Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Mar 31, 2009 22:29:22 GMT -5
Kensei Jidai No-Dachi
In a market glutted with katana in every imaginable shape and price and level of ornamentation, many are using gimmicks to stick out from the crowd. The bells and whistles are being hung all over the same old questionable blades with poor bo-hi and improper tsuka -maki...all trying to attract a larger market share.
Then there is Loren Graves. Loren, proprietor of Oni Forge and now Kensei ( sword-saint.com ) has always stood out without the use of gimmicks, but by offering fresh , well made designs that forgo excessive ornamentation and focus instead on function. At least that is my take... thats why I've owned so many of his swords over the years.
Even though the market is glutted with katana , those looking for a truly functional Japanese great -sword have very few choices. The new Kensei no-dachi help to fill that void.
The sword arrived well packed inside a 6-foot, thick-walled, cardboard tube.
When I pulled this sword out of the tube , I was impressed by the sheer size of it. In fact I belly-laughed. It was a feeling of wonder almost... I guess this awoke some childlike sense of fun... whatever...it captured my imagination right off . I ran outside to try a couple of bottles (empty) and was suprised this beast cut them lightly and easily...oh , and I laughed gleefully with each cut.
I took some pictures to try to impress the size of this sword. The sword shown with it has a 29.25 inch nagasa...
History
The no-dachi is a Japanese field sword. Its size and weight made it difficult to both forge, and use so they are not very common, but were used in open-Field engagements, especially against calvary. In times of peace they were slung across the back as a show of status.
There is a general confusion of nodachi and odachi, and the two terms are usually used synonymously, although an O-Dachi is more accurately a ceremonial or temple sword, and usually had religious inscriptions on the nakago.
Specifications
Nagasa : 38 in
Tsuka: 17 in
Motohaba: 1.7 in
Sakihaba: 1.0 in
Motokasane: 7.7 mm
Sakikasane: 5 mm
Sori: 1.8 inch
Weight: 5.5 lbs
P.O.B.: 6 inches from tsuba
Aesthetics
Sugata is Shinogi-Zukuri.
The shinogi ji are burnished to a mirror finish, and the ji is satin.Hamon is a subdued suguha.
Kissaki is counter-polished, yokote cosmetic.
Tsuba is blackened steel maru-gata.
The tsuka-ho is paneled in white same and wrapped in black ito. the menuki are gold colored dragons.Fuchi-gashira are brightly polished brass .
The saya is a pebbled black finish accented with brass trim, and black sageo.
The overall impression is , in my eyes, one of understated elegance.
Fit & Finish
Fit and Finish of this sword is overall superb.The polish is well done ,no dips or waves and shinogi are straight and crisp.
The tsuka is tapered , if not slim. However it does not need to be slim...though it is rather thick...the feeling is that is is just the correct size for a blade of this size.
The tsukaito is tightly wrapped and can't be budged. Fittings are all snug and secure... there is no wiggle or play in any part of the construction...it is all tight and solid.
The impression I get from holding this sword is that it was designed and manufactured by people who understand Japanese swords.
It isn't just a long katana. Everything has been adjusted to make this an operative sword that behaves like a Japanese sword should. More on that in the handling section, next.
Handling Characteristics[/color]
As I stated previously , this is not just a long katana. This sword is super-sized. The blade is over 1.5 inches wide at the habaki....1.7 to be exact. the blade is 38 inches long.
This sounds like it would be a beast to handle , but actually it isn't.
The design allows for the size , and compensates for it, to allow this sword to handle similarly to most Japanese swords...if just a bit heavier.
The Tsuba is 4 inches across. the tsuka has a circumference of 5 inches at the fuchi and tapers down to 4.25 inches. When you heft the sword you can tell the tsuka needs this thickness for grip control.
The blade tapers down to a very reasonable 1 inch width at the yokote.
All of this combines with the sori to place the balance point just 6 inches out from the tsuba...about average for Japanese Style swords.For a 5.5 lb sword to balance so well shows a true understanding of sword physics and design.
No, its not lightning fast...and it's not something your going want to practice hours worth of kata with, but the balance makes it entirely manageable to wield.
Cutting
Did someone say cutting?
Yeah..... cutting.
Cutting with the no-dachi was the most fun I've had cutting in a while. When you get this big blade going you just know it is going to sever whatever is in its path.
What suprised me was the aptitude it had for cutting very light targets, like empty bottles. It cut a few and I was loving it...but cutting light targets just isn't what a nodachi is about , you know?
So I went and harvested some bamboo. At first I was worried, because it is winter, and the bamboo is yellowing , and hardening. I had a really rough time harvesting the bamboo with a saw...and didn't have high hopes for cutting.
So I started out small...no problems there...a little bigger..a little bigger..still no problems....
Now I'm not a great cutter, but the sword sure is. I scooped a couple of cuts... made a couple at too steep an angle... but the Jidai was forgiving, and did it's job well , even with my less than perfect directing.
A video is forthcoming..just a short 10 second or so clip..some of you know that I don't do video.. but I'm going to make an exception for just one cut. I saved a piece of bamboo with a 6 inch diameter, and I'll add the video when I get a chance to make it.
The Good,The Bad & The Ugly
This is a catagory I added in my last review, sort of a section to highlight the shortcomings of the review subject. What's really nice is when you have to nitpick to find issues. None-the-less, nitpick I did.
In the following pictures you will see the only issues I felt really bore noting...and then only because I needed material for this section.
First the fuchi is not quite flush with the ito on the underside of the tsuka. A very minor issue, and one, I should point out, that is not representative of the model as a whole , only this particular sword.
Secondly, the kissaki...the bane of production swords. the kissaki is weird , for lack of a better word. It is counterpolished as an extended chu-kissaki...which by the ko-shinogi , looks correct. The fukura , though, looks more like it belongs to a ko-kissaki to me.
This doen't really bother me, cause lets face it...thats not the point of this sword(if you'll pardon the pun). If you want perfect kissaki geometry get a custom piece polished by an accomplished togi-shi.
If you want a serious cutter, a fun sword, or just something to round out a production collection this fits the bill very nicely.
Conclusion
The Jidai gave me a feeling that I haven't had towards a sword in a while . I don't know how to describe it except fascination...enthusiasm..a sense of wonder. Its been years since I cackled with glee as I swung a sword. It truly ,by its sheer size and incredible cutting performance , captured my imagination.
Having bonded with it a few days, that sense of wonder has faded with familiarity...to the point this sword has begun to feel normal, and I'm taken aback now at the insubstantial feel of my katana .
The Jidai is a rare bird...a well made, well designed and brilliantly functional Japanese No-Dachi. It is a great addition to a cutting arsenal or as a piece to round out a collection.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
In a market glutted with katana in every imaginable shape and price and level of ornamentation, many are using gimmicks to stick out from the crowd. The bells and whistles are being hung all over the same old questionable blades with poor bo-hi and improper tsuka -maki...all trying to attract a larger market share.
Then there is Loren Graves. Loren, proprietor of Oni Forge and now Kensei ( sword-saint.com ) has always stood out without the use of gimmicks, but by offering fresh , well made designs that forgo excessive ornamentation and focus instead on function. At least that is my take... thats why I've owned so many of his swords over the years.
Even though the market is glutted with katana , those looking for a truly functional Japanese great -sword have very few choices. The new Kensei no-dachi help to fill that void.
The sword arrived well packed inside a 6-foot, thick-walled, cardboard tube.
When I pulled this sword out of the tube , I was impressed by the sheer size of it. In fact I belly-laughed. It was a feeling of wonder almost... I guess this awoke some childlike sense of fun... whatever...it captured my imagination right off . I ran outside to try a couple of bottles (empty) and was suprised this beast cut them lightly and easily...oh , and I laughed gleefully with each cut.
I took some pictures to try to impress the size of this sword. The sword shown with it has a 29.25 inch nagasa...
History
The no-dachi is a Japanese field sword. Its size and weight made it difficult to both forge, and use so they are not very common, but were used in open-Field engagements, especially against calvary. In times of peace they were slung across the back as a show of status.
There is a general confusion of nodachi and odachi, and the two terms are usually used synonymously, although an O-Dachi is more accurately a ceremonial or temple sword, and usually had religious inscriptions on the nakago.
Specifications
Nagasa : 38 in
Tsuka: 17 in
Motohaba: 1.7 in
Sakihaba: 1.0 in
Motokasane: 7.7 mm
Sakikasane: 5 mm
Sori: 1.8 inch
Weight: 5.5 lbs
P.O.B.: 6 inches from tsuba
Aesthetics
Sugata is Shinogi-Zukuri.
The shinogi ji are burnished to a mirror finish, and the ji is satin.Hamon is a subdued suguha.
Kissaki is counter-polished, yokote cosmetic.
Tsuba is blackened steel maru-gata.
The tsuka-ho is paneled in white same and wrapped in black ito. the menuki are gold colored dragons.Fuchi-gashira are brightly polished brass .
The saya is a pebbled black finish accented with brass trim, and black sageo.
The overall impression is , in my eyes, one of understated elegance.
Fit & Finish
Fit and Finish of this sword is overall superb.The polish is well done ,no dips or waves and shinogi are straight and crisp.
The tsuka is tapered , if not slim. However it does not need to be slim...though it is rather thick...the feeling is that is is just the correct size for a blade of this size.
The tsukaito is tightly wrapped and can't be budged. Fittings are all snug and secure... there is no wiggle or play in any part of the construction...it is all tight and solid.
The impression I get from holding this sword is that it was designed and manufactured by people who understand Japanese swords.
It isn't just a long katana. Everything has been adjusted to make this an operative sword that behaves like a Japanese sword should. More on that in the handling section, next.
Handling Characteristics[/color]
As I stated previously , this is not just a long katana. This sword is super-sized. The blade is over 1.5 inches wide at the habaki....1.7 to be exact. the blade is 38 inches long.
This sounds like it would be a beast to handle , but actually it isn't.
The design allows for the size , and compensates for it, to allow this sword to handle similarly to most Japanese swords...if just a bit heavier.
The Tsuba is 4 inches across. the tsuka has a circumference of 5 inches at the fuchi and tapers down to 4.25 inches. When you heft the sword you can tell the tsuka needs this thickness for grip control.
The blade tapers down to a very reasonable 1 inch width at the yokote.
All of this combines with the sori to place the balance point just 6 inches out from the tsuba...about average for Japanese Style swords.For a 5.5 lb sword to balance so well shows a true understanding of sword physics and design.
No, its not lightning fast...and it's not something your going want to practice hours worth of kata with, but the balance makes it entirely manageable to wield.
Cutting
Did someone say cutting?
Yeah..... cutting.
Cutting with the no-dachi was the most fun I've had cutting in a while. When you get this big blade going you just know it is going to sever whatever is in its path.
What suprised me was the aptitude it had for cutting very light targets, like empty bottles. It cut a few and I was loving it...but cutting light targets just isn't what a nodachi is about , you know?
So I went and harvested some bamboo. At first I was worried, because it is winter, and the bamboo is yellowing , and hardening. I had a really rough time harvesting the bamboo with a saw...and didn't have high hopes for cutting.
So I started out small...no problems there...a little bigger..a little bigger..still no problems....
Now I'm not a great cutter, but the sword sure is. I scooped a couple of cuts... made a couple at too steep an angle... but the Jidai was forgiving, and did it's job well , even with my less than perfect directing.
A video is forthcoming..just a short 10 second or so clip..some of you know that I don't do video.. but I'm going to make an exception for just one cut. I saved a piece of bamboo with a 6 inch diameter, and I'll add the video when I get a chance to make it.
The Good,The Bad & The Ugly
This is a catagory I added in my last review, sort of a section to highlight the shortcomings of the review subject. What's really nice is when you have to nitpick to find issues. None-the-less, nitpick I did.
In the following pictures you will see the only issues I felt really bore noting...and then only because I needed material for this section.
First the fuchi is not quite flush with the ito on the underside of the tsuka. A very minor issue, and one, I should point out, that is not representative of the model as a whole , only this particular sword.
Secondly, the kissaki...the bane of production swords. the kissaki is weird , for lack of a better word. It is counterpolished as an extended chu-kissaki...which by the ko-shinogi , looks correct. The fukura , though, looks more like it belongs to a ko-kissaki to me.
This doen't really bother me, cause lets face it...thats not the point of this sword(if you'll pardon the pun). If you want perfect kissaki geometry get a custom piece polished by an accomplished togi-shi.
If you want a serious cutter, a fun sword, or just something to round out a production collection this fits the bill very nicely.
Conclusion
The Jidai gave me a feeling that I haven't had towards a sword in a while . I don't know how to describe it except fascination...enthusiasm..a sense of wonder. Its been years since I cackled with glee as I swung a sword. It truly ,by its sheer size and incredible cutting performance , captured my imagination.
Having bonded with it a few days, that sense of wonder has faded with familiarity...to the point this sword has begun to feel normal, and I'm taken aback now at the insubstantial feel of my katana .
The Jidai is a rare bird...a well made, well designed and brilliantly functional Japanese No-Dachi. It is a great addition to a cutting arsenal or as a piece to round out a collection.
Thanks for taking the time to read.