Thaitsuki Nihonto specializes in melding blades of excellent quality with distinguished and elevated koshirae hilt fittings and a premium saya scabbard. Where other brands will cut corners on the finer points of fit and finish of koshirae and blade polish, Thaitsuki Nihonto follows through to create an exquisitely well crafted sword which has had the attention of a skilled craftsman hand-finishing each step to ensure an excellent fit and finish throughout. From Thaitsuki you can expect to see blades of well-tempered steel, a superb blade polish, components of higher quality metals, a well-knotted Japanese silk grip wrap, finely lacquered scabbard, high quality samegawa rayskin, and close attention paid to details such as a tight and flush fit between the scabbard opening and its encased koiguchi.
The Thaitsuki Sokueto Handachi Katana has a hand forged blade of T10 high carbon steel that has been well-crafted by a bladesmith of considerable skill. Its half-length bo-hi groove and thinned blade spine in the main striking portion of the sword creates a lighter and faster striking blade than many katana and this thinned spine minimizes drag as the blade passes through a target to optimize striking velocity for cleaner and more impactful cuts. The blade has been heat treated with the traditional clay-coated tempering method to impart an edge hardness of 60 HRc and a spine of 35 HRc. This imbues the blade with a softer core for flex and shock absorption and a hardened edge that will stay keen and resist wear and dulling. The wave-like hamon from this tempering is quite visible and vibrant and was brought out to its full beauty with a high quality hand-finished blade polish.
The tsuba, fuchi and kashira katana fittings are of blackened brass with is gorgeously embellished with highly dimensional Shishi Lion Dogs of silver. The habaki and seppa are likewise crafted from handmade silver to match. The fuchi and kashira hilt components are also of antiqued blackened brass with silver accents. The hardwood tsuka grip is inlaid with high quality black samegawa rayskin and overlaid with an well-knotted ito cord of imported Japanese silk. Two silver menuki lie beneath the knotted Ito grip wrap to complete the grip.
The well-carved wooden Saya scabbard has been coated with multiple layers of carefully applied glossy black lacquer and matched with smoothly polished koiguchi and kojiri fittings of buffalo horn and fetching kurigata of silver. It has a knotted sageo of white Japanese silk. The sword comes with a silk sword bag for storage and transport, as well as a signed manufacturer’s production certificate.
PLEASE NOTE: There may be some minor to moderate cosmetic blemishing present on the scabbard and minor blemishing on the blade. These are handcrafted and hand-finished so minor cosmetic imperfections may be present.
M Clark (verified owner) –
I gotta say I am very happy with my purchase. I was a little nervous buying from this company because of how few reviews there are online. Glad I took the chance.
The blade is beautiful. The partial Bo-hi and beveled spine make this sword light and agile in the hand. In fact it’s the best feeling katana one handed I’ve ever used. Two handed it feels fast and precise. So far I’ve only cut the box it came in and an old carpet roll from my garage. Handled both just fine. I wouldn’t say it cut like a light saber. More like, just a saber. The hamon is very visible and it looks fantastic. I’ve heard some reviewers (on other Thaitsuku models) say it looks etched on. It doesn’t.
The saya is very well made. It is a little thick but otherwise executed well. The sword fits in very tight. The buffalo horn Korjiri on mine has some white marbling that looks very good. The saya itself tapers to match the blade and is just overall very high quality.
Moving to the handle, the silver habaki is very striking. What really impressed me was the silver seppa spacers. They have a mirror polish that really makes them pop. The Tsuba is minimalistic and very well done. The little silver shishi really look good on the matte black. The Tsuka is wrapped very well with movement only if I press really hard. Also, the shape is smaller than the pictures made it look. The pictures make it look a little boxy, however mine is shaped very well. The ito wrap is excellent. The diamonds are small but even and the knot on the end is flush with the rest of the Tsuka.
The samegawa is where we finally get to something I don’t like. I’d say it’s low tier. I can’t actually tell if it’s a full wrap or not but I’m guessing it’s panels. The nodes are small and lackluster. But, they are dyed black and blend in with the overall aesthetic very well. At this price point you just can’t expect a really nice wrap anyways.
Overall, I’m very glad I purchased this sword. This sword is worthy of being a display piece as well as a workhorse soft target cutter.