Happy Saturday everyone. If you don’t know this already, I love love love swords, but my true love are Japanese blades like the katana. I love them so much that they find their way into my books on a regular basis. I recently purchased a wakizashi and have been awaiting it’s arrival. This post will be the review of this blade.
With an estimated delivery date of Oct 1st, I figured the dogs going crazy and the gate slamming shut was just another delivery for my husband. He orders the majority of the packages that arrive here, but he will tell you it’s me. Like a love crazed girlfriend I’ve been stalking my sword’s journey, using it’s tracking number, from China to America. Frustration had me in it’s clutches as I watched it sit at a location in China for three days, and then when it finally made it to NY, it sat there for another four days. My sword hadn’t even traveled to Texas yet and more and more I began to believe the estimated date was real. Imagine my surprise when I walked out to the gate and found a long box waiting for me!
My mind didn’t want to believe it. I grabbed up the box, the way a kid would snatch up a present on Christmas day, and rushed inside with it. It was the shape of a typical box sized for a sword, but it was wrapped very tightly in tape. I mean all over it, making the color of the container the color of the tape. I gently placed it on the bed with the utmost care and a took a knife and carefully cut along the sides. Turns out the box was a styrofoam enclosure, and inside, looking at up at me, was my sword. I cannot even begin to explain how gorgeous this sword is. It completely exceeded my highest expectations. I found it on eBay and it was $102.00 For that price I was truly expecting a low quality sword that would serve it’s purpose, simply being a reference, and light usage, to practice battle scenes on my own. Something you would find at a festival that would spend most of it’s days being lazy sitting on a sword rack looking pretty.
Boy was I wrong. I tried to take my own pictures, but I’m no photographer, and the seller’s pictures truly captures the beauty best so I will add those instead. When I looked through his pictures on the post I asked myself, how the heck can these pictures be true? It can’t possibly be that gorgeous. Wow. This sword was well packaged, arrived much faster than estimated, and when I slid the sword out of it’s saya I found that the blade was protected with a covering of oil. The blade is gorgeous, the quality of the metal is excellent, the weight of the blade is heavy, not that cheap crap, and surprisingly well balanced. All of the details on the tsuba (hand guard), the tsuka (handle) and all of the details along the saya are very high quality. The blade is sharp enough to slice some skin or impale an intruder, but not razor sharp. That’s fine, I don’t plan on cutting with it. It also has a bo-hi or commonly referred to as a blood groove. This helps keep the blade from getting stuck in the unlucky person’s body, allowing the blade to slide out easily. I cannot confirm this myself of course. I only know of it. I do know that the bo-hi will give you more of that swooshing noise when you practice with it. There really is no hamon, or temper line, but instead it has one of many optional patterns that you would see on a Damascus blade. I examined it closely and it’s more likely to be etched on, but I honestly don’t care. It’s beautiful either way.
I loved the sword so much that I went over to the sellers site on ebay and found this guy’s smaller matching friend, more of a tanto length, and couldn’t help but purchase it and reunite these two siblings. More to come on that guy when he arrives.
I’m looking forward to practicing with this sword and I’m so exited for all of the creative ideas and battle scenes the sword will inspire in my upcoming books. Which character will wield it? I’m not sure yet, but I will keep you updated on which character lays claim to it.
Below are the sellers pictures, which do it so much more justice than mine. Until next time. Write Well and Prosper!
