Until recently, the mass market has been saturated with mostly stainless steel imitation Japanese-style swords. However, journeying to China, a humble Taiwanese businessman returning to his swordmaking roots has made a small impact in the sword industry here in North America. Based in Manchuria, China, Paul Chen (also known by his Chinese name of Chen Chao-Po) makes differentially heat treated Japanese style katana of a quality that is increasing and catching the attention of collectors.

In an industry where newly made authentic Japanese katana made by a Japanese smith in Japan starts at US$6,000-10,000 and custom stock-steel Japanese style swords range from $1,400-$4,000 the Chinese-made Shinto Katana by Paul Chen marks a new entry level for the beginning collector at the suggested retail price of US$499.

Amid a market dominated by stainless steel swords made in Spain and Taiwan, the Shinto Katana is, to date, the most accurate reproduction of a Japanese sword for under US$500.

Forged from "railroad tracks" - a source of steel most likely to be AISI 1050 - the Shinto Katana sports a 28-1/4" blade which has been clay treated and differentially heat treated in the traditional style, resulting in a hardened edge for cutting and edge-holding capabilities, and a softer body and spine for impact absorption and shock tolerance. Each sword features a hamon (temper line) which is the result of the clay treatment and heat treating process.

The 10-1/2" handle features real (though low-grade) ray skin ("same") and a cotton-wrap. The guard ("tsuba") is of a dragon motif, howbeit it is cast upside-down! (Side note: the "front" of the guard faces the handle, as the sword is worn edge-up in the belt of the Samurai. Worn this way, however, the dragon's head on the tsuba is the wrong side up.)

Durability of the Shinto Katana

The question most have is how durable this sword is as a weapon. Always bear in mind that the Japanese sword is first and foremost a cutting weapon. There is much improper sales pitch touting the tip of the katana as a "reinforced piercing point" when it was actually created for cutting. Hollywood unfortunately depicts the katana as a chopping weapon which, interestingly enough, it also depicts the Japanese sword martial arts incorrectly as well!

Any Japanese sword will bend or break if used incorrectly. Even the best katanas ever made were not indestructable. Whether you use a Shinto Katana or a $1,000,000 katana made by Masamune himself, you are subject to the laws of physics and metallurgical properties. Keep in mind that the Japanese avoided blade-to-blade contact - especially edge-against-edge combat at all costs. Their system of martial arts aimed to kill and end the confrontation with a single stroke.

With all this said, the Shinto katana can be a servicable weapon, despite it having several weaknesses.

It is advertised on sales sheets provided by wholesaler C.A.S. Iberia that the edge is of 60 Rockwell hardness and its spine is of 20 Rockwells. These figures, however, are incorrect. Stock steel is manufactured and annealed at around 31 Rockwells. Steel at 20 Rc is essentially unhardened steel and can be bent fairly easily. Hank Reinhardt of Museum Replicas Limited measured the Shinto Katana to reflect readings of 62-63 Rockwells on the edge, with the spine in the mid-to-high 30's.

A Rockwell hardness this high for an edge means that the edge is brittle and more prone to damage. A spine this soft means that it has no "spring" to resist bending. Thus, improper use of the Shinto Katana can result in a severely bent blade. This is not to say that the Shinto Katana will bend the next time you cut cardboard, but the Shinto Katana will not take high stresses as well as better-made and better-heat-treated swords. Ideally, the edge should be 57-58 Rc and the body should be in the 45 Rc. range.

The tang runs approximately 6.5 inches. While this length can be seen as traditional for Japanese swords, the Shinto Katana uses a lighter and weaker wood than the traditional honoki wood used in Japanese sword handles (the western equivalents would be yellow/tulip poplar or alder wood). Further, the 10.5 inch handle means that the last four inches of handle enclose no tang, meaning that this area is a potential breakage point if subjected to stresses to high and improper use. The tang is somewhat thin and could be bent with some effort. However, the Shinto Katana is in no danger of bending or breakage of used properly and safely.

Comparison Testing

I tested the Shinto Katana against some 1/2"-wide soft branches (not the best thing to test-cut on, especially if you - like me - are not trained in Japanese tamashigiri test cutting!). The Shinto Katana was very sharp but I didn't fully sever the branch, as I am not yet trained in this area. I proceeded to chop the rest of the branch off. This caused an extremely small (fraction of a millimeter) chip to the edge where it came into contact with the branch.

In contrast, I took a World War II gunto made from bar stock steel to a hard plank of wood. The gunto suffered no damage while cutting into the plank. (Please bear in mind that wooden planks are not traditional test cutting material, and that you should never use such materials - let alone test-cut with antique swords unless you want to decimate their intrinsic value!)

The wear caused to the edge is most likely due to the high Rockwell hardness of the Shinto Katana. This can be resolved with a home remedy of oven tempering at 350F degrees for approximately 30 minutes (either use a coating of oil or wrap tightly with aluminum foil to prevent oxidation and discoloration).

Accuracy and Aesthetics

Motoyasu - our Nihon-to Editor - shares the following observations regarding the polish and the aesthetic features on the blade surface:

The Shinto Katana appears to be finished by sandpaper and acid-etching.

The narrow habuchi (the dark fuzzy line) indicates quite a high carbon content. The habuchi is dark because it is acid-etched. A properly polished blade should show a misty white line for the habuchi and a "frosted" white edge. In general, the wider the habuchi line, the lower the carbon - 0.6% carbon is about optimal - the tougher the sword. The temper line is not as smoothly executed s it could be and in some places looks rather forced and unnatural. It also has no ashi or other activity in the yakiba (flamed edge), so there's really nothing to look at - if nothing else, using a lower carbon steel would have widened this line and helped hide any imperfections. The transition between the point ("kissaki") and the rest of the blade also doesn't seem to be very well executed and gives the point gives an impression of bluntness.

I think to make this sword look really good, the first order of business would be to reshape the point and then give it a traditional polish, and also kesho the edge to hide the fact that there's no activity whatsoever.

Prices and Inaccurate Sales Pitch

As with many websites that sell this sword, the Shinto Katana's description is often derived from the wholesaler's sales sheets which are inaccurate.

First and foremost are the Rockwell hardness readings of the the edge and spine which are stated at 60 Rc and 20 Rc respectively.

The temper line is described as o-midare which the sales information defines incorrectly as "turbulent sea" when the correct academic term is "confused pattern." The term "turbulent sea" signifies a different temper line altogether (toran).

Another incorrect statement made is that the temper line pattern has to be identical on either sides of the blade in order for the temper line to be real. In fact, however, the vast majority of ancient Japanese swords featured differing temper line patterns on either side of the blade, as a result of personal choice to feature different styles of hamon.

The price of the Shinto Katana had supposedly been established at US$499. However, there are businesses that sell it for over $500. One retailer sells it for $800 and claimed/lied that it used to be sold for $3,400 (I was very promptly unwelcomed in the store after an enthusiastic friend unfortunately pointed me out to them as the Editor of SFMO!)

Conclusion

Though having some weaknesses (some of which can be remedied), the Shinto Katana is in no danger of breakage if used properly. It is more beautiful than many mass-produced World War II gunto swords that are made from factory steel and have very basic, lackluster temper lines (some were even acid etched).

The sword comes with a traditional style cleaning kit of rice papers, a small brass hammer, an uchiko powder ball, and choji clove oil. However, a good gun oil (such as Ballistol or Remmington) and a kitchen towel would also suffice.

For the money, the Shinto Katana is a superb buy, and the closest thing to a real Japanese sword on the $500 end of the price spectrum. Many iaito (practice katanas) equal or exceed the Shinto in price but the blades of iaito are constructed of a soft zinc-aluminum light-weight allow that was never intended for anything other than solo kata movement practice.

The construction of the Shinto Katana is closer to tradition than any stainless steel imitation katana and thus makes a silent statement that can make a most handsome display piece. It should be respected as a weapon and be cared for as a real Japanese style sword.

Blade: 28-1/4", Overall: 39-1/4"
Weight: (with scabbard) 2.80 lbs. / 1.26 kg
(without scabbard) 2.10 lbs. / 0.96 kg

BACK

[TOP]  [Back -1]  [About SFMO]  [Feedback to Editor]  [Discussion Forum]