The Oni Katana from Balaur Arms draws its inspiration from the immaculate Katana of the Edo Period, a time when the Katana is often regarded to have reached the apex of form and elegance whilst losing none of its deadliness and power. The unification of Japan under the Tokugawa finally brought an era of relative peace to a Japan whose feuding Daimyo had been in a state of near constant war for a century and a half. The Katana was still the companion of the Samurai for centuries to come and in this more peaceful era the Katana was often embellished to a high degree as a display of status, class and a homage to culture and the arts by the Samurai. Though an object of great beauty, these swords were kept every bit as keenly sharp as their ancestors, ready for decisive action.
The blade of this Katana is forged from tough T10 high carbon steel which was clay-tempered in the traditional manner to create a hardened edge of wear-resistant steel. When finished the blade was polished to a mirror sheen with care taken to not only beautify the steel, but to also bring out the vibrancy of the Togari style hamon line. A bo-hi groove lightens the blade in the spine to create a more responsive, swifter sword that sacrifices little in regards to durability. This groove terminates in a geometrically shaped triangular end which is formed to gracefully follow the contours of the blade instead of just ending upruptly – a fine detail often overlooked on other Katana. The blade edge has Niku shaping to give the edge greater resiliency to damage and the tip features a geometric yokote form which uses differing geometric planes to create a tip that is reinforced and resistant to damage when thrusting or puncturing. This is a feature often overlooked in many other Katana manufacturers who will cut a corner here to simply simulate this feature with differential polishing.
The tsuba, fuchi and kashira components are crafted from highly detailed and quality-cast antiqued brass which is embellished in gold and silver and prominently feature Shinto Oni demons and spirits. The hardwood tsuka grip has panels of genuine rayskin which are overlaid in tightly bound artificial silk tsuka-ito cord of dark blue.
The sword comes with a saya scabbard of well-formed wood with a textured lacquer finish which is more scuff and scratch resistant then the high gloss lacquer seen on many other Katana scabbards. Koiguch, Kurigata and Kojiri components are crafted from genuine and finely polished buffalo horn and they serve their purpose of helping to prevent the saya scabbard from splitting at its seam. The scabbard is accented with blue-lacquered rattan and the sageo cord is of matching silk – a cloth katana bag for storage or transport is included.
Please Note: Like many other production Katana, some small or light scuffs or scratches may be present on the blade
Omri (verified owner) –
Came packed really good. In 2 boxes lot of shock preventing stuff inside.
The handle was plastic sealed which i think is kinda nice.
Also comes with a nice cloth bag.
The fittings are extremely tight.
The ito is also super tight.
The saya locks on it extremely hard.
It requires some strength to unsheath.
The blade is quite sharp (I havent tested it fully because my cleaning kit have yet to arrive) but It did cut paper. held in 1 hand with clean strokes.
Very aesthetic, the bo-hi is visible
Saya looks amazing
The guard is also beautiful but if you press it, it will eventually leave some color on your hand. Nothing too worrying.
The diamond shapes on the ito are extremely even which is a big plus for me.
And overall, I really really like it!
Amazing sword.
kenrawdoe (verified owner) –
This is my first ever Sword so take that in mind when I am talking about this Katana. I would have given 5 stars if the Katana had a better more constant blade grind. It is extremely sharp starting at the Kissaki and traveling down the blade till about 10 inches from the Tsuka. it has taken me hours to sharpen the Kissaki and that 10inch area by the Tsuka! Other than the sharpening problem and a few tiny blemishes on the blade and Habaki and the blade does rattle in the Siya but its not to noticeable and it locks up nice with the right amount to release to draw the sword. The Ito wrap is nice and tight. The diamond pattern looks semantically and everything is nice and tight for the money I feel like its the perfect first Katana that I am not afraid of messing up! Thank you for the fast shipping Product arrived in 4 days!
Philip Cabrera (verified owner) –
It’s an awesome blade for the price. I think the overall design and presentation is reminiscent of a period piece. Usually in this style the design and workmanship is subtle and understated. However in this case there is over embellishment when it’s really not needed. Also the reverse side of the tsuba is very comfortable and tastefully decorated while the front is uncomfortable and garishly painted. The scabbard does its job but looks and feels fairly cheep. Less is more, They have to keep costs down. No need for gold decorations that fall out. I’d like to see options in design that I can choose from in the future. I think they’re a great deal. Fine blade.
Ben (verified owner) –
For the price I am mostly happy with the blade. The immediate problem I noticed was the tip of the blade was smashed and bent to a 65 degree angle. I had to spend a couple hours carefully flattening and filing it and then hit it with a stone. The saya feels very cheap and the “leather” wrap feels more like blue electrical tape. Next thing I noticed was the fuchi. It is very loose and rattles around. No attempt was made to make it fit the sword. The gold paint job on the tsuba is really sloppy and detracts from the overall presentation. The tsuka Ito is fairly nice although it has a lot of fuzzy fibers hanging out. I hit it with several layers of lacquer and smoothed it out. The fittings and saya are pretty cheap and cheesy overall. The balance of the blade with the bo hi, and the feel of the sword are nice and I think it is worth the extra work it will take me to tighten things up. I almost sent it back when I saw the tip but decided it would be a fun project to fix and improve it. For the money my Ronin dojo pro was cheaper and superior to this. Still there is enough here to enjoy and somehow despite all the negatives I do like this Katana enough to keep it around.