Paul Chen Tokogawa Katana Review

Eric Hankins · (#1)

I just received a Tokugawa Katana from "By the Sword." Here's the short and sweet of it for now and with a couple of pix for good measure.

In my opinion the sword lives up to the advertisement's and then some. Everything on the sword speaks quality and strength. I can't really compare it to other Hanwei katanas except to say I'd bet the blade is the same one that's on the Practical Plus model. The Tokogaw's handle is double pegged and it has a decent grade of genuine ray skin that's "bright" white just like the Practical Plus. I cannot tell what the menuki's are made of but they appear to be gold plated and are beautifully done sakura flowers. The best thing of all about the handle in my opinion is the leather wrapping. It is a "quality leather" and "very tight" as are the fittings and they too are accented in gold. The genuine leather affords an "outstanding" grip that "will not slip" like silk and some grades of cotton. The whole sword has a simple underlying strength and quality about it. The tsuba is traditional iron and one that I haven't seen before.

Now back to the blade. The hamon is gunome (wave) style and appears genuine, "not" acid etched. The blade comes to the buyer reasonable sharp but it was not able to slice through a hard target (water filled pepsi bottle.) After "boinging" the bottle I immediately stoned the blade with a medium/fine stone for about 10 minutes followed by a fine/ultra fine for another 10 then finished it off with a diamond steel. The next hard target cut was like cutting through butter. And I also should mention that the blade held its edge through several more bottles and the complete annihilation of a full 8' sheet of 3/8" plywood. Now here is something that did bother me! The blade's length is advertised at 28.5 inches which is correct for my height of 5' 7" and that was one reason why I gambled on purchasing one of these swords. Unfortunately the blade is actually 27.75 inches yet I still found the COP easily, as it felt quite natural at first cutting with only one hand. But with a two hand power cut I noticed the blade's "shortness" much more than I would have liked but in all fairness the balance of the sword made up for it somewhat.

Lastly the saya is advertised as having a flat "no fingerprint" finish and in the ad photos it looked cheap, but...it's not and I'm beginning to like it a lot. Also the sword fits into the saya the way a sword should. Just snug at the last quarter inch.

Now, all of this said, am I happy with the Tokogaw? I must answer with a resounding YES! It is a quality Hanwei sword that's strong and tight with a fine blade made for cutting that can get and hold a keen edge. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a functional katana in its price range. It is well worth the approximate $300 asking price and I am very confident that anyone who gets the opportunity to handle one of these fine little swords will agree with me whole-heartedly that the Tokogaw is a winner all around!

Eric Hankins
Damascus Road Riders - CMA #603
Exeter, CA

Click on these links and be patient. I left the files large for detail;

http://members.mindinfo.com/johankin/tok-handle.jpg

http://members.mindinfo.com/johankin...suba-hamon.jpg

Walter Y.F. Wong · (#2)

So basically the Tokugawa is a Practical Plus but with fancier fittings?

Kmark · (#3)

Are you measuring the blade from the habaki to the kissaki, or from the base of the tsuba to the kissaki? The nagasa is correctly stated as the length of the blade from the habaki to the kissaki, not the latter, but marketing might have garbled up the translation.

It really looks like a nice sword, definitely a step up from the PPK in terms of aesthetics. The saya looks like the one on my PPK, and I bet it feels really solid to the touch (not at all flimsy).

How do you like the tsuka on it? Can you describe the shape of the tsuka (ie. whether its a rectangular slab, or slightly curved, etc)? Also, what is the total length of the tsuka from the base of the tsuba to the kashira?

Eric Hankins · (#4)

So basically the Tokugawa is a Practical Plus but with fancier fittings?

Hi Walter!

Yeah you could say that. The only difference other than those is the PP has a longer handle and a slightly shorter blade.

Here's a pic from last Friday evening. I did this light target cut to show a friend how it would leave the bottom of the jug still full of water and still standing on the toy car and also I wanted him to see the smoothness of the edges on the jug from the razor cut.

BTW, I resharpened the blade myself and it litterally cuts like butter with no vibration back to the hand. The cut in the pic was a very light single hand cut.

http://members.mindinfo.com/johankin...-tokogawa2.jpg

eric

Eric Hankins · (#5)

Are you measuring the blade from the habaki to the kissaki, or from the base of the tsuba to the kissaki?

Howdy Kmark! I measured from the mune-machi to the tip of the kissaki.

The nagasa is correctly stated as the length of the blade from the habaki to the kissaki, not the latter, but marketing might have garbled up the translation.

That is very true. The vendors only go by what info the distributor gives them and unfortunatly that info is often flawed.

I bet it feels really solid to the touch (not at all flimsy).

That is an under statement! The Tokagawa is solid as a rock!

How do you like the tsuka on it? Can you describe the shape of the tsuka (ie. whether its a rectangular slab, or slightly curved, etc)? Also, what is the total length of the tsuka from the base of the tsuba to the kashira?

I haven't measured it. I'm really spent for the night so tomorrow I'll measure and get some pix for you.

eric

Eric Hankins · (#6)

How do you like the tsuka on it?

Kmark,

I know I'm a bit peculiar and what I'm about to say is just my personal opinion but the guys who want silk ito and who are willing to pay the price can keep it. I'll take genuine leather "anytime" just like on all my medieval swords. Leather conveys a sense of safety in my hands. I just know it has less of a chance of getting away from me no matter what the conditions. So, I am "very" please with the tsuka and that was one of the reasons I chose the Tokugawa. BTW, the ito is absolutely tight and after several cutting exhibitions it remains so, as does the tsuka. I'm sure the double bamboo mekugi play a big part in this.

Can you describe the shape of the tsuka (ie. whether its a rectangular slab, or slightly curved, etc)?

Well, without unwrapping it I really can't say. From the inside of the tsuka, once it is removed from the nakago, I can see no shims and it seems to be one solid piece but I can't be sure.

Also, what is the total length of the tsuka from the base of the tsuba to the kashira?

It's 10-3/8."

From the tsuba to the very end and including the kashira's length is 11-1/8."

Something about the sword that I can't seem to figure out is what the menuki are made of. They are not magnetic and do not get cold when outside so I'm thinking non-metallic. My only fear is that they are plastic.

If anyone finds out could you please let us know?

eric