I recently bought a cheap Japanese sword that was made in Taiwan, costing around $200 for training purpose. It was working well until one day it fell from a table. Now when I perform Daijodan Shomen Giri, as I bring the sword down, when I stop I hear a small 'clicking' noise inside the handle. Now if I flip the sword up side down and do another Daijodan Shomen Giri, it will click again. I know it's a cheap sword but the blade is really sharp and I feel quite unsafe, and I am just concerned if I can fix this and how?
can the tsuka (handle) be removed or is it permanently attached? chances are that on a $200.00 sword, the tsuka will not come off. Most of those sdwords are dangerous out of the box. Now that it is rattling, Iwould be very careful, and would not use it again.
You're joking right? no seriously. tell me you're not swinging a sharpened wall hanger? :bang: Brother, listen...you don't even know if that sword has a full tang inside its tsuka, what quality steel it is or what secures the tang. It could be a dollop of glue for all you know or there could be one tiny little soft metal pin stopping that blade from flying out the hilt and sticking into something or someone! There's a reason it only cost 200 bucks... its not a REAL sword! Fire&Steel makes swords...he can probably speak more on the subject than me. Put that thing away and buy a bokken. If you want to practice your draw, buy a bokken with a plastic scabbard... it's all you need at this stage.
I've seen pictures of tangs like rats' tails. Just thin strips of metal instead of proper tangs. I'm sure someone will have one they can post. Stop training with it. Stop training with it now. Seriously. If it can't be stripped to ascertain the problem then it remains a potentially lethal problem.
I am sure that you have a wall hanger and you should not be practicing with it at all. Get a booken or a fukuro shinai and train for a long time with them. Eventually you will be ready for a real shinken but do not rush it.
I'm sorry for my sin The only one I could afford at the time :bang: Apologies for low quality pictures.
Wallhanger. No question. Look at the tsuka maki. Look at the pin being used instead of a mekugi. My eyes are bleeding just from looking at it and my hard drive weeps because it is forced to hold those images in the temporary internet folder.
This sword is not made to do any cutting or even iai with. As with the others that have posted, I recommend you stop using this katana for nothing more than looking at it. Just from looking at the tsuka it does not look like a wood core and the pins... are definately not wood or bamboo. The koshirae also looks like the typical glued on wallhanger vesion.
Thank you for the comments, why would a martial art supplies store sell swords of such low quality puzzles me. The fault is mostly on my part for not having researched enough information. A good sub $200 lesson I've learned.
Stingking said:- 1. Money. 2. Because they don't care. 3. Money. 4. Because they're not the ones who might be injured. 5. Money. It's not always true but you usually get what you pay for. Quality costs money.
Hang it on the wall with very big nails ! If it has a 440 stainless steel blade glue it into it's Saya & glue it to the wall as well, then bend the nails over. You will be safe if your behind this sword but those around you might like position themselves behind the nearest brick wall as that will be the safest place to stand. Did I mention if it has a 440 stainless steel blade that it is a granade waiting to shatter into shrapnel the first time it makes hard contact with any object ?
You guys are so sweet LOL. Great advice though, next time look at the grade of the sword and see if it is at the very least a full tang. Pretty to look at, until it breaks off and flings back into your face. There must be a link to that shopping channel vid where that salesman did it on the chopping board.
You mean this one? [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMYrhGxpO0w"]Katana Shopping TV - YouTube[/ame]
hahahahahahhahhahahhahaaaahahaha. Oh man I even called my kids into the room to watch that. I actually owned that very sword. Bought it in a roadside store in MD for 8 bucks. hehe I love it how the camera continues to fade in and out of scene to show off the piece while the tool is rolling around. Thats a classic.
I used that vid in a presentation about materials and their uses for a physics project a year or so back. Needless to say, it was the wrong choice of material!
HHeheheheh LOL That should be a sticky !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stainless is NOT ment for sword blades and a perfect stainless blade will do that every single time ! It is ok for Chef's knives but only just !
