Japanese Short Tanto Sword Clay Tempered T10 Steel Blade

After reviewing and researching different types of swords and what Amazon has to offer it came down to this one being my first purchase. The quality is really something appreciated in person and for the price point it is way less than one worth thousands. The metal, from what I looked into, is one of the finest metals you can get in a sword without paying thousands. I did research other retailers for something comparable and the asking price was still 5-8 times more than the price of this one. I really appreciated the detail that went into it from the real hamon on the blade to the etched cherry blossom toward the handle. I chose this particular model over the other that the seller offers because of the sheath. I like the natural wood look and I did my best to capture it in these pictures. It’s smooth and well made, not something you’d get splinters from while unsheathing or something you’d also expect to break easily. I did cut up some fruit, a watermelon and couple of pumpkins. It cut through the fruit without much exertion on my end. I took it to a large pumpkin and while it didn’t cut all the way through it gashed it down the middle, which would do much harm to a person. With that in mind, this is a REAL WEAPON. It kept its edge while I sliced the fruit, treat this like a real weapon. My original intention of purchasing this was curiosity and recent intrigue into swords, so I wasn’t expecting much. Don’t let the price fool you, this is meant to be treated like a weapon. I like the overall length of this sword. It’s a smaller sword so it is a tanto, but it fits nicely in my hand without too much weight and can be carried around easily or concealed in a bag. I live in a state where I can legally carry this around, so I keep it tucked in between my passenger seat when I take it out of the house. Otherwise, it stays locked in the safe with the other weapons so please treat this with care as you would a firearm. I tried to take note of the attention to detail in the handle, where the thread is tied, the bamboo pegs and the detail of the fish skin or ray skin. It is all nicely done and not at all fake like other swords I’ve purchased. It comes packaged tightly and nice in styrofoam in a box, while the sword itself is kept in a cloth with a nice pattern on it. No damages at all to the sword during transit and I keep it oiled and in the sock provided when I’m not showing it off. If you are at all interested in swords or Japanese/Samurai culture, I think you will appreciate this sword. If you think the cost is too high, I would first buy it and appreciate it in person, because other swords of different lengths, metals, styles I’ve seen and purchased don’t come close to how awesome this one is. For half the cost, I bought a sword that was really for cosplay, and for an equivalent cost I found one lacking much of the detail this one has. Even a katana with a similar steel that I paid three tines as much for couldn’t touch the detail that went into this one. I will be following this seller for future purchases as I can honestly say I got more worth than what I paid for, which is extremely rare these days. The black rubber bands you see do not come with the sword, I added this. They’re called ranger bands and I put them on anything I might carry around.

Not a novice, I know a thing or two about metallurgy, sword blades and quality vs garbage. At this price point I am pleasantly surprised. This Tanto is much better quality than I expected. Very sharp, tight fit and finish. Genuine Ray skin and silk wrapped handle. I have a $300 Tanto by a known brand which has a lesser quality steel blade. Well done Shinken!

It’s definitely sharp out of the box and seriously looks good; but my sheath in particular doesn’t seem to fully function in the sense that it doesn’t hold the blade in the sheath without the blade very very easily coming out of the sheath, which could be a bit of my fault by pushing it into the sheath too hard. But overall 9.3/10 from me

This is for display purposes so I can't tell you how it cuts. Everything fits together well, it has a nice subtle hamon and overall is aesthetically pleasing. Not too crazy about the tsuba but at this price point that can be overlooked. The saya is a natural wood finish which is a nice difference from the usual lacquered finish.

The blade is T10 steel with nice hamon and very sharp. The Tsuka was tight and all fixtures were good quality. I did not personally care for the Tsuba so I replaced it with another that I ordered from Amazon. Now it's just right. While replacing the Tsuba, I discovered that the Nagasa had been signed by the swordsmith. This was a nice touch that I don't see very often on production swords.

It arrived very well packaged. Nothing broke and the blade was very clean and sharp. Handle was a bit rough at the start, but eased up. The wrap it comes in is also a nice touch since it's textured and high quality. Overall very satisfied with purchase.

I was disappointed in the blade's lack of sharpness. The sword was otherwise of first quality. The seller went the whole distance in taking care of the issue. An outfit that stands behind their product 100%. I live in North Carolina and this beautifully made katana is my go-to-town EDC, carried across my chest. I gets lots of compliments, even though it doesn't come out of the saya. A perfect CQ blade.

I like the way my hand, it has solid construction, the weapon’s balance was spot on, but however, was not sharp as desired. Also hamon in line, not as visibly pronounced as seen in pictures. It would’ve been OK if I spell like spending a lot of time, sharpening it. Which I didn’t. It would make a good display piece., especially if you have small children or others who are worried about being cut.“Just not.” Battle ready” disappointed, but then again, I have really high standards when it comes to Japanese swords.