ShadowDancer Handmade Full Tang Katana Sword - Authentic Crucible Steel Blade with Real Hamon,Not L6 Clay Temper, and Sharp Edge - Perfect for Iaido, Martial Arts Practitioners, and Collectors

I needed an inexpensive blade to practice tameshigiri. I saw this on amazon, but was a bit skeptical, however I had heard some good things about Shadowdancer. So I took a risk. I ordered the purple (black ishime) version as I was more attracted to the simple fittings.Color me amazed! The product images on the site barely do this sword any justice.First, it shipped quickly and was solidly packaged. The tsuka was shrink wrapped in plastic. The blade was oiled and wrapped in plastic wrap. The sword was in a plastic bag with bubble wrap on each end. The entire thing was suspended in a two wall cardboard box with foam spacers to keep it from moving around. That box was within a larger Amazon box.It came with a bag. I don't believe that was mentioned in the product description, but was a very nice surprise.The sword itself is light and well balanced. It is all very solidly put together, with no rattling. The blade fits very well in the saya, especially nice as these things are mass produced. The blade is bot warped or tisted in any way, the bohi are evenly cut and the overall geometry is crisp. The yokote is cosmetic, but that doesn't bother me, and the kissaki is well shaped. I wiped off the oil and was amazed at quality of the hamon! I would classify it as a gunome midare. Usually, inexpensive blades have a hamon that seems to be designed by someone who is counting the minutes to their lunch break, or follow a very templated example. Not here! this is nicely irregular, with nioi and ashi! I had no idea that this was even possible with an L6 blade. The polish is not an art polish, but is much nicer than anything I have seen in a training blade. It does not appear to be acid dipped, which is a technique to artificially enhance the hamon- it doesn't need it! Completely, unexpected and very much appreciated.The tsuka is wrapped tightly. I was worried about the purple ito, but it is not Joker purple, it is much darker than the product image that is presented on the page and completely acceptable. The same panels are real, although very small noded, and inlayed into the handle. There are no hishigame, but that was not expected. The habaki and seppa are brass and look hand finished, all edges are crisp. The fuchi and kashira are simple and crisp. They have a slightly rough texture, almost like a parkerized finish. I would have prefered the tsuba be slightly larger and thicker, but that is a personal preference. Overall, the fittings are nice casts, not like some of the junk that can be found that look like 4th generation brass casts of plagiarized originals.The saya has a simple matte black paint job, which is well applied. The sword fits tightly into it only rattles a bit if you smack it. The koiguchi, kojiri and kurigata are glossy black. I am not sure of the material. There are brass shitodome on the kurigata that are also good casts. There is a thick sageo tied around the kurigata and saya that is of decent quality.What also needs to be pointed out is that the proportions, weight and details of the sword are absolutely like a real nihonto. Most replicas are too heavy, poorly fitted, and somewhat bloated.Overall, I am extremely happy with the sword, and looking forward to another Shadowdancer purchase. If this is the quality they produce in a $250 item, I cannot imagine how great a $600 sword will be!!

WOW! I am very pleased with this (dark red) Shadow Dancer sword. Everything seems to be just right. The blade has a beautiful Hamon, a fine polish, and a superb edge. Quite sharp right out of the box. The Saya is a gorgeous metallic wine red color. It’s probably has one of the best fitting blade to scabbard matings of all the swords I own. Slides in and out like it’s on rails. The fittings are rather unusual. Not the run of the mill stuff that’s so common these days. The Ito is very attractive and feels good in the hands. The shape of the tsuka has a lot to do with that. The samegawa is real and of a decent quality and the transitions between the fittings and the Ito are very well done. Smooth with no ridges. I am very impressed by this sword and can see myself purchasing other Shadow Dancer swords. It’s well worth the price, which is very reasonable for what you receive. I highly recommend it!

Honestly it's a nice sword. Iam a little shocked it came with a really cheap sword bag, like really cheap. I wouldn't keep my beater swords in it lol.The fit and finish is very nice. It's incredibly lightweight and has a good tsuka shape, ito wrap is a bit loose but not so bad you can't control the sword(could be an issue later with heavy use). The saya is thin and shaped well however it doesn't feel very durable.They packaged it very well and there was zero damage so if you are planning to mostly display this sword it's perfect.The rayskin looks really good at this price (you can unfortunately move the ito enough to see panel edges)If you plan to use this sword and the saya provided I would suggest you lacquer the saya with a good clear coating to protect the nice paint job. It's coated but thinly. The tsuba is smooth and looks higher end than it is. Saya is cut perfectly for the sword and fits just snug enough to allow for a little wear.The blade is beautiful but there is no way to tell if it's truly L6. The hamon is nice and close to edge so if it's heat treated right it should hold up really well having only a small amount of the blade with the high hardness and the spine should have flexibility (as much as L6 allows lol). The sword has excellent balance around 4.5 inches. Overall I'm satisfied.I'll update if there are any issues as this is my first impression.

The sword is amazing for the price point. The blade is lively and nimble in the hand. The fit and finish is nice for the price point. My only complaint is that the ito could be tied tighter and I worry that it could come loose over time, but it is acceptable for a sword of this price. The saya is nice and fits well. However I am disappointed with shadow dancer’s quality control/shipping practices- the kurigata came broken off/unglued from the saya. It was an easy fix: I reglued it with super glue, but it was disappointing considering how nice everything else was about the sword and buying experience. Had the sword arrived without this problem I would have given it 5 stars- it’s basically a 5 star katana considering it’s price, or a 4 star irregardless of price.