Katsujinken

Hell is starting to freeze over!

This is correct. Unless you are practicing an art that calls for a longer katana (e.g. Shin Shin Ryu) or a shorter katana (e.g. Ryushin Shouchi Ryu) the kissaki should just barely hover above the ground when the sword is held at your side in a relaxed grip. As someone else mentioned these details are usually prescribed by the style of swordsmanship you are studying. Where do you live Barrett? Perhaps we can put you in touch with a qualified dojo.

Connoisseur’s is in print, but it’s admittedly not cheap at $75: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1568365810/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_YG3K7NHBJK914PKWBCV8

It’s too long and has a bit too much sori.

Tennis elbow and joint problems in the upper body within the context of swordsmanship signal that the lower body is not sufficiently connected. No upper body conditioning on its own is sufficient to prevent injury from overuse when you’re swinging a 30+ inch length of steel thousands of times at speed. Even aluminum iaito can cause problems over time if the lower body and tanden are not sufficiently engaged. Slow, loaded suburi with a 3-4 pound tanrenbo should be part any sword curriculum, not to build pure upper body strength, but rather to teach the body to use the lower body for power generation. With a base level of appropriate conditioning (for swordsmanship) the upper body transmits power. This is a massive oversimplification of course—I’m just sharing some concepts that I hope contribute to the thread. And the flexbar is an amazing thing! Highly recommended for tennis elbow. Edit: when used properly a suburito/tanrenbo will not cause tendinitis. But as Mark has intimated, you do need a foundational level of strength and overall joint health. I wouldn’t work with the tanrenbo until the joint problems are better. Feel free to PM me in the future and I can recommend some resources.

Yes I do think we agree overall! I would only add/clarify that upper body strength alone, without proper development of the legs and tanden, is insufficient and will 1) fail as the body ages, and 2) lead to poor technique overall. Western athletic science is an important/accretive component of holistic kenjutsu training, but one must also focus on specifically developing the role of the tanden in sword work, specifically connecting the spine and arms to power from the legs. The role of the upper body is the transmission of power that is generated below. This isn’t highfalutin martial arts fantasy, it just hasn’t been merchandised well and frankly is offered by very few qualified instructors/dojos. Simply “swinging” the sword is not correct, nor is it enough.

The only thing I would add to Mark’s excellent post is that “strength” for the sword is not the same as strength in the traditional western sense. You need to be careful not to bulk up your shoulders and chest too much. The power to wield and support the sword should come from the legs and through the tanden once a base level of upper body conditioning has been achieved. Hida Harumichi said the power of the kissaki is in the base of the big toe. Musashi had a similar point of view on the role of the legs in swordsmanship. Ultimately internal practices are the way to longevity with the sword.

1mm blade thickness at the deepest point of the bohi seems like a deep bohi to me given a 5mm sakikasane. My sword has a 70cm nagasa and also has a 5mm sakikasane. If memory serves my bohi is only about .5-1mm deep (on each side, of course). But again these are all interrelated variables and craftsmen make choices for different reasons (theoretically balancing all the variables discussed above against the intended use for the sword).

This is a great thread, and an issue of ongoing concern and bewilderment for those of us who practice a sword art. I struggled with this decision myself awhile back and conducted similar research. Mark's responses above are fantastic. As he said, adding a bohi will sacrifice some flexural rigidity in exchange for a proportionally outsized gain in agility via a reduction in weight and changes in balance. About 40% of nihonto katana have bohi, and I haven’t been able to detect much of a pattern. I’ve seen masterpiece blades with kirikomi from fighting with bohi and just as many without across all periods after Heian. I think the idea with bohi is to use it to make a heavier sword as light as an equivalent sword without bohi – so you essentially end up with the same mass but greater maneuverability. It improves the strength to weight ratio, basically. As Mark also said, a tamehagane sword will bend on any cut of sufficient power in which the hasuji is off. My shinsakuto, with very traditional geometry, cuts like a lightsaber when my hasuji is good and I cut with proper technique. If one or both of those elements are off it's a very different story, which is quite a different experience from the ultra-thin optimized "cutters" that are in vogue these days. Re: depth of bohi, the bohi on my shinsakuto, a sword made by Ogawa Kanekuni in 1984, the bohi is quite shallow (and therefore tachikaze is generally low in volume, although an experienced practitioner can easily judge quality of tachikaze regardless of volume). My understanding is that shallow bohi on shinsakuto (relative to modern "shinken" not made with traditional materials or methods) are the norm. Basically, anecdotally speaking, bohi on real shinsakuto are shallower than on mass market swords intended for use in "iai". I realize I haven't added much substance to Mark's already excellent contributions, but hope this is helpful in some small way.

Fantastic responses from Jean and John. One important distinction/clarification for Michael from the UK: when Nakamura Sensei and I mentioned "depth" of the hamon, we were referring to its "height" from the ha to towards the shinogi. Other references after that to actual blade construction (i.e. the arrangement of kawagane and shingane, how "deep" the hamon "penetrates" blade structure, etc.) are also extremely important to understand, but these are distinct ideas.

The conventional wisdom is that the harder steel of the hamon is more brittle and therefore a “deeper” hamon is less optimal for combat because it makes the blade more likely to take damage that can’t be repaired or fail entirely. The hamon as a statement of art was less of a concern (in general) prior to 1600. That’s not to say it wasn’t something important and purposeful, but it is fair to say that most blades were made for fighting and that consideration extended to the hamon. That’s not the same as saying most blades that have survived today were made for fighting. By definition there is some survivor bias there (plenty of masterpieces came out of the forge and never saw combat, and these may feature “non-combat hamon” more often), so some nuance is needed here. Nakamura Taisaburo wrote, “ Between a third and a quarter of the blade’s overall width is a suitable depth for the hamon on a sword for practical use. In general, blades with flowery and deeply applied hamon have a tendency to be brittle and those chip or snap easily.” (The Spirit of the Sword)

Definitely not! The shape is wrong for real use, and unless you’re about 5’6” it’ll be too short. And it’s way too expensive. Respectfully, what art are you studying and with whom? Your teacher should be able to advise you in addition to us.

Lots of very good advice above and I wouldn’t fault any of it. No matter what you do it is of utmost importance to use a sword that is actually appropriate for training. Sadly there are plenty of swords out there that only offer frustration or fantasy wrapped in marketing. I would also add that there are plenty of shinsakuto meant for martial arts use, as it’s illegal to use anything else in Japan! I own both a shinsakuto and a modern monosteel “shinken”, and I cut with both. I for one believe that using a blade with traditional geometry, regardless of who makes it, is a good idea if you are interested in truly developing the body of a swordsman. In either case you should not need to sell a Juyo sword to buy a training blade as we’re talking about multiples in price here. You should NOT spend $15k on a sword for martial arts use. You should spend $2-6k, maximum. I would also heartily recommend Motohara/Evolution Blades as far as monosteel swords go. Here’s an article that might help you (I am one of the authors): https://www.brooklynbattodo.com/reading/5-6-2021/how-to-buy-a-real-sword

Bob was a lovely man, and in addition to his work related to the Orlando show he was also one of the founders of the US Federation of Battodo. It is safe to say there are generations of sword practitioners in the United States who would not be in the dojo now if it weren’t for Elder Sensei. He will be missed.

You should spend some time looking through the dealer section here and at other Japanese dealer websites. The prices at the "Samurai Museum" are generally a bit, shall we say, optimistic.

But of course! Thank you Steve. And thank you Robert for spurring an interesting discussion. There is always more to learn.

Interesting, thanks Jussi! Maybe it’s a later generation thing? Never a dull moment in this hobby. :-P

So what kanji do you see? I’m honestly asking because this is a bit puzzling. Could this not just be a case of funky penmanship?

Yes, that was my understanding as well.

The tsuba is mumei. What do you see on the papers? The tsuba is already sold, but I’m happy to have the correction. I thought these kanji were Umetada:

I admit the handwriting is a bit funky, but I do see 埋忠 (as did the Japanese dealer who originally sold it to me). We’re all fallible though!

Hi Jason, The sukashi (cut outs) are gourds, and the engravings on the plate are grape leaves. Thanks! Michael

I agree with Mark and Piers!

Sending all my good thoughts your way, JP! No apologies necessary. Be well.

Bump for a happy new year! The later myochin tsuba ("Nobuie") is still available for $500. This should appeal to any martial artist as the grape leaves carved into the surface represent a play on the word "budo"!