Hanwei Ronin Katana
In stock
Price range: $999.99 through $1,049.99
- Shipping estimated at checkout
- Every blade inspected before shipping
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Overall Length
- 40 1/2''
- Weight
- 2 lb 7 oz
- Brand
- Hanwei
- Culture
- Japanese
Overview
Hanwei Ronin Katana
The Story of the 47 Ronin is one of the most celebrated and influential tales of the Samurai from the Edo period. Lord Asano was a powerful Daimyo ordered by the Shogun to entertain guests of the Imperial Family. The highest ranking master of protocol, Kira, was given the task of teaching Asano, among others, proper matters of etiquette in this task. Lord Asano and Kira quickly grew to dislike each other and the teacher insulted his student at every opportunity. No longer able to contain himself, Asano drew his sword upon Kira, wounding him in the attack. This act led to Asanos ordered suicide (seppuku) and the confiscation of his property. On December 14, 1702, nearly one year after Asanos death, 47 of Asanos men (now Ronin), descended upon the mansion of Kira to exact their revenge. After a fierce battle, the Ronin demanded that Kira commit seppuku for his transgressions against their former master. When he refused he was beheaded. For their actions the Ronin were themselves sentenced to death by seppuku. They are buried together at the Sengakuji, offering a true testament to the loyalty inherent in the Samurai.
The Hanwei Ronin Koshirae Katana captures the spirit of Lord Asanos 47 Ronin. The blackened metal Tsuba depicts Asanos followers on their vengeful march. The shapened blade is made of hand forged & folded Swedish powder steel with bo-hi in a traditional Shinogi Zukuri style. Includes a black lacquered wood scabbard and cotton sword bag.
Specifications
Every measurement that matters
- Brand
- Hanwei
- Culture
- Japanese
- Pommel
- N/A
- Overall Length
- 40 1/2''
- Blade Length
- 28 1/2''
- Weight
- 2 lb 7 oz
- Edge
- Sharp
- P.O.B.
- 4 3/4''
- Thickness
- 7 mm - 4.7mm
- Width
- 31.2 mm
- Grip Length
- 11 1/4''
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Country of Origin
- China
- Type
- Katana
Reviews
What collectors are saying
Q&A
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Video
See it in motion
Hanwei Ronin Katana Review (SH2360) from Paul Chen and CAS Iberia
The Maker
Hanwei
Shop Hanwei Swords, Armor & More
Master sword smith Paul Chen created Hanwei Swords and led the early industry by creating authentic handmade swords of the highest grade steel over the last several decades. A favorite amongst the industry, the original Hanwei factory suffered from a fire and ownership changes. In 2025, the factory closed and original collaborator Frenchie Jin’s forge (Dragon King / Kingston Arms) has taken over, improving and reintroducing past models. The reinvented Hanwei focuses primarily on Japanese and Chinese models, including the Performance Series Katana. Many of the original European models are now adopted as part of the Kingston Arms line.
Often paired together
Overall I’m pleased with the sword. The blade is what I wanted in feel and look. It came very sharp. Tsuka feels good to my hand. Wrap is fair. Rayskin looks fair. I only have 2 complaints. Not a fan of the paint finish on tsuba fuchi kashira. The tsuba wasn’t cleaned properly before so some paint Is coming off. Cheapens the look of sword. I’ll be replacing furniture so not a big problem for me. My biggest problem is the serial number on hibaki. Whatever law made that a thing is stupid. I live in US and haven’t heard bout that. Been a while since I bought a sword though.
Only Minuses:
– Slightly frayed ito silk in one spot, the ito that comes through kashira and the knot could have been done straighter.
– Mekugi are slightly rounded but holes could have been done neater. Don’t appear to be traditionally smoked (as they are light in color).
– Transitions on tsuka could have been done a bit smoother. But really not too bad, nitpicking. Thankfully kashira seems to be on well, and the ito is tight, as expected for this price.
Pluses:
– Pretty much everything else, such as the blade with its frosty hamon and hada — it consists of interesting patterns that stand out in the right light well, manufacturer didn’t use any acid wash.
Nice kisski, bo-hi well done. Good balance. Good saya lock. Decent polish. I like non-glossy texture of the saya, and the opening looks good. Habaki is well aligned on each side. Emperor’s Nodes on one side of the tsuka, very nice ones. Tsuba looks sharp for a casted piece, no muddiness. The rest of the fittings are acceptable. They are well fitted to the tsuka/sword. The handle appears on the pics a bit axe-like, but it’s more oval in shape and feels ergonomic. Only sides look tall but the thickness of the tsuka is not very significant. Pic when the sword sits on the side — you can see it there to some extent.
– Minor Pluses: good packaging with a sturdy and thick sword bag, maintenance accessories are not bad. Habaki has horizontal lines’ patterns, but it’s not from the same stock as what you can find on most budget LongQuan swords, the design is similar, but the habaki is not from the the same cast (sorry, forgot the Japanese term for this specific design). The same applies to the rest of the fittings. This degree of uniqueness is appreciated. Acceptable sageo.
Overall impressions: it is a beautiful and harmonious sword, and since none of the issues mentioned are in particular severe, or impede this shinken from its ability to cut, or be used for training Iaido, and other Japanese martial arts, I am not taking the star off. For the price I would like some more attention to details, but can’t help but enjoy the overall package.
I might, in time, work with CottonTails Customs on more premium tsukamaki, especially if silk starts fraying further. But at this time the sword is good as is. A bit pricey. Not sure if it’s truly worth the asking price, hope the steel and the blade, including folding, were done with outmost care, and the differential hardening was very precise. That would make it worth it by all accounts, except I don’t have the means to test these aspects, I just hope that they are true. This is not the sword I am planning to put through heavy cutting, it’s a rather special one, considering my limited budget.
Thank you, Kult of Athena for your customer service! Special thanks to Nikkie.