Masahiro Masakage
So, this is the first 'Japanese' sword I've ever owned, and it's pretty much the bargain basement of what anyone might call functional. Many people consider
Masahiro swords to be wallhangers, and I wouldn't fault them for that. At best they could be called 'beater' katanas, since they are made from non-stainless steel, with a heat treat. They're mass-produced in China along with about a thousand other brands of varying quality.
This one I got from Jason Moore of
Dragon's Edge for $60 + $14 for shipping, marked down from $100. As usual, he shipped very promptly, and dealing with him was a pleasure. And for the price, it's not a terrible sword. The fittings are pretty tight (although the fuchi can be wiggled a bit with some effort) and it doesn't rattle in the saya, staying securely in place. The tsuka feels the right thickness, and the sword seems well-balanced at about 5", although I can't help thinking another inch or so out would improve it. The ito is not very straight, and it could be tighter. The cast tsuba isn't bad at all, but the paint is kind of garish. The same is very low quality, but purportedly genuine. The cotton is budget quality, and not very comfortable to my soft girly hands. The habaki is chewed up some, probably due to scraping against the saya. The saya itself is actually very nice- simple, no cracks, nice even glossy lacquer. Although I'm not well educated in katana geometries, the blade seems to be standard shinogi zukuri with about 1" sori. The polish is very low, and the hamon is wire brushed on, typical of Masahiro. The yokote is completely cosmetic, with the tip forming about half an inch before the end of the kissaki. The blade is not very sharp- about as sharp as my
Crecy, and some preliminary box cutting took more effort than I think should be required of a "razor sharp" blade. Despite these mostly cosmetic issues, it seems a good value for $74.00. It might make for an acceptable cutter for an amateur (like me), but certainly no serious JSA student would consider using it as more than a beater. For the general sword enthusiast such as would be like to buy something through general retailers like Dragon's Edge, it's definitely a good buy at the sale price.
September 2007: This sword has been sold in order to help finance custom scabbards for my Crecy and Yeoman.
Home
