View Single Post
Old 05-10-2010, 11:30 AM   #10
ChrisMoses
Dojo: TNBBC (Icho Ryu Aiki Budo), Shinto Ryu IaiBattojutsu
Location: Seattle, WA
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 927
United_States
Offline
Re: Shinto Ryu tameshigiri videos

I haven't Larry, although they look like Chen offerings. I recognize some of the tsuba from another Chen reseller about 10 years ago, I have one of the Oda Nobunaga (I think) Chen blades from that period. The steel was good on that one, but came poorly sharpened and the wrap was both low quality and poorly done. It only lasted about two sessions of tameshigiri before the bottom 3" came apart. The offerings on handmadesword at least look higher quality than that. In my experience with the Chen products, it really pays to go with an importer that really knows swords and actively works on quality control with every blade they sell. Bugei and Nihonzashi both do a LOT of work behind the scenes to make sure that the swords that leave their shops have been thoroughly examined and touched up. I have personal experience with both of those shops also going the extra mile and taking care of the swords they sell after they've been used in the dojo for a while, and that's pretty critical with swords you're going to actually use.

Anyone who uses a Chen blade (even folks who did not buy from Bugei) really owes Keith Larman and James Williams a bit of gratitude for how much work went into shaping the overall quality of what comes out of the Chen forge these days.

(@Larry: probably more info than you actually needed but I wanted to include it for completeness for the casual reader.)

Chris Moses
TNBBC, "Putting the ME in MEdiocre!"
Budo Tanren at Seattle School of Aikido
Shinto Ryu Iai-Battojutsu
  Reply With Quote