Ronin Katana – Dojo Pro Tanto #1
In stock
Price range: $62.50 through $69.00
- Shipping estimated at checkout
- Every blade inspected before shipping
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Blade
- 1060 High Carbon Steel
- Overall Length
- 16 5/8''
- Weight
- 13.4 oz
- Brand
- Ronin Katana
- Culture
- Japanese
Overview
Ronin Katana - Dojo Pro Tanto #1
This Ronin Katana Dojo Pro Tanto has a through-hardened blade of 1060 high carbon steel. The tsuba is iron and the habaki and seppa are brass. The fuchi and kashira pommel cap are antique-finished metal and the wooden grip is inlaid with genuine rayskin and overlaid with knotted tsuka-ito cord. The tanto comes with a black lacquered wooden saya scabbard with a sageo cord. A cloth dagger bag is included.
This Tanto has blade geometry that is quite complex and its performance has been optimized by this attention to detail. The spine of the blade tapers considerably after its first third and this greatly reduces weight whilst thinning the cross-section of the blade to give it less drag when passing through a target. The blade widens up at its tip for a chisel-like kissaki designed to puncture thick clothing and even the weaker points in armor with ease. The spine of the bottom third of the blade is wide to give it strength and its deep fullers remove unneeded weight from the base of the blade without sacrificing minimal durability due an I-beam like shape for this portion of the spine.
Specifications
Every measurement that matters
- Brand
- Ronin Katana
- Culture
- Japanese
- Pommel
- N/A
- Overall Length
- 16 5/8''
- Blade Length
- 11''
- Blade
- 1060 High Carbon Steel
- Weight
- 13.4 oz
- Edge
- Very Sharp
- P.O.B.
- 1''
- Thickness
- 6 mm - 4.5 mm
- Width
- 26.9 mm
- Grip Length
- 4 7/16''
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Country of Origin
- China
- Type
- Tanto
Reviews
What collectors are saying
Q&A
Questions from the community
Q What steel is the blade made from? Common Question
Through-hardened 1060 high carbon steel.
Q How long is the blade and overall length? Common Question
Blade length is 11 inches; overall length is 16 5/8 inches.
Q What is the weight and point of balance? Common Question
Approximately 13.4 oz with a point of balance around 1 inch from the guard.
Q What fittings and materials are used on the hilt? Common Question
Iron tsuba; brass habaki and seppa; antique-finished fuchi and kashira; wooden grip inlaid with genuine rayskin and wrapped in black tsuka-ito with menuki.
Q Does it include a scabbard? Common Question
Yes, a black lacquered wooden saya with a sageo cord; a cloth dagger bag is included.
Q How sharp is the edge? Common Question
Listed as very sharp from the manufacturer; users may choose to refine the edge to personal preference.
Q Is this suitable for cutting practice or just display? Common Question
Classed as battle ready and suitable for light cutting practice; also well-suited for collection and display.
Q What is notable about the blade geometry? Common Question
The spine tapers after the first third to reduce weight; dual fullers lighten the base; the tip widens to a chisel-like kissaki for efficient thrusting.
Q Where is it manufactured? Common Question
Made in China by Ronin Katana.
Q Any care recommendations? Common Question
Keep the carbon steel blade dry and lightly oiled; avoid moisture in the lacquered saya; periodically check and retighten the wrap if needed.
The Maker
Ronin Katana
Ronin Katana offers the largest selection of Samurai swords. After traveling to Longquan city, founder Chris Scoggin dedicated years to crafting a line of revolutionary Japanese and European swords.
Often paired together
Loose in the scabbard Overall a good tanto for the money. However is fists loose in the scabbard. It just falls right out with no resistance when grip is tilted downward. Tried to swell the opening to the scabbard with water, but it is waxed very well and repels the water. I only use it as a radical letter. Will keep working on it. Any suggestions from the maker?
Great *Price dependent* I received this tanto today and have handled it for only a couple hours so far. The short of it; For $65 it is a tremendous value, for $125 I’m not sure.
Pros;
-The wrap is well done and tight enough
-Real ray skin
-All of the fittings are very tight with no wiggle
-For the price the machining of the blade is well above expectation
-Good gloss finish on the Saya
-The Saya retains the blade well enough that it’s hard to shake the tanto out, but not too tightly as to be hard to unsheathe.
Cons;
-Mine is FAR from “Very sharp”, it has an edge, It’s not a butter knife, but I can pull the edge across my palm with a bit of force with no worry of cutting my self. If this edge were on a kitchen knife, the average consumer would consider it “dull”. I’m good at sharpening, but maybe worth noting for others.
-A lot of rattle in the saya.
-The fuller on one side is slightly off, only enough to notice if one is looking for it, and at this price point is hardly worth noting.
-Not impressive shoe lace on the saya and a cheap bag, but at this price point, I’m nitpicking
Over all I really do like this tanto. Structurally it is sound, has a good shape, steel, and feel, which I care more about than the aesthetics and factory edge. Not to say the aesthetics are bad, the theme is sort of vague, but subtle enough to not be confusing or ostentatious. I can’t think of any other tanto (‘traditional’ that is) for less than a hundred I would recommend.
Very good tanto for the price. Personally, I would mostly recommend getting this when it’s on sale, but if you don’t wanna wait, then by all means go ahead and get it. I had no issues with this. The fittings were tight, including the koiguchi (scabbard’s mouth). The steel was solid, quality steel, so much that I had a hard time sharpening it! I will mention, that you will most likely not get this razor-sharp, it will be decently sharp, but not super. But that isn’t a big issue, as this weapon is mostly for stabbing, not slashing, and the tip on this blade, is absolutely needle-sharp, handle with caution. Another small issue, mostly a personal issue, is that the first time I tried to remove the fittings, I had a hard time making it budge, as I soon discovered that a bit of glue had been applied on the inside of the tsuka. Again, this isn’t a major issue, many sword manufacturers do this, but I personally am not a fan of this. Anyways, really good and affordable tanto, a MUST get when it’s on sale.
A good tanto at the frequent discounted price of $65, but probably not quite worth it at the full $125. The blade is quite sharp and cuts very well, and it’s fun to use. The tsuka on mine is cracked on both the top and bottom, and the ito is looser than I would like. The saya fit is a little tight at the habaki, but loose elsewhere, producing quite a bit of rattle.
More detailed review: https://youtu.be/T0rn5yamCAA