only choice was to simply call this the "bird" katana.
The Saya
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori6.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori7.jpg
The saya was particularly well done. The buffalo horn koiguchi (thoat) was a high quality dark brownish horn as opposed to the typical lacquered over horn most Paul Chen blades have. The horn then gracefully transitions into a spiral wrapped rattan. Rattan is most often used in binding a damaged or cracked saya. However many samurai liked the style even without any damage. The Dotanuki sword in "Lone Wolf and Cub" has an entirely spiral wrapped rattan saya.
The rattan was nicely sanded and shaped and lacquered over very well in a smooth gloss black rattan. There were several rough spots between the rattan binding, but they were unoticeable unless searching for them. For the most part the rattan was almost perfectly executed.
The lower section of the saya was brown lacquered in an ishime or "stone" finish. It is a flat brown with a speckled texture finish that would sever well for a Samurai out in the rough. A gloss lacquer finish scratches and mars easily, a flat finish does much better for a traveling Samurai. The brown and black rattan combo of the saya strikes a very beautiful contrast, especially for people tired of an all black gloss saya. My only change for the saya would have been adding a steel kojiri (end cap) to the end of the saya in a Tori theme, but this is my personal idea. The buffalo horn already on it serves perfectly well.
The Tsuka
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori4.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori2.jpg
The tsuka of the Tori is also well designed. It has an ever so slighty waisted tsuka in Rikko style. While it is very slight, the waisting might be more apparent with a silk wrap instead of the suede leather it has because suede is very thick. The tsukamaki, as mentioned done in a brown suede, is actually fairly well done. it isn't the nicest tsukamaki I have ever seen on a Paul Chen sword, but it is nice nonetheless. The diamonds are fairly well shaped and consistent in size. The main feature of a tsukamaki is to be tight, which I would rate it a 7 out of 10 in tightness. Most of the maki was done very tight, but a few areas were slightly loose. However loose leather has less give than loose silk, seeing that leather doesn't have threading that can be easily shifted like silk. For the most part the tsuka has no compromise and would be ready for tameshigiri practice. Also, on the ura side of the tsuka the ito was tied a little sloppy when creating the ura side knot. Leather is a little harder than silk to manipulate though.
The same-kawa (stingray skin) is actually decent quality. not the highest quality Paul Chen has used (that honor goes to the Kami katana) but decently sized nodes with the emperor node (the largest of the group) present. An emperor node is always a welcome sign because it denotes a choice of high grade materials. Most of the Paul Chen swords do not have emperor nodes like those in the forged and practical series. usually only the folded steel blades use this quality of materials. Of course the emperor node doesn't have any functional quality, it just lets you know the choicest part of the rayskin was used. The same was sort of matte black lacquer coated. A gloss black often times looks classier and would have matched the saya rattan better.
The menuki on the Tori are kabuto (war helmets). The fuchi and kashira are done in the same theme as the tsuba, reeds over water. My only complaint about the new Paul Chen swords is that they are not using shitodome anymore. Shitodome are the small brass insets that go in the kashira that help protect the tsuka ito from being damaged during use. There isn't much chance of that with most kashira, but at the least they are a nice aesthetic touch.
The blade
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori8.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori9.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori10.jpg
As I mentioned, I felt the blade was slightly too wide. The blade measured about 1.37 inches at the motohaba (where the habaki is) and 1.08 inches wide at the sakihaba (where the kissaki starts). This is a slightly progressive taper, but I felt it should have been scaled down slightly more. Say, 1.3 inches at the motohaba and .9 inches at the sakihaba. This would have still been a very wide blade, but with a higher degree of taper. I honestly though I had a XL blade when I first got it, but the XL katana has a 1.44 inch wide blade at the habaki which is even wider still...
However, despite being slightly too wide for my personal tastes, this was still a nicely shaped and executed blade. The overall polish of the katana was quite good, it strikes a beautiful chord between having a visible jihada (folded steel pattern) but still not being too showy. Too many sword makers think a damascus steel looking folded blade is an asset to their product, but the ultra vast majority of traditional Japanese nihonto (antique japanese swords) have very subtle folded steel. Sometimes it almost looks like they were trying to hide the fact it's folded. Anyways, the jihada is a well polished mokume style hada (wood burl). The blade seems a tad over 1/4 of an inch thick, and has a fairly agressive distal taper to slightly over 1/8th of an inch near the yokote.
The hamon was well executed and very evenly etched, but my problem with the hamon is that it is too cookie cutter. the hamon is an undulating "notare" style hamon pattern. Most of the Paul Chen swords have this style hamon. Although it is a beautiful pattern if done right, the notare hamon is particularly unsophisticated, much better suited for a simpler mono-steel blade or a practical series blade. Some of the newer Paul Chen katanas like on the Shinto katana have a very vibrant and exciting midare-choji hamon pattern which is perhaps the single most beautiful hamon pattern I have seen from Paul Chen. Even a straight (suguha) hamon pattern would have been a welcome change to the Tori.
The shinogi was well polished on the Tori. There were several areas that exhibited ware (pronounced wahr-ey) which are open areas in the folded steel pattern. Although many people complain and gripe about ware, the vast majority of it is uncalled for. Hand made pieces are always susceptible to flaws, and ware is one of them. Many nihonto exhibit ware as well. Laminating the steel to form the folded pattern is much harder than people imagine, often times tiny gaps will form unbeknownst to the forger until the polish begins. To me it is an unacceptable double standard for a collector to decry ware in a production sword while surpassing (or even in some cases complimenting) ware in nihonto or custom swords because they show "the beauty of a hand forged and polished blade by a custom smith". Seems to me a flaw is a flaw. Ware for the most part do not effect the sword in functionality. it could be compared to damaged paint on an otherwise well working car. Most ware is only 100ths or even 1000ths of an inch deep.
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori11.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori12.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori13.jpg
The yokote (kissaki line) is actually a real geometry change, which is the proper way to create the kissaki region. Most production katana simply polish in a kissaki, the yokote is supposed to be the area where the blade tapers to the point. The habaki is typical for a Paul Chen katana. For the nicer ones like these, a double habaki like the Kami or maybe a solid silver one like the Tsuru, Gorin, and Oni katanas might make the sword feel more valuable. After all, the Tori is much more expensive than those blades except the Oni.
For the most part, the Tori katana is an exceptional blade. However, as is my preference, the blade is slightly wider than it should be in my opinion.
Overall Handling
The Tori was a very light and well balanced blade, especially for the size. maybe this is why I couldn't get used to it, it felt like a blade that should have more mass and weight, but ended up being quite light. it is by no means an aluminum iaito, but it had an odd feel. The reason for this is that the blade has no niku (literally "meat"). The blade is quite flat and doesn't thicken towards the shinogi ji (ridge line) like many Paul Chen katanas do. Although blades with little to no niku are excellent mat cutters, they also aren't the most durable katanas in the world. Many people have bent Standard and XL blades and thought they got a poor or inferior product. Actually, the skill of the cutter is what dictates bending a katana on a bad cut. And wide as the XL series is, without niku they are still easy to bend.
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori14.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/aaronjustice/.Pictures/web/tori15.jpg
However, for what it is, the Tori was a very enjoyable blade to handle. Not a lot of exertion is needed, and for an experienced cutter it would handle goza or tatami very well because of the incredibly sharp and wide blade. These "Kotetsu" style competition cutters are indeed a nice addition to the Paul Chen line. They provide tools for the modern day practitioner to develop their skills with. Although blades with no niku wouldn't have lasted long against flesh and bone, no one today (hopefully!) will never have the need to use it on such a target, so tatami is probably the only thing they will ever encounter.
As of such, I would give the Tori a hearty recommendation. It is a very pretty blade, one I wouldn't mar by cutting with it, but one I wouldn't hesitate to use if I had the inclination.
Overall Aesthetics 8/10. A very pleasing sword. Could have used shitodome.
Handling 8/10. Lighter than it should be, but still has a presence.
Cutting ability 0/0 (did not cut with)
Value (based on average sale price) 7/10. More expensive than other folded blades, but a good value overall.
Tsukamaki 7/10. Could have been tighter in spots. The ura knot was a little sloppy.
Tsuka fit 9/10. The rosewood tsuka was a tight fit on the nakago.
Saya fit 8/10. Very little rattle and a tight grip at the habaki.
Quality of materials 8/10. For the price, higher quality rayskin could have been used, but overall it was good.
My rating 8/10. Recommended.