DIY: $200 Katana…Testing
At the beginning of 2025, we started the $200 Katana Project. The goal was to see if we could assemble a high-quality katana by sourcing all the parts from China. The project [...]
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Tameshigiri
DIY: $200 Katana…Anchoring the Blade
Until recently, sourcing component parts for a katana directly from craftsmen in China was not practical for an individual, especially from overseas…but no longer!!! [...]
DIY: $200 Katana…Assembly
One of the 2025 RainyDayProjects was to assemble a katana with pieces sourced directly from China using their version of Amazon marketplace (Temu and Aliexpress). We wanted [...]
DIY: $200 Katana…Test Fit
We started our katana DIY project at the beginning of the year. Our budget is: $50 for all the components (tsuka, seppa, etc.); $50 for the saya (lacquered, buffalo horn [...]
DIY: $200 Katana…sourcing the parts
The MFA in Boston has probably the largest collection of Japanese katanas in the world, including Japan. The work that goes into each sword component is, in and of itself, a [...]
Tameshigiri Series: FirstCuts
In recent posts to our Tameshigiri series, we showed the carving of the cutting post and the rolling of the tatami mats. With those tasks completed, the remaining two tasks [...]
Tameshigiri Series: Rolling the mats
In the previous installment of the Tameshigiri Series, we showed how we made the post for holding a rolled-up tatami mat for cutting. In this installment, we will detail [...]
Tameshigiri Series: Cutting Post
In 2012 Gleason Sensei briefly considered adding a “live blade” session to Shobu Aikido’s program. His intent was to give his students the opportunity to [...]
Tameshigiri Series: Japanese Katana tear-down
We put the Windsor workbench in the office so we can work on various projects without having to go down to the shop. One of those projects is learning how to maintain the [...]
Tameshigiri Series: Folded Steel Katana 3
This is the third and last katana we will be reviewing for the Tameshigiri series. Like the other two blades (katana #1, katana #2), this blade from Knight Swords is also [...]
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