Post by Marc Kaden Ridgeway on Nov 2, 2010 21:01:37 GMT -5
Hanwei Bamboo Mat Katana
Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Atlanta GA
2 Nov 2010
Howdy folks . Back again with another quick and dirty look at a sword. This time it is the Hanwei Bamboo Mat Katana.
When I first saw the Bamboo Mat I figured I had to get my hands on it. I've owned so many katana ... and I do mean many,many,many... that I've come to be able to spot something special when it comes along. OF course sometimes I just want something new...
At any rate , when I first saw the Mat,, I knew I was seeing something special, like when I saw the Ronin Dojo Pro models , or the Oni Forge Ryu... and when I saw the price i was SURE. So , my Lovely picked me one up for Daddy's Day, and I am long overdue for the review.
The sword came well packed in a nice wooden box... very nice... but were not here to review a box, so, on with the sword.
Specifications
Nagasa 28 5/8 in
Handle 11 in with fittings
Motohaba 1.3 in
Sakihaba 1.0 in
Motokasane 7.5mm
Sakikasane 6mm
Sori .8 inch
Weight 2lbs 11.8 oz
POB 6 in from the tsuba
Steel HWS-2S differentially hardened
Aesthetics; Fit & Finish
Sugata is shinogi -zukuri with chu-kissaki. Kissaki is geometric with a physical yokote. The hamon is a reasonable fascimlie of O-choji , and while enhanced , is not the old-school Hanwei Frosty-hamon.
The 28.6 in blade is deep of sori , and burnished to a mirror sheen on the shinogi ji.
The 11 in tsuka is panelled in nice large-node same, then wrapped with black cotton ito. The menuki are a golden sparrow motif. Tsuba and fuchigashira all appear to be blackened steel. The tsuba is a cast representation of a woven bamboo mat, and has golden bamboo leaf highlights. The outer rim of the tsuba is a jointed bamboo stalk.
The fuchi is also adorned with the jointed bamboo theme , in gold. The kashira is a cast woven mat , like the tsuba.
The blacked laquered saya is adorned with black sageo and sports buffalo horn koiguchi and kuragata.
The yellow brass habaki seats a bit loosely in the mouth of the saya , but there is no discernable rattle. The sword itself is nice and tight and well put together. Construction is solid, and the finish is pleasing to the eye.
Handling Characteristics
Theres not a whole lot to say here that will impart the feeling... either youve handled a well-balanced , agile katana , or you haven't. The bamboo mat is balanced at approximately 6 inches... pretty typical of no-hi katana. Combine then the sori, tsuka profile and curvature with the balance and the handling is the result... and the result is a good handling kat , in this case. Its light, yet also heavy. It is authoritative in the cut without being tip-heavy, and manuevers well without being a knitting needle.
The tsuka isnt tapered , but is nicely shaped with a good feel in the hand. The tsuka-maki is tightly wrapped .
The Bamboo Mat handles as a katana should... not so common with repros 7 or 8 years ago... but increasingly the case these days.
Cutting
Cutting makes me sad. I am not the cutter i used to be. 2 years of no training , alot of weight gained, and less and less time to cut all take their toll. Let this be a warning folks ... these are perishable skills . use them or lose them.
At any rate, the Mat is an excellent cutter. Ive shot a short video... but did a poor job with the camera so the bottle tops are cut off ...LOL... sorry.
I started with empties .... and moved to wets. I'll update with another vid when I get some bamboo.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPbZKsShris
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
There's a lot of good, a little bad and no ugly with the Bamboo Mat.
Aesthetically, the Bamboo Matt is a looker. The hamon is nice , the furnitue is attractive , and the kissaki is among the best shaped I have ever seen on a production katana.
Its a good handler , a good cutter and is well put together.
The katana sits just a bit loose in the saya , and the tsuka-ho has no taper or waisting to it at all. As far as deflects or flaws , there are none on this sword.
Conclusion
The Bamboo Mat is one of the finest production katana I have laid my hands on. It is , I believe, the best Hanwei katana I have owned , and I've owned a few.
It is not exactly to my taste ... I dislike gold on fittings , and prefer kats a bit more subdued.. but on a package like this one , who cares?
What the Bamboo Mat is , in my eyes, is a Production katana approaching the qualities of a custom like few have before.
It is also a scary thing. "Why so?" you ask ... Well The Mat has all the buzz words that exist in the industry today... geometric yokote, wild hamon, nice furniture, super-steel.... and its selling for less than $400 . Ridiculous...
A few years ago such a sword would have commanded close to $1000. Why is this bad? Well , its not sustainable. In this new sword renaissance we are enjoying , we are getting more for less than ever before. There's no profit in the market anymore... anyone notice Hanwei is liquidating their stock in everything? Bad times in the sword market are ahead I'm afraid.
At anyrate, The Hanwei Bamboo Mat represents the best value in a production kat on the market in my opinion... let's enjoy it while it lasts.
Thanks for reading.
Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Atlanta GA
2 Nov 2010
Howdy folks . Back again with another quick and dirty look at a sword. This time it is the Hanwei Bamboo Mat Katana.
When I first saw the Bamboo Mat I figured I had to get my hands on it. I've owned so many katana ... and I do mean many,many,many... that I've come to be able to spot something special when it comes along. OF course sometimes I just want something new...
At any rate , when I first saw the Mat,, I knew I was seeing something special, like when I saw the Ronin Dojo Pro models , or the Oni Forge Ryu... and when I saw the price i was SURE. So , my Lovely picked me one up for Daddy's Day, and I am long overdue for the review.
The sword came well packed in a nice wooden box... very nice... but were not here to review a box, so, on with the sword.
Specifications
Nagasa 28 5/8 in
Handle 11 in with fittings
Motohaba 1.3 in
Sakihaba 1.0 in
Motokasane 7.5mm
Sakikasane 6mm
Sori .8 inch
Weight 2lbs 11.8 oz
POB 6 in from the tsuba
Steel HWS-2S differentially hardened
Aesthetics; Fit & Finish
Sugata is shinogi -zukuri with chu-kissaki. Kissaki is geometric with a physical yokote. The hamon is a reasonable fascimlie of O-choji , and while enhanced , is not the old-school Hanwei Frosty-hamon.
The 28.6 in blade is deep of sori , and burnished to a mirror sheen on the shinogi ji.
The 11 in tsuka is panelled in nice large-node same, then wrapped with black cotton ito. The menuki are a golden sparrow motif. Tsuba and fuchigashira all appear to be blackened steel. The tsuba is a cast representation of a woven bamboo mat, and has golden bamboo leaf highlights. The outer rim of the tsuba is a jointed bamboo stalk.
The fuchi is also adorned with the jointed bamboo theme , in gold. The kashira is a cast woven mat , like the tsuba.
The blacked laquered saya is adorned with black sageo and sports buffalo horn koiguchi and kuragata.
The yellow brass habaki seats a bit loosely in the mouth of the saya , but there is no discernable rattle. The sword itself is nice and tight and well put together. Construction is solid, and the finish is pleasing to the eye.
Handling Characteristics
Theres not a whole lot to say here that will impart the feeling... either youve handled a well-balanced , agile katana , or you haven't. The bamboo mat is balanced at approximately 6 inches... pretty typical of no-hi katana. Combine then the sori, tsuka profile and curvature with the balance and the handling is the result... and the result is a good handling kat , in this case. Its light, yet also heavy. It is authoritative in the cut without being tip-heavy, and manuevers well without being a knitting needle.
The tsuka isnt tapered , but is nicely shaped with a good feel in the hand. The tsuka-maki is tightly wrapped .
The Bamboo Mat handles as a katana should... not so common with repros 7 or 8 years ago... but increasingly the case these days.
Cutting
Cutting makes me sad. I am not the cutter i used to be. 2 years of no training , alot of weight gained, and less and less time to cut all take their toll. Let this be a warning folks ... these are perishable skills . use them or lose them.
At any rate, the Mat is an excellent cutter. Ive shot a short video... but did a poor job with the camera so the bottle tops are cut off ...LOL... sorry.
I started with empties .... and moved to wets. I'll update with another vid when I get some bamboo.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPbZKsShris
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
There's a lot of good, a little bad and no ugly with the Bamboo Mat.
Aesthetically, the Bamboo Matt is a looker. The hamon is nice , the furnitue is attractive , and the kissaki is among the best shaped I have ever seen on a production katana.
Its a good handler , a good cutter and is well put together.
The katana sits just a bit loose in the saya , and the tsuka-ho has no taper or waisting to it at all. As far as deflects or flaws , there are none on this sword.
Conclusion
The Bamboo Mat is one of the finest production katana I have laid my hands on. It is , I believe, the best Hanwei katana I have owned , and I've owned a few.
It is not exactly to my taste ... I dislike gold on fittings , and prefer kats a bit more subdued.. but on a package like this one , who cares?
What the Bamboo Mat is , in my eyes, is a Production katana approaching the qualities of a custom like few have before.
It is also a scary thing. "Why so?" you ask ... Well The Mat has all the buzz words that exist in the industry today... geometric yokote, wild hamon, nice furniture, super-steel.... and its selling for less than $400 . Ridiculous...
A few years ago such a sword would have commanded close to $1000. Why is this bad? Well , its not sustainable. In this new sword renaissance we are enjoying , we are getting more for less than ever before. There's no profit in the market anymore... anyone notice Hanwei is liquidating their stock in everything? Bad times in the sword market are ahead I'm afraid.
At anyrate, The Hanwei Bamboo Mat represents the best value in a production kat on the market in my opinion... let's enjoy it while it lasts.
Thanks for reading.