RY-3041

Overall: Very nice sword for the pricepoint. I feel i got my money's worth.Package: sword came in a no frills cardboard box with sword bag, cleaning kit, instructions for care, and a certificate of manufacture.Saya: High-gloss black with no imperfections. Clean interior ( no residue). decent fit.Furniture: all of the fittings on the blade appear to be iron and in good fit and finish. The ito (wrap) is cotton and very tight, no slip at all. The same is real. Also, the hibaki is nicely aligned and solid.Blade: The heart of any sword. Initally I was impressed. The blade is sharp, has nice geometry, and polish. The bo-hi is good. Kasiki is okay, it is distinct but not very crisp. After a couple weeks of use, and some poor strikes, (thin metal pipe holding up pool noodles and a metal table) the blade develop some burs and two small nicks. I was able to repair the damage with a ceramic rod and some sand paper (1000 and 1500 grit)Hamon: Is significantly different width on either side of the blade. On one side the hamon runs off the blade for about 4" in the middle of the blade. However, I am alright with it. I would like perfect, but if there is a flaw in this sword it is the the claying process they used for differential tempering. Perhaps clay wasnt thick enough and ran down the ha??? Who knows.In action: This blade is well balanced. It cuts very well (when my technique is good). Clean, complete cuts on water bottles, anti-freeze jugs, aluminium cans, and palm fronds. Passed the paper test with ease. Actualy it passed the 15 page paper test, with amazing crisp cuts. After a few weeks of use the tsuka and tsuba are still solid (no play). I have disassembled the sword, there is a hand engraved signuaute on the nakago. I have no doubt this is handforged with the use of some power tools and grinders.I give this sword 4 stars because of the hamon issue. Other wise I very much like the sword, I also have the matching wakizashi the RY-3041M.

This sword is everything they said it would be. The blade and fittings are perfect--ito was tight. Copper fittings are consistent. This katana is about as close as you will get to a genuine antiquity katana from the early Muromachi period. As the SBG video showed, it is designed for backyard cutting, but I am certain it would work on tatami. The blade is "wicked" sharp. The whole package was great especially the scroll with the manufacturing data. And, the price was great too. Good job everyone.

I ordered the Ryumon RY-3041 expecting exactly what I got and no more. The blade is indeed folded construction, made in the year 2011. The only problem is, as I have seen in other katana reviews of this model, is the temper lines. It's not even on both sides, The right side of the blade is pretty good, just a bit faint. The left side is about the same as the right side temper line, but it runs down to a very small temper line from about mid-blade being very near to the edge of the blade all the way toward the tsuba. Looks like it was made in a hurry or the clay temper material came off or was not applied evenly to both sides of the blade. The good news is that cuts are usually made with the front half to third of the blade, so this is OK. It's just the aesthetics of the blade are slightly diminished. Otherwise, considering the price under $200 - it is a very good deal. I was kind of disappointed that Ryumon no longer sells these with a wooden box, but still in all, I am very satisfied.

This is a really great sword for the price. It's well balanced, well constructed, looks great, and is super sharp. If you just handed it to someone they'd never guess how inexpensive it was. The scabbard, just being black, is a bit plain but is well lacquered.Faults? Well, the hamon line on the one I got kind of tapers off the blade about 3/4 of the way down, and I would've liked a little more effort by the maker into finishing the sides of the blade (they're decent, but definitely benefited from a bit more polishing). Also, it's REALLY tight in the scabbard - hopefully that will loosen up with time.But overall this is a seriously nice piece of hardware for the price.

This offering by Ryumon is a sanmai laminated katana that is very sharp and fitted very nicely. My only complaint is that the temper line at times comes very close to running off the edge which is bad (if it runs off), but ultimately at the end of the day does not make the katana bad (unless it runs off).Anyone looking for an excellent value, and good cutting sword should give this sword a look.

Functional sword. Quality is decent.

I spent hours going through the hundreds (thousands?) of swords offered by Amazon, attempting to find a high quality Samurai Sword that I could afford. After looking at many prospects, I saw this beauty that was hand forged and folded and less than $200. Could this be possible? It looked good and I had a good intuition about it so I took a chance and ordered it. Am I ever glad I did.This sword is not only of obvious high quality in all of its components and workmanship but it is also tough, elegant and beautiful. The people who made it certainly knew what they were doing and I am amazed it is offered at such an affordable price. I saw swords similar to this without the added cleaning kit starting at $550. Thank you Ryumon.

Wow what a really great sword! And at a great price too.