Nanbu Katana | Iaito Practice sword | Handmade Samurai Sword

English review for buyers from afar:
I bough this iaito from another country (still E.U. though).

1. Transport: Extremely fast and free. Yes. I had my doubts when I saw free transport. Not only is it free, but also fast. It was very fast in my experience (arrived exactly one week after ordering, in a different country). The package was nicely taken care of and the iaito arrived in pristine condition. The package was not exceptionally well protected, but I for one didn't have a scratch on the box. Yes: the iaito comes inside it's own bukuro: simple, but a rather sturdy material. The bukuro and iaito within were wrapped in bubble wrap and placed within a YNH labeled box, secured inside by polystyrene. The box was also within a nicely sealed long carton box. Inside the iaito box was another small box containing the free kake in the promotion. Glad to see it there.

2. The iaito: It was very well taken care of within it's bukuro. Came in perfect condition, and I fell for it the moment I pulled it out of the saya. The blade is nice and beautiful, perfect thickness, and slightly narrower than other blades I have seen. The hamon is well done, for estetic purposes, and the bohi is also there, useful for edge alignment practice. The tsukamaki is sturdy and well done, won't move too easily. There are ways to make the tsukamaki remain unmoved (found online), but that could potentially ruin your iaito, if you don't know what you're doing. One problem that I noticed is a small gap between the fuchi and the seppa, on the ura side of the iaito (right side when holding it). The gap is small, not even a millimeter, and easy to fix with paper, if need be. The iaito itself is very well balanced, good weight, on the lighter end of swords, as far as I've experienced, therefore very maneuverable. Hefty enough to be called a sword.

3. Disassembling the iaito: Personally I wouldn't recommend it, unless you really have to. I did it in order to see if I can fit it better, and get rid of the aforementioned gap. Was very careful as to not damage the paint, the tsuba or the blade. The blade is extremely tightly fit within the tsuka. Took a lot of time and effort to get it out safely for all the components. This is a very good thing in my opinion. The blade won't come flying out of its handle, and absolutely nothing feels loose. The nakago of the blade has the mei, the signature of Yari no Hanzo on it. I was very happy to see it there, since this shows the dedication of YNH towards katana forging tradition. The mekugi were also very well fit. In short, the iaito is sturdy and well put together.

4. Personal opinion: Beautiful, elegant and sober. Sturdy and maneuverable. The theme of the iaito seems to be the tsuru (japanese crane, a symbol with many meanings) and the leaves. The menuki are depicting, as far as I can see, an assortment of leaves. Since the menuki are golden, it makes me think of autumn leaves, or in japanese, the koyo. The design of the tsuba makes me think of flight, and wings. The whole iaito makes me think of cranes, flying through the autumn leaves. There are two cranes on the sword. One is on the kashira, the other one on the fuchi. The crane on the fuchi is only on the ura side of the tsuka. Meaning it will be invisible when wearing the sword or when displaying it. (This can be seen in the pictures of the iaito as well.) Personally I didn't like this, but pehaps there can be a deeper meaning to it, if one cares to consider it so, since ura can also symbolize that which is hidden. The crane on the fuchi becomes easy to notice when using the iaito, and stays "hidden" while sheathed.

Conclusion: Good, fast delivery, promotional items included, elegant sword with very interesting and beautiful symbolism, well made and sturdy, remains to be seen how long it will last after the years of use. I recommend choosing a sageo when buying it. I chose the 18 euros one, and it is a very good and resistant material. Because of the aforementioned gap between the fuchi and seppa, I would rate it 4.7/5 but since that is impossible, and since the gap is extremely small, and can be fixed, while also considering the low price, I will give this iaito 5 stars. This was my first experience with Yari no Hanzo, and I must say, I am delighted.

Acabo de Recibir mi Katana Nambu, es el envío mas rápido que he visto, realmente excelente. La calidad de la Katana es excelente, equilibrada, afilada, con una terminación soberbia teniendo en cuenta la relación calidad-precio. Una Katana sobria y elegante. Realmente estoy impresionado y contento con la compra. El único fallo es que cuando hice la compra, prometían un Kake de regalo y este no me llego, asumo que fue un fallo y no una falta de compromiso por parte del vendedor. Por eso mismo solo doy cuatro estrellas.

Katana molto bella e bilanciata, adatta per la pratica Aikido.

Molto soddisfatta del mio acquisto...per quello che l'ho pagata è perfetta!! Bilanciata e meno pesante di quelle che abbiamo in Dojo...al mio maestro è piaciuta! Peccato sia obbligatorio venderla senza lama affilata

Oggetto veramente straordinario per il suo prezzo. Katana ben bilanciata e di grande eleganza. È stata un regalo molto gradito da chi l'ha ricevuta.