Sword Length

[cincysamurai]

The school I study at requires a 30.5" blade for my katana but the only one I can find is a swordstore blade in that length. I would not balk at a swordstore blade, but not for my first blade. I wouldnt want to mess up a blade like that. Anyone know of a place to get a more affordable 30"-30.5" blade?

[Charles Mahan]

Are you looking for a shinken or an iaito? There are other places that make blades in the 2-5-5 length.

[yoj]

Thats pretty long, I hope you're tall!!

[Charles Mahan]

It's not necessarily all that long. Depends on the style.

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[ghp]

It's not necessarily all that long. Depends on the style.


Charles is correct. I'm 5'6" (on a good day) and comfortably use a 28" blade. I can handle a 30" blade, but not as comfortably.

--Guy

[yoj]

Well guy as it's you I'll rei to your better judgement ;-) we always go by the "dangle it in in your arm at your side and it should just clear the floor" guestimation.

I'm 5'11" and a bit, and use 28", i think a 30 would drag on the floor, not that i walk like that often you understand!

Still, a longer blade would make sure your noto was right!

[cincysamurai]

I am 6.2" and I am looking for a sharp iaito (something like swordstore's steel iaito that cut) A 2-5-5 is what my school requires for my height. Thank you.

[yoj]

Hanwei's Tiger katana is long enough then, or the musashi, but the musashi has a pretty long tsuka....

[cincysamurai]

Thank you, I'll look into the tiger.

[ghp]

Hello, Jim
I'm 5'11" and a bit, and use 28", i think a 30 would drag on the floor, not that i walk like that often you understand! The "hang & drag" technique is a good guestimation guide and is shown in Nakamura Taizaburo sensei's 1980 book Nippon-to Tameshigiri no Shinzui (mine was "borrowed" and never returned .... if anybody has a copy for sale, please contact me). The Japanese Army standard blade length was 2 shaku 2 sun -- 26" -- which is perfect for me if I stick with the "hang & drag" method. However, 2.2 shaku is actually too short for me. There were longer and shorter blades during the "Gunto Era", so the standard was not carved in granite.

As for height:length ratios, Nakamura sensei is about 5'2" and is very comfortable with a 28" blade. :D

Cheers,
Guy

[Charles Mahan]

I'm 5'6" and a 2-4-5 to a 2-5-0 is about right. Of course I do MJER under the ZNIR/Seitokai branch. I've asked the folks from the MJER place down in Miami that come down through the Sekiguchi line, and was told I should be using closer to 2-6-0 to 2-6-5 in their line.

Think I could manage that. Barely.

Point is different schools do things differently. In the ZNIR/Seitokai branch, there is a great deal of emphasis on the left hand during nukitsuke. I can only imagine the Sekiguchi guys stress saya-biki and a little more pull back of the left hip to make up the extra difference.

Some other schools emphasize shorter swords in order to make the draw faster. The tradeoff is obvious, you loose some reach on your weapon. When all is said and done it's about tradeoffs and you should take your teachers advice, but be aware that others are different.

[yoj]

Guy - interesting stuff, I thought that during WWII there was some regulation on sword length, hence all the chopped down family heirlooms?

Charles - fair enough, I can see how a longer blade would be manageable, and it would certainly mean that you'd have to have good habits, but i'll stick with mine for now ;-) I find a 2-4-0 long enough that I have to be doing stuff right, without having to spend out on a longer blade :D

[gendzwil]

The chopped-down family heirlooms were usually so that the sword would fit into a military-regulation saya.

[ghp]

Guy - interesting stuff, I thought that during WWII there was some regulation on sword length, hence all the chopped down family heirlooms? Jim, 2.2 shaku was the "standard," but according to Nakamura sensei, longer and shorter swords could be found. He always used a longer one. Neil might be right about the saya standardization, but I have seen longer & shorter scabbards in both deep & narrow curvatures -- in steel and wood. Have you ever seen the tanker's "wakizashi" in han-gunto mounts?