Kami Katana (Paul Chen)

[S.Bingham]

I realy need to hear from someone who has handled one of these swords.
I am still very tempted to buy one.
PLEASE can anyone give me any information on how this sword feels and whether they have tried anything such as kata with it?

The sword is the most expensive in the highly produced folded series from paul chen and im guessing this is because of the carving, blood groove etc but has anyone seen this sword close up and looked at the folds in the balde etc? can anyone tell me how nice it is who has actually seen it in real life and not just on the net?

I would also realy aperciate any close up quality pics of this sword.

Thanks
S.B

[Kmark]

This isn't the answer you were looking for, but if you have enough money to buy a Kami katana, I suggest you go look at Bugei's line of katana first. You never know, you might find something that would better suit you there. And Bugei has a well deserved rep for carrying high quality, inspected products.

Besides, there's something about horimono which turns me off about a blade. Maybe it has to do with beautifying the blade at the expense of some strength, or maybe it's because I can never think of a katana as being 'serious' if it has horimono on it.

[Ted Poljak]

I have handled one, they look better in the photos than in real life, the fittings are guady look like plated/ anodized, not nice at all, the saya is bright red and in person dosenot match the fitting well, makes it look like a cheap wall hanger, the ito is silk and is well done, blade is nice OK balance, large kissaki but the horimono ( carving ) is done quite poorly, these are all my opinions of the sword as others might have different taste, IMHO the bushido or the tiger are a much better choice hands down. Better still go with a bugei blade.

[J. Jurianto]

I own a Tiger katana, and I must admit that it feels to heavy for iai practice. It's more like a cutting tool to a practice sword. On the other hand, I am not a big man who can can handle big swords easily. The kami's horimono is done pretty poorly, better get the orchid. I love the orchid katana.

[Thomas H.]

I think I have to go with Kmark on this one.

I'm not big on katana's, but from the reviews I hear, and the general opinion, Bugei seems to have a somewhat better quality. You'll have to ask the experts, but this is my 2 cents.

[Nicholas W]

I got to handle one at a CASI retailer a couple of months ago, and I was a bit disappointed in it. Sure, it's a top-end Hanwei blade, and the maki and fittings are better than on the cheaper ones, but as someone stated here on SFI in another thread, it's got that "everything but the kitchen sink" feel to it. Throw as much features as possible into one blade. I don't think it's worth the amount of money they are charging for it.

Just my 2 cents.

[S.Bingham]

Awww thanks guys.
Your views have put me off the kami a bit. I can see what ya mean about the blade. It is a bit over done.
Oh well i think i'll stick with the Bushido then because bugei are a bit out of my price range although i would love a custom Wave katana from them *drools*


thanks again
S.B

[Kmark]

Just for reference, Bugei's swords start at around $950 and upwards, so it might not be totally out of your price range. In particular, take a look at the Samurai katana ($995) or the Crane katana ($945+). I believe both are folded steel, and they come with silk ito. Plus all Bugei's swords are inspected and prepped by Ted or Jesse, at last notice.

Maybe they're a bit more expensive than other similar swords, but if you pay for quality, you can expect to get quality. You can always call them at their number to get more info on their line.

[Abt Yanis]

Well , me too , i have friends that own a Crane Bugei , and it's really a very fine quality blade , and the fittings and wrappings are really reliable for cutting exercises .

I was about to order from Bugei , but the delays are really huge for me (4 months or sometimes more for a Wave ) as soon as you ask for something not in stock , and ordering from Europe is really annoying cause they ask for a lot of personal informations on your bank , account etc.. cause of recent frauds they had recently from unhonest customers , which means they are serious , but it's annoying cause it lengthen the delay of one week at least cause they have to phone and recheck etc.. .

Also i was about to order one of their Tachi (little crow or phoenix ) , but at my great disappointment , they do not sell this item anymore as i was told by their contact by mail .


That's a pity , cause they have really good products , but i needed a good blade , and fast , i mean really fast , less than 1 month of waiting from despatch , for my tameshigiri sessions and intensive courses that happen twice a year only .

Some Paul Chen katanas retailers in the UK provided this for me , decent quality and fast delivery , the recent high end Paul Chen line are now generally of a good quality , that's why i chose this solution .

[Aaron Justice]

I owned one, sold it to get a Dragonfly with bohi, and I was more dissapointed in the Dragonfly than I was with the Kami.

Most people have never handled one or seen one in person but always go for the "just get a Bugei" answer. The Kami was as well made as any Bugei katana I have handled. As long as quality control is good on the one you get, the Kami stands up to Bugei swords easily.

First of all, depending on where you get it, the Kami will be cheaper than a Bugei katana. The Cheapest Bugei with bo hi is 1200, plus the possible 6 month wait. A retailer of CASI stuff could sell the Kami realistically for around $1000 or a bit more, and it includes bo hi and horimono.

The horimono is hand chisled. Some people have made the unfair accusation it is stamped on. It's easy to tell the difference just by looking at the bevels created on the surface of it. Plus the horimono extends onto the ji, which means the stamp would have to have a very weird shape, or that the shinogi part of the stamp would be a lot deeper than on the ji.

The blade is very thick and has a very wide cutting surface thanks to the bo hi. I never did any serious cutting with mine, but I could tell this thing was screaming for limbs to hack.

Some called it the "everything but the kitchen sink" katana, but I don't think the Kami is any more ornate than the average tachi katana, and I don't ever hear those being put down. I feel many do it out of an anti-Paul Chen bias. Not that there haven't been problems with Paul Chen stuff, it's just for the price they provide some damn fine weapons.

If you like it, then don't let others opinion on the appearence disuade you, I say go for it. Once it is drawn from the saya and you are holding it, it's amazing how "un"gaudy it is. It basically looks like any other katana except for the horimono. I personally would like an all black saya or a deeper red one, but the color was never an eyesore.

I would like to get another one at some point, but I would more than likely snipe the unlucky listed incorrectly katana on eBay than a brand new one.

Originally posted by S.Bingham
I realy need to hear from someone who has handled one of these swords.
I am still very tempted to buy one.
PLEASE can anyone give me any information on how this sword feels and whether they have tried anything such as kata with it?

The sword is the most expensive in the highly produced folded series from paul chen and im guessing this is because of the carving, blood groove etc but has anyone seen this sword close up and looked at the folds in the balde etc? can anyone tell me how nice it is who has actually seen it in real life and not just on the net?

I would also realy aperciate any close up quality pics of this sword.

Thanks
S.B

[Dave Drawdy]

had one. hated it. sent it back.

Dave

They make purple shag carpet. They make it because someone will buy it. In fact, you can buy very expensive, high quality purple shag carpet. You can furnish your den in yards of expensive, high quality, purple shag carpet. You should not, however, expect everyone that walks into your home to say "Wow! Great carpet!" Tastes vary greatly.

I suppose it also depends on how you plan to use it. If it suits your taste and budget as a collector I say go for it. Most all of the Chen blades provide a good value for the money, just make sure you procure it through a reputable dealer with a clearly stated return policy. If you have any ambitions of using it in pursuit of formal JSA training, I'd strongly suggest you consider another offering in a bit more subdued koshirae.

[MatthewCarter]

More of a functional peice of art if the blazing saya suits your taste. I've seen one in up in Fairfax in a mall and it's kinda cool looking, but not for the price. However they had a special edition Kami with a different saya that looked really good. The rep from Cheasepeake Knife and Tool said that CKT bought all 1400 limited production katana's. I wish I could remember the name.