MAKOTO Handmade Sharp Katana Black Samurai Sword 40"

This Minamoto katana is my first actual Makoto sword - Ryujin made the Geisha katana that is sold by Makoto. Overall I'm not disappointed (at all) with this katana, considering the budget value category that it represents. This price range often is an inventory liquidation, but Makoto not only survives at this price - they are thriving.Makoto appears to have mastered the delicate balance between quality and value, at the budget end of this spectrum.Unfortunately there's a lot of (outrageously priced) DECORATIVE GARBAGE to wade through, and katana buyers have to sift through this pile to find a decent deal.Makoto acknowledges it isn't as battle ready as a Musashi with their "Decoration Only" warning label on the box, but they do bring much more to the table than those crappy katana-shaped trinkets..Some Youtubers keep a Makoto katana as their Iado practice tool (instead of a high-priced ACTUAL Iado),and express that it serves respectively well in that function - because the weight and shape are certainly there.This sword arrived straight, sharpened and blemish free, which seems to be a bit of a challenge at this price range. Initially, everything fits pretty snug and appears to be put together fairly well, without any rattle or wobble.This 28.5" Bohi blade has more of a distal taper than the Geisha katana has. The Sori angle is the same optimal 3/4" as the Geisha.2 mekugi pegs are used to secure the Tsuka handle to the tang. The Itomaki wrap isn't horribly loose or sloppy, but it could have been done better. A tight wrap of hockey stick tape improves the grip and keeps the diamonds from moving out of shape.The Tsuba and hardware do not attract a magnet (as expected), but the tang does until the last 3 inches of the 10.8" Tsuka handle.The Saya does have a matte surface that hides finger smudges pretty well. The Habaki fit is decent enough. Conceptually this metal koiguchi collar makes a lot of sense, but it will take some time getting used to.This Minamoto katana arrived inside of an inexpensive sword bag, held in place within the Makoto box by a few pieces of broken and smashed Styrofoam - minimalist to be sure, and barely adequate.Wipe the shipping oil off the blade and replace it immediately with some Corrosion-X (or CLP or petroleum jelly). Keep it wet with your preferred oil, and you shouldn't suffer have any corrosion issues. Bare carbon steel requires this kind of care, even if you keep it indoors.I guess you could use a traditional Choji oil instead, but I don't..

Hardens like ancient belief if weilded properly. It seems loose and dull when first opened, but a bit of momentum, and a true heart, the soot wipes off the edge like altruism is still kept on a scroll high in the Himalayas, still yet cannot test myself by truly slicing for fear of losing my faith...! Not intended for the weak of spirit...

I like this katana, the full tang blade and handle align well, the Two Gold Leaf Tsuba is nicely done with good detail. The blade is fairly sharp and a little touch up with a fine Arkansas Stone made it good. The weight is about right although a few ounces heavier than my WW ll katana It is worth the money and I have ordered 2 more for presents.

First of all, this is my first overall katana of more than just a display quality of slightly lower cost. Though it's still a lower end, budget katana, I'm still impressed with it, for the most part, getting it primarily for display, but to also admire it's feel and taking it out of the saya here and there, holding it in hand. Feels nice and sharp edge. The hamon has a nice wave to it, the saya has a nice matte black look to it, and the tsuka is a nice look, well wrapped and looks to be a very standard/typical, good quality I expected. Also, the blade slides in nice and locks in solid into the saya with the habaki feeling to be a great sturdy fit.However, the tsuba and metal on the end of the saya with the koiguchi look weathered, not antique or slightly worn look that makes it more authentic/aged, but looks to be on the verge of rusted, I guess. There is a discoloration (see photos) that definitely does not look like the images of the product page. It looks borderline bad, but not to the point where I am going to seriously drop stars for it. For the total price of $50.00 as a katana, I'm impressed, but would think it wouldn't be difficult for the manufacturer to have made sure the tsuba and other decorative piece of the koiguchi end with a nicer basic look as are pictured (I wouldn't have thought they could look weathered/rusted looking as they do). I may try to paint them a matte black that I have already at home, but that may take them to the other spectrum of looking too "one-colored" solid colored, and not that slightly worn look that, again, I was expecting as product picture.One other thing is on the side of the koiguchi decorative metal piece leading to the rest of the saya, there is some glue showing coming out of the edge. Looks a little bit sloppy, but it's also not too obvious unless being analyzed up close, not something someone would notice while its hanging on the wall mount.Would I still recommend this sword? Mostly, but not certainly. I found some other katanas out there with great look and with hundreds of review as high if not higher review stars, but started looking into those after having originally decided on this Makoto katana, getting it and seeing the mentioned defects. There are a lot of options out there, but this is a nice looking katana that is great for display, but not so much for up close observation.