MAKOTO Unsharpened High Carbon Steel Laito Practice Katana Japanese Bushido Samurai Sword 42" Black - Choose Tsuba Style

This is my first katana. I have fenced in the past and now want to learn Japanese swordsmanship (Iaido and Kenjutsu styles). Maybe I lucked out, but my Makoto specimen for at-home, solo practice is flawless. The pins in the tsuka handle are maybe not the prettiest, but at this price-point I'm not complaining. More importantly, the tsuka is secure and feels good in the hand. The tsuba guard is simple, functional, and attractive.The matt saya scabbard is simple and attractive as well. The katana fits snugly into the real wood saya and not too tight with a smooth, consistent draw. There's some goop to clean off the katana blade with a re-oil, but that's to be expected with a new blade. The blade is straight with no cosmetic flaws that I can see. I was fully prepared to send the iaito back if there were any problems with the blade or saya as I intend to use the sword for Iaido. I'm happy.I was tempted to get a wood katana for solo practice at home, but this Chinese steel iaito wasn't too much more than the better wood options (or even around the same cost in some cases), so I went with the unsharpened steel. It's just a more authentic experience for home practice, more inspiring. It also handles exactly like a sword because it is a sword. It doesn't hurt that it looks great on a lacquer stand that I bought for it.So, no, it's not loaded with a bunch of bling for a Kill Bill movie. In fact, it's a rather understated sword, but that's what I want at this price-point. Put the money into the basics: blade, handle, guard, and saya. (It comes with a nice carrying bag as a bonus.) That's it. Make it work. For cutting, I'll probably get something pricier and Japanese once I know what I'm doing and what I want out of a katana, but for an affordable practice sword the Makoto may well be the perfect place to start.

What can I say, it's very cheaply made, the tsuka appears to have real ray skin and the blade is decent for iaido but the description says it can be taken apart for cleaning. Well, after removing the tsuka which was very tightly fixed to the tang, had drilling chips and sawdust packed in it, the tang was crudely ground and full of burrs. After about an hour with a file, I was able to smooth out and form the tang to fit properly in the tsuka. The ito wrapping was very, very loose and poorly wrapped, the menukis on each side can be moved around easily. The only nice features of this sword is that the fittings are painted cast brass. I have 5 Siwode katanas that are far better made but will still use this sword for practice although I will have to rewrap the tsuka correctly myself. The saya is very light and has some areas that are not smooth. Personally, I feel that this sword is overpriced at $76 and cannot recommend it to anyone but again, this is my first Makoto sword and will most likely be my last as the quality for the price is not there

I award my students with a Iaito upon their successful Dan certification. These swords are made extremely well, they look great and are balanced pretty well considering the price.

Initial review, may update:Good weight, blade was oily but I wiped it down and it looks clean now. Non-sharp as expected, tip is a bit pointed. Sageo is pretty mediocre but that can be replaced. The tsuka wrapping is okay. It's not very tight, but it's tight enough. Accurate enough details are right here that are commonly wrong on budget katanas. Blade is straight etc.Maybe I got lucky with mine but everything works fine, at least for now.

Wow! Love the sword! My martial art instructors were amazed at how it was made for a sword under 100 they were very very impressed. One was thinking about getting one too.

For $55, you cannot go wrong with this purchase. The sword is the perfect entry level iaito. The blade, handle, fittings... all much better than I was expecting. Very happy and I’m thinking about ordering a few more.

I just love this sword. It's beautiful, fantastic for practice as it is unsharpened. It has a nice weight. I love it.

My daughter loves this sword. It was a great birthday gift.