tanukimario
January 5th, 2008, 02:43 AM
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1418/overallkatanaws3.png
Masahiro Masakage Review
By TanukiMario
Measurements:
Blade: 27.4 inches (69.6 cm)
(measuring from the very bottom of where the habaki is to the very tip of the blade)
Handle: 10.75 inches (27.3 cm)
(measuring from the bottom of the handle to exactly right below the tsuba)
Saya: 30.17 inches (76.63 cm)
Overall: 40.92 inches (103.93 cm)
Weight: 2.2 pounds (0.9979 kg)
(All the measurements are estimated rounded numbers and are all standard measurements)
Intro
The Masahiro Masakage katana, purchased at Swords of Might for $60, is beyond what it’s worth. The katana is presented inside a triangular box and has an artistic cover with the Masahiro logo on the side. The tsuka ito (handle wrapping) along with the saya (sheath) and sageo (sheath cord) are black. The blade is forged from carbon steel and engraved with a bo-hi (groove) running through the entire length of the blade.
Saya
The saya is a very nice polished black color, but I personally believe the appearance of the saya is too plain. When I received it there were no apparent defects, however, later I found that there were defects were on the inside. Each time the blade is taken out of the saya, it is coated with a dry white substance appearing similar to wax. The inside of the saya can be cleaned out by brushing the inside with something like a gun barrel squeegee. The cotton sageo (cord) is also black and has a traditional tie to it.
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7104/katana1ki3.png http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/1051/katana2rt2.png
Overall: The quality of the saya is decent and could be better.
Saya Rating: 2/5
Tsuka
The tsuka (handle) seems slightly misshapen. The thickness of the tsuka is not even at all and the wood used is not very thick. It’s only thick enough to hold the blade’s tang in place. The black cotton ito (handle cord) however is very well braided.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7367/tsuka1qe7.png
Samé
The samé (ray skin) is very poor in quality. It is genuine samé but attached to the tsuka in panels. Smaller pieces of samé are attached to the handle in various sizes, making the it look not very uniform. It’s also old looking, dirty, and is anything but eye catching.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/5803/tsuka2tp2.png
Mekugi
The mekugi (peg securing the handle) appears old but secures the handle of the katana very well.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6937/mekugign8.png
Overall: The ito of the tsuka is wrapped well, but the samé ruins the overall appearance of the tsuka.
Tsuka Rating: 3/5
Fittings (Tsuba, Kashira, Menuki, Seppa, and Habaki)
The overall fittings on the Masahiro Masakage katana are decent but poorly painted. The paint on all the fittings appear rubbed off. After handling this katana only a few times, the fittings were no longer dark gray but a copper color. Examining it closely, it’s definite that it is not rust. Scratching very lightly at the tsuba proves this.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/330/overall2mr9.png
(I apologize for the discoloration of the picture)
Tsuba
The tsuba (hand guard) is not greatly appealing. One side of the tsuba has waves, mountains, and stars on it while the other side has a samurai on it. I personally would have preferred it if it had a different design or shape to it than a flat round hand guard which to me looks a bit plain. The tsuba has white and yellow paint on it, and I would have preferred if it was not painted at all if it is not going to be painted properly.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/682/tsuba1cs0.png http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/6518/tsuba2ps4.png
Kashira
The kashira (buttcap) on the tsuka is fine. The design is fairly plain, but other ones you may see have little or no design on it at all. The gray paint on this has also greatly rubbed off.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/2820/buttcapqm9.png
Menuki
The menuki (the small ornament that is usually under the ito wrapping of the handle) looks very strange. It is uncertain of what it is meant to be. The menuki on one side of the tsuka is also broken. When I received it I immediately noticed this defect, but it is not a major issue.
Seppa
The seppa (spacer) are well made. They do have slight scratches on them, but still have a nice shape and fits very easily on the katana.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/7995/seppasl4.png
Habaki
The habaki (blade collar) is very thick and fits very tightly onto the blade of the katana. It does have slight scratch marks due to taking it out of the saya, but the habaki is thick and holds the blade in the saya pretty securely but would be better if it fit tighter.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3537/habakipm9.png
Overall: The fittings were very poor quality but still had some nice details.
Fittings Rating: 2/5
Blade
The blade of the katana is definitely the best part. The blade is made from carbon steel, and is very thick. It is full tang, and secured with two mekugi pegs. The hamon (temperline) is probably chemically etched, but looks better than many others that have strange “zigzag” patterns on them. There is also a very nice bo-hi (blood groove) running down the entire side of the blade. The ha (cutting edge) is also very sharp. I have seen sharper blades, but for $60, the blade is fairly sharp. If the sharpness of the blade was given its own rating, it would probably be rated 3/5. I did attempt cutting with this once in the past. I had cut a single beach mat (also purchased as Swords of Might), and it did not cut as cleanly as I had hoped since I had to put in a large amount to force to get not even a decent cut on a mat that was less than 3 inches thick. Nonetheless, the blade is very sharp and for the price, unbeatable. The kissaki (point) is also very sharp but is fairly visible. I wish it were a little bit more visible, but it still looks nice. The blade would have also been even better if it was polished more.
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/176/tang2if3.png http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/4108/tang3fp7.png http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/3586/tang1ae8.png http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/6113/tangclose4wx4.png
(The tang actually gets very thin and narrow toward the end)
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7861/hamon1oo9.png
(The hamon and the bo-hi close up)
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/1692/point1wl9.png
(The kissaki has a nice point)
Overall: The blade is very well forged and does not have many negative comments to say about it.
Blade Rating: 4/5
Conclusion
As far as the functionality and personal thoughts about this katana, having been purchased for only $60, it is well above average quality. The fittings may not be the best, but what really counts is the blade, and it is well forged. However, holding the katana in my hands does feel awkward. The handle feels heavy and unbalanced.Overall, the Masahiro Masakage Katana is a decent katana. The fittings may not be that great, but for $60, the blade itself is high quality.
Katana Overall Rating: 3/5
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8714/blade1mr6.png
Masahiro Masakage Review
By TanukiMario
Measurements:
Blade: 27.4 inches (69.6 cm)
(measuring from the very bottom of where the habaki is to the very tip of the blade)
Handle: 10.75 inches (27.3 cm)
(measuring from the bottom of the handle to exactly right below the tsuba)
Saya: 30.17 inches (76.63 cm)
Overall: 40.92 inches (103.93 cm)
Weight: 2.2 pounds (0.9979 kg)
(All the measurements are estimated rounded numbers and are all standard measurements)
Intro
The Masahiro Masakage katana, purchased at Swords of Might for $60, is beyond what it’s worth. The katana is presented inside a triangular box and has an artistic cover with the Masahiro logo on the side. The tsuka ito (handle wrapping) along with the saya (sheath) and sageo (sheath cord) are black. The blade is forged from carbon steel and engraved with a bo-hi (groove) running through the entire length of the blade.
Saya
The saya is a very nice polished black color, but I personally believe the appearance of the saya is too plain. When I received it there were no apparent defects, however, later I found that there were defects were on the inside. Each time the blade is taken out of the saya, it is coated with a dry white substance appearing similar to wax. The inside of the saya can be cleaned out by brushing the inside with something like a gun barrel squeegee. The cotton sageo (cord) is also black and has a traditional tie to it.
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7104/katana1ki3.png http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/1051/katana2rt2.png
Overall: The quality of the saya is decent and could be better.
Saya Rating: 2/5
Tsuka
The tsuka (handle) seems slightly misshapen. The thickness of the tsuka is not even at all and the wood used is not very thick. It’s only thick enough to hold the blade’s tang in place. The black cotton ito (handle cord) however is very well braided.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7367/tsuka1qe7.png
Samé
The samé (ray skin) is very poor in quality. It is genuine samé but attached to the tsuka in panels. Smaller pieces of samé are attached to the handle in various sizes, making the it look not very uniform. It’s also old looking, dirty, and is anything but eye catching.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/5803/tsuka2tp2.png
Mekugi
The mekugi (peg securing the handle) appears old but secures the handle of the katana very well.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/6937/mekugign8.png
Overall: The ito of the tsuka is wrapped well, but the samé ruins the overall appearance of the tsuka.
Tsuka Rating: 3/5
Fittings (Tsuba, Kashira, Menuki, Seppa, and Habaki)
The overall fittings on the Masahiro Masakage katana are decent but poorly painted. The paint on all the fittings appear rubbed off. After handling this katana only a few times, the fittings were no longer dark gray but a copper color. Examining it closely, it’s definite that it is not rust. Scratching very lightly at the tsuba proves this.
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/330/overall2mr9.png
(I apologize for the discoloration of the picture)
Tsuba
The tsuba (hand guard) is not greatly appealing. One side of the tsuba has waves, mountains, and stars on it while the other side has a samurai on it. I personally would have preferred it if it had a different design or shape to it than a flat round hand guard which to me looks a bit plain. The tsuba has white and yellow paint on it, and I would have preferred if it was not painted at all if it is not going to be painted properly.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/682/tsuba1cs0.png http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/6518/tsuba2ps4.png
Kashira
The kashira (buttcap) on the tsuka is fine. The design is fairly plain, but other ones you may see have little or no design on it at all. The gray paint on this has also greatly rubbed off.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/2820/buttcapqm9.png
Menuki
The menuki (the small ornament that is usually under the ito wrapping of the handle) looks very strange. It is uncertain of what it is meant to be. The menuki on one side of the tsuka is also broken. When I received it I immediately noticed this defect, but it is not a major issue.
Seppa
The seppa (spacer) are well made. They do have slight scratches on them, but still have a nice shape and fits very easily on the katana.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/7995/seppasl4.png
Habaki
The habaki (blade collar) is very thick and fits very tightly onto the blade of the katana. It does have slight scratch marks due to taking it out of the saya, but the habaki is thick and holds the blade in the saya pretty securely but would be better if it fit tighter.
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3537/habakipm9.png
Overall: The fittings were very poor quality but still had some nice details.
Fittings Rating: 2/5
Blade
The blade of the katana is definitely the best part. The blade is made from carbon steel, and is very thick. It is full tang, and secured with two mekugi pegs. The hamon (temperline) is probably chemically etched, but looks better than many others that have strange “zigzag” patterns on them. There is also a very nice bo-hi (blood groove) running down the entire side of the blade. The ha (cutting edge) is also very sharp. I have seen sharper blades, but for $60, the blade is fairly sharp. If the sharpness of the blade was given its own rating, it would probably be rated 3/5. I did attempt cutting with this once in the past. I had cut a single beach mat (also purchased as Swords of Might), and it did not cut as cleanly as I had hoped since I had to put in a large amount to force to get not even a decent cut on a mat that was less than 3 inches thick. Nonetheless, the blade is very sharp and for the price, unbeatable. The kissaki (point) is also very sharp but is fairly visible. I wish it were a little bit more visible, but it still looks nice. The blade would have also been even better if it was polished more.
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/176/tang2if3.png http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/4108/tang3fp7.png http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/3586/tang1ae8.png http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/6113/tangclose4wx4.png
(The tang actually gets very thin and narrow toward the end)
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/7861/hamon1oo9.png
(The hamon and the bo-hi close up)
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/1692/point1wl9.png
(The kissaki has a nice point)
Overall: The blade is very well forged and does not have many negative comments to say about it.
Blade Rating: 4/5
Conclusion
As far as the functionality and personal thoughts about this katana, having been purchased for only $60, it is well above average quality. The fittings may not be the best, but what really counts is the blade, and it is well forged. However, holding the katana in my hands does feel awkward. The handle feels heavy and unbalanced.Overall, the Masahiro Masakage Katana is a decent katana. The fittings may not be that great, but for $60, the blade itself is high quality.
Katana Overall Rating: 3/5
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8714/blade1mr6.png