Hand Forged Samurai Sword Katana - 1060 High Carbon Steel - Display and Costume Sword for Collections, Gifts, or Straw Mat Cutting

Shipping was quick and Katana was packed well. I gave it a thorough inspection and found no real issues. The blade is dead on straight, polished well and the edge is paper cutting sharp. I was pleased to see the blade came well oiled and plastic wrapped. I am by no means able to discern if the Hamon is real, but it appears to be very well done and not fake looking. The Katana locks into the Saya well and does not drop out when upside down tested. The Saya itself is perfectly painted, almost like an expensive piano finish and not one flaw in the paint was detected. I did notice the Katana rattles a small amount inside the Saya when fully sheathed and shaken, but online forums say this is normal and the Saya actually expands and contracts with the seasonal humidity. There are plenty of videos online about shimming the Saya should that ever become necessary. I found the center point of balance exactly 6 inches up the blade from the Tsuba. Holding the Katana correctly, I find the balance to be perfect for me with the blade weighing just heavy enough to get a nice strike and then recover. I have yet to attack the large bamboo stalks on my daughters property, but plan to do that soon. The Tsuba is perfect size in my opinion and I do not feel uncomfortable thinking my hand will slip down past it during a bamboo battle. The Tsuka is wrapped professionally and tight. The Meguki pins are very tightly driven and protrude out just a slight bit on either side of the Tsuka. I have not and do not plan to take it apart unless necessary. I like the Kashira with the bamboo stalks engraving and it is also very tightly strapped by the Makidome. I researched a lot of Katana manufacturers before hitting the buy button on this one. I was drawn to the fact that this Katana was a Musashi company blade and they come with a high reputation for quality. I was not disappointed.

I've been wondering how to do this review without sounding like a weeaboo, so here goes! Haha!This is my second Musashi sword actually, to give a point of reference. The first I received as a gift quite a few years back.The Bamboo Fast Cutter is a little bit shorter and has a pretty nifty double groove down the length of the blade as compared to my traditional katana. This makes the sword a little bit lighter and balanced differently. The Fast Cutter feels a little less blade heavy, and easier to swing around. This isn't a ceremonial piece so the sword comes pretty sharp out of the box. Definitely not something to leave around for kids to play with.All the hardware is nicely fitted with no wobble or play. The guard is pretty minimal so thrusting maneuvers might be a little dangerous if your grip slips on the handle. It does give it a unique look, however and is very appropriate for slashing maneuvers this sword is designed for. The collar just in front of the guard carries the bamboo theme and is a nice touch. There are plenty of videos on bamboo cutting competitions, so look them up if you want to see what people are doing with these things.Overall it just feels solid and well made. I've played around with generic cutlery store katanas and those don't even compare. Kind of similar to a cheap car vs a luxury car. They kind of look similar, but the fit and finish are entirely different. It's a quality piece that should help you strike fear into the hearts of watermelons, water bottles, and bamboo stalks anywhere.

Love the Design. This is the 4th Musashi sword I've owned. Definitely different style than the others. The tsuba, or lack thereof is a neat feature. I've never seen this type of tsuba on a katana before. I 've always seen it on just the tantos. Apparently it is historically correct, this type of tsuba is called "Hamidashi". I think it looks great! Also the habaki is different than the usual swords I've own. This one has a engraving on it. The bad part about it is that after a few pulls, the habaki has scratches on it.The hamon looks gorgeous, all of the Musashi swords I've own have beautiful hamons, this one is no exception. The double-hi is also very rare, I didn't even notice it when I was placing the order, just found out after I recieved it and was checking my new sword out. It looks great, BUT, if the top hi went all the way through I believe that would look much better.I haven't done any tameshigiri yet, hopefully I will in the next couple of weeks. Being labeled a fast cutter, I can't wait to try. But I have some concerns. When I swing it, it feels like the sword is a bit top heavy. I am not sure if that's the way it is suppose to be, I mean theoretically if it is top heavy, it will help the blade come down faster. It could be just me, my form is bad anyways, I just have to try it and find out. My friend who is a male and 6' tall, didn't find it top heavy and swings with ease. It is definitely lighter than all of my other swords. But I suspect it's because of the lack of a full size tsuba. I am sure the double-hi helped in reducing weight as well.Over all this is one of the more expensive swords I've purchased, but it is one of the best quality. Everything arrived tight. Oh and the box is also beautiful. I am not sure if this is the standard box Musashi uses now or it is only used for this limited edition sword. regardless it looks great. I would highly recommend it.

This is my second Musashi sword. This one is limited edition and the alterations make the sword slightly more aerodynamic. Excellent quality and visible hamon. The only difference is this one is 1060 Carbon and my first is 1095. Other than the hardness rating being 9 smaller, at HRC 55 it is still excellent. Also, recieved it a week earlier than expected, which was a welcomed bonus. I have heard stories of Musashi giving away some decent T10 swords, but that is on my future wishlist.

A nice blade but mine came with the sheath cracked by the mouth and the handguard was bent and rubbing the paint off the sheath every time it was put in or taken out.Not really impressed by the Musashi swords, the tactical katana and wakizashi are nice but the rest leave a lot to be desired, Murasame has better blades at better prices imo.