Joined: Feb 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 265 Location: Vermont Karma: 10
Cheness 30" Nagasa Katana « Thread Started on Apr 19, 2007, 3:39pm »
I recently purchased and received the Cheness 30” Nagasa katana from the SBG store (thanks Paul ). This is the first katana I have ever owned, so bear in mind when reading this review that I have little hands on experience to speak from.
First off, I want to apologize for the lack of pictures. I actually took numerous photos of this sword, including when I disassembled it, but now my camera and computer are both telling me that the memory card in my camera cannot be read / used anymore, so I can’t get the pictures onto my computer. Once I pick up another memory card I’ll shoot some more pics and post them here, but for now I’ll just provide links to some pretty good pictures on other sites.
(* NOTE: I finally got some pictures up. just keep scrolling down after the review to see them )
Here is the Nagasa on the official Cheness site with lots of good pics:
Name: 30" 9260 Spring Steel Katana Blade: 9260 Silicon Alloy Carbon Spring Steel. Overall Length (+ Saya): 43.25" Treatment: Full Hand Forged, Through Tempered, Oil Quenched, Hand Polished Finish: Tameshigiri Polish Blade Dimension: 30" Length, 0.3" Width, 1.25" Height Sori (Curvature): 0.7" Weight: 3 lbs Tsuba/Fuchi/Kashira: Blackened Steel "Classic Crane" Tsuba Balance Point: 6.5" above tsuba Tsuka/Ho: 11" Wood Tsuka Ito: Blue Cotton Mekugi: 2 X Wood (Double Pinned) Same: Real Ray Skin Panel Wrap Saya: 32" Black Glossy Lacquered Medium Hardwood
The only thing I have to add is that when I measured the balance point I found it to be about 6.2" above the tsuba, which is slightly closer than listed by Cheness.
Unfortunately I don’t have a scale accurate enough to measure the weight of the sword without the saya (I think the 3 lbs weight given by Cheness includes the saya).
The Nagasa arrived at my house exactly 10 days after I placed my order at the SBG store (actually down the hour!). It came in a great looking display box decorated with flowers and dragons along with a sword bag, maintenance kit and display stand. All in all a great presentation and a pretty sweat deal in my opinion, as I felt like I was receiving something much more rare and valuable than a $250 production sword.
The first thing I did after wiping off the blade was check to see if the length of the katana was appropriate for me using the method described in this Sword Forum Magazine article: http://swordforum.com/swords/nihonto/choosinglength.html . I found that when holding the katana at my side the tip of the blade was indeed just barely above the ground, so I think that the length is just about right (I am slightly more than 5’10" tall). Plus I happen to like the look of the slightly longer blade with the standard 11" Tsuka (handle).
Next I took a closer look at the blade. I am actually quite impressed with the look of it, as there are really no unsightly marks from production and the hamon (which is purely cosmetic on this through tempered blade) is subtle and attractive (others who have more experience with higher priced katanas might be more critical than me, but I can honestly say that I am 100% satisfied with this blade ).
The Tsuka has an attractive and VERY tightly wrapped blue Ito (wrap), two Mekugi (pegs), two Menuki (which I think are dragons, and look really cool in my opinion), and a real rayskin Same. Around one of the Mekugi there was some excess rayskin peeling slightly, but I picked at it with a pair of tweezers and now it looks just fine. Just like with the blade, I am very impressed with the fittings on the tsuka. Everything seems extremely well put together, nothing is loose, and it all looks great!
The Tsuba (guard) that came with my Nagasa was the crane tsuba that you can see in the pictures I have posted links to. At first, however, Cheness used the same Tsuba that can be found on their Shura katana on the Nagasa as well. You can see a picture of this configuration on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Cheness-30-Katana-Ha....0QQcmdZViewItem
I actually happen to like the look of the Shura tsuba much more than the Crane one (although I am sure plenty of people will disagree with me ), so I ordered one from Cheness ($25 and free shipping) and decided to switch them myself.
This, of course, involves disassembling the sword, which is something that I wanted to do anyway to get a better look at all the parts (and because it seemed like fun ). This process actually turned out to be harder than I expected because the tsuka fits SO tightly on the tang (I was really impressed by this).
After removing the two mekugi with the little hammer that comes in the maintenance kit I used a rubber mallet on the tsuba to loosen the parts. For quite a while all my efforts got me nowhere, and in the end I was hitting the tsuba so hard that I was concerned about it bending! (don’t worry it turned out o.k. )
Finally the tsuba started to move a bit and the rest wasn’t too difficult. Once everything was apart I checked out the wooden core of the tsuka. There seems to be a slight crack in one corner of the opening that runs just a little ways into the tsuka (again, sorry for no pictures). The crack is so small that I am not worried about it compromising the structural integrity of the tsuka, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway.
I also took the oppertunity to insert the bare blade (still with a collar) into the saya and was impressed by how well it fit (there are slight gaps, but still a pretty secure fit in my opinion. For comparison, the gaps are significantly smaller than pictured in Blackcat’s review of the Cheness Kaze). The Saya holds the blade securely in place even when turned upside down.
This sword handles pretty well in my opinion, but of course since I’ve never handled any other katanas I really can’t say much on this subject. I have done some light cutting and found that, as expected, the Nagasa has no trouble handling plastic water bottles / milk jugs / two liter soda bottles. My cuts aren’t successful 100% of the time, but I am confident that any failures are due to crappy technique on my part rather than any problem with the sword.
I also haven’t done any serious durability tests on this sword, but am quite confident in its structural integrity and blade strength. From what I have read (and I am sure other forum members can back me up) the through hardened 9260 steel blades made by Cheness are as tough as they come. The only personal testimony I can give to this effect is that when I let my friend try a few cuts with the Nagasa (perhaps against my better judgement) one of his swings went right into the wooden post that served as a stand for the plastic bottles we were using. The blade came out completely unscathed (unlike the post ).
Here are my final ratings for the Nagasa:
Historical Accuracy – 3/5 Fit and Finish – 4/5 Handling – 4/5 (but what do I know? ) Structural Integrity – 5/5 Value for Money – 5/5
Overall – 5/5
As you can probably tell, I am EXTREMELY happy with this sword . For my fist Katana I wanted something tough enough that I wouldn’t need to be afraid of banging up a bit, yet still light and fast enough to give at least the general feel of handling a traditional Japanese blade. I also wanted something that looked good and that I could keep on display when not being used. The Nagasa is all of these things and more in my opinion. If anyone wants a durable sub $300 katana with a slightly longer than average blade I STRONGLY recommend this sword.
In these days men are slow to believe that a captain can be wise and learned in the scrolls of lore and song, as he is, and yet a man of hardihood and swift judgement in the field. But such is Faramir.
Great review. I purchased the 33" O-Katana 3 weeks ago and I swapped the crane tsuba out for the Musashi double ring-blackened because the crane one was tearing into my hand. Many of the edges were razor sharp and with the new tsuba it looks great.
Was it tough to get the handle off the tang? The one on the 33" was a task.
I really like the blue ito. It's a nice change from the usual black or brown color.
Thanks again for the tsuba.
David did a very nice thing. Earlier before he bought the 30" nagasa katana he had mentioned in one of his posts that he might change the tsuba. I contacted him about a trading the crane tsuba for one I had and he said he would consider it. He decided to go with the Shura tsuba instead. He then sent me the crane tsuba and paid to ship it. What a great guy!
Karma to you for a nice review and your generosity.
Sol, thanks for the karma. I am glad the crane tsuba will have a good home
jasonv, I recently had to make that same kaze / nagasa decision. one thing that eventually pushed me toward the nagasa (aside from the longer blade and blue ito) was the bo-hi (fuller). i don't think the kaze is available with one and i like the really like the look of blades with bo-hi (plus it makes that loud swoosh sound when you swing it )
at the same time the kaze's real hamon is tough to turn down...
In these days men are slow to believe that a captain can be wise and learned in the scrolls of lore and song, as he is, and yet a man of hardihood and swift judgement in the field. But such is Faramir.
In these days men are slow to believe that a captain can be wise and learned in the scrolls of lore and song, as he is, and yet a man of hardihood and swift judgement in the field. But such is Faramir.
Still like the crane Tsuba though... My knuckles can handle it. Plus I prefer a low choke grip. My thumb knuckle has taken a minor beating thanks to the Dragon Tsuba as see in my avatar <<<<
How difficult was disassembly? My other katana, my beater mc-3034(not sure of it's real name) was tough to get out of the Tsuka the first time but after that it was easier. Did you have to labor much the first time?
Since this Kat is likely my last for a few months (Gotta pay some debt) I wouldn't mind a couple Tsuba's just to mix it up a bit.
It is always nice when someone reviews a sword and includes pictures. They provide alternate views of the sword and usually have a higher resolution showing more detail than those provided by the manufacturer.
How difficult was disassembly? My other katana, my beater mc-3034(not sure of it's real name) was tough to get out of the Tsuka the first time but after that it was easier. Did you have to labor much the first time?
Dissassembly definately took a bit more force than I was expecting at first (which in my opinion speaks to how well put together this sword is). You can see in the picture of the mekugi (peg) that it got indented a bit from my hammering it out.
after getting the mekugi out it was still quite difficult to remove the tsuba and tsuka. i had to gradually let go of my impulse to be gentle with the sword then things finally started comming apart.
In these days men are slow to believe that a captain can be wise and learned in the scrolls of lore and song, as he is, and yet a man of hardihood and swift judgement in the field. But such is Faramir.
How difficult was disassembly? My other katana, my beater mc-3034(not sure of it's real name) was tough to get out of the Tsuka the first time but after that it was easier. Did you have to labor much the first time?
Dissassembly definately took a bit more force than I was expecting at first (which in my opinion speaks to how well put together this sword is). You can see in the picture of the mekugi (peg) that it got indented a bit from my hammering it out.
after getting the mekugi out it was still quite difficult to remove the tsuba and tsuka. i had to gradually let go of my impulse to be gentle with the sword then things finally started comming apart.
I hear ya, I was being too gently with my katana thinking i'd bend the tsuba, but it was tough so I gave it to it and it came loose nicely.
Joined: Apr 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 260 Location: Calgary, AB Canada Karma: 3
Re: Cheness 30" Nagasa Katana « Reply #12 on May 9, 2007, 7:28pm »
Just want to add some of my thoughts.
Fantastic blade, amazing actually. The length is alot more natural for me being over 6ft tall. The Crane Tsuba as expected isn't a bother for me and I love the look of it.
I had literally zero scuff marks on the blade itself and it fits in the Saya nicely. If not just a tad tight but it's definetely secure and isn't tough to get it, it's just tighter than my other Katana then I'm used to.
Great value for my $300 It exceeded my expectations when cutting water bottles. The Cuts are so clean!
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). This is the first katana I have ever owned, so bear in mind when reading this review that I have little hands on experience to speak from.
Once I pick up another memory card I’ll shoot some more pics and post them here, but for now I’ll just provide links to some pretty good pictures on other sites. 
). This process actually turned out to be harder than I expected because the tsuka fits SO tightly on the tang (I was really impressed by this). 
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