Shinwa Colossus Yoru Handmade Odachi/Giant Samurai Sword - Exclusive, Hand Forged Black Damascus Steel; Genuine Ray Skin; Dragon Tsuba - Functional, Full Tang, Battle Ready - 60"

Let me start off by saying that I practice kendo, kenjutsu, and Iaido, and own quite a few katanas, including a cheaper shinwa katana.For the price, I figured it cant be too bad, I mean the 70 dollar shinwa katana I own came pretty sharp, wasnt too heavy, was well balanced, and the handle fittings weren't loose.Imagine my surprise when I removed this sword from its cloth carry bag and felt the weight and balance of it, and the immense joy, and perhaps some arousal when I drew the blade for the first time. This sword is a beauty, the damascus pattern is beautiful, the balance is very nice, the blade is straight and aligned with the handle, and all the handle fittings were nice and tight. The only wear I've seen on it so far is the handle wrappings loosening with use, which has even happened on my most expensive katana, and like every katana that is used to some extent, it became a little looser in the Saya. Two things to note though, for anyone shorter than about 5'10", it may be literally impossible to draw and sheathe at the hip, even I have trouble with it at 6'1" using a slightly exaggerated Iaido draw. The second is that this sword has two Bo-hi (or blood grooves) and a small false edge, so it is significantly lighter than it could be, which I'm extremely grateful for after using this beast during classes.

I ordered the black, got the blue with non-blackened blade. Still, it is a beautiful piece of craftmanship. The double Hi shifts the balance point and reduces the weight to where it is reasonable to wield, and it feels solid in my hands as I run through kata.

This is nigh the center piece for my sword collection the only reason it is not is because the sheath is rather plain. However, what the sheath does have going for it is that it is very sturdy and does not easily scratch. I have no damage to the blade nor the sheath through two moves in the last couple of years. Great product keep up the good work.

It does not wobble at all. I swing it around like I'm cutting the grass and its sharp.

The blade shows some small signs of wear isn’t a huge deal the main issue I have is the holes and the pins ran through for the handle. Theres gaps where they run the pins through and alot of splintering most of which I removed. Kinda ruined what otherwise seemed to be a nice sword. Hopefully the pins remain in place and dont come loose upon use.

This Odachi is good looking entry level sword. The pattern in the Damascus steel really adds a lot of appeal. It's not too heavy despite it's size and has held up well against the typical practice targets. (wet newspaper, water filled jugs, pool noodles and young saplings).The fittings around the tsuba on my unit were well done, there was nothing loose. Sometimes on cheaper swords the habaki looks forced on, or is not quite the right size so it was nice to see that that was not the case with this sword. Everything else is an overall good quality.I would avoid attempting to cut hard wood that is an inch wide or thicker as it will probably damage the blade. I did this myself and bent a small section about a half inch long just below the boshi. I hammered it back to shape and all is well, but these items were not designed for hard wood, I just had to try.

** TO THOSE BUYING THIS EBONY VARIANT - The blade may come without colors as prominent as the display photographs, but they are still there. **Usually I am extremely skeptical of steel labeled with Shinwa on it, but this is true to it's claim. Despite being made in Shinwa's Chinese forges, this is a fully Japanese craft, made by hand and not machine stamped at all.Swinging this monster of a weapon once used by the guards of the daimyos long ago, the nagamaki's torque demands respect and strength. It's weight is perfectly balanced, as well, for the entire weapon shares the heft of a katana.This is an imposing masterpiece for a steal, do NOT pass it up if you are on the fence.

Beautiful work of art.