Honshu Wakizashi Sword

Just used my Honshu Tactical Wakizashi as a machete this past week, cutting trails through dense woody old blackberries and one inch diameter saplings. I was surprised at how well it worked, and that the blade remained sharp without rolling. Also it was very easy to sheath and unsheath as desired and did not get in the way at all setting up a tarp shelter. I like this sword even more after owning it for a year.

I ordered this sword because I liked the way it looked. The brass highlights matched my black powder pistols and I wanted a complimentary blade that was not too long in order to dispatch my enemies, since reloading black powder pistols is time consuming. I started doing some research on the wakizashi, and I didn't realize the immense amount of culture behind them. Now I am watching the huge amount of quality videos on the internet on how to wield the wakizashi and looking forward to getting a katana someday. I like this tactical wakizashi because I can use it in inclement weather and not worry about damaging the handle. I suggest Namazu Ryu's Shugyo channel on Youtube to learn about handling Japanese swords. Thanks Budk for opening up a new world to me.

I just received, unpacked and cleaned my new Honshu Tactical Wakisashi and am VERY PLEASED. I have purchased ALL of my throwing knives and axes from BudK and have never been disappointed. In fact, BudK did a V-BLOG video episode featuring my You-Tube channel = Gunny HiWay and my knife throwing skills and room. Now on to the review... 1) The sword is SHARP. 2) The sword is in perfect condition. No nicks, scratches or scuffs on either the blade(Shinogi) or the scabbard(Saya). 3) All of the fittings are tight and well fitted. 4) The Saya fits the sword perfectly. SNUG and SECURE, but not too tight. 5) The Cord Wrap(Sageo) is well done,useful and handsome. In conclusion, My Honshu Tactical Wakizashi reflects NONE of the problems posted in these comments, and has ALL of the POSITIVES! I would absolutely recommend this sword and BudK to sell and ship it to you. Carry On, Gunny HiWay Seattle, USA

This thing is great. As always budk delivered with 3 day shipping and this, along with my new United Black Rurousha Katana, were in perfect condition. Honshu always delivers and this wakizashi is no exception. It is a heavy, sharp, full tang beast that is much better suited to indoor and close quarters than the massive katana. Wait till a good 25-30% off sale and *BUY THIS!* thanks United Cutlery and most of all Budk!

An amazing sword for the money. I would have liked the 5160 spring steel better in theory but this one is great! I like the tactical hilt. From my research 1060 is what the great sword makers were trying to achieve with all the foldings but here it is with out the weakness of the folds. Go back in time more than 30 years and you would have one of the best blades made at a very low price. It appears to have a good heat treatment, that will show over time. Very sturdy, sharp, and well balanced. Nice!<br /><br />I would buy a matching Katana if it were available. <br /><br />The only con - the scabbard doesn't seem to guide the blade in correctly and the blade cuts into it. This makes it hard to get in and out. Just doesn't line up correctly. Maybe after several more time, it will cut its path.

Totally awsome. I was looking at the Paul Chen Tactical Wakizashi. But I found I like the Tactical Wakizashi by Honshu even better. Now if Honshu would make a Tactical Katana, I would get one of those too.

This is a great sword and would recommend it to any sword enthusiast. <br />PROS: -Small and portable, this sword is very light, not flashy in any way and gets the job done.<br />CONS: Mine came sharp but not razor sharp like the other reviewers' and the lanyard at the the end becomes slightly annoying when swinging, but, fear not for it can be easily removed.<br />For some of you people who dislike trademarks or any other type of writing on the blade for you feel like it ruins it, then a heads up: On the spine of the blade just above the guard, there is a faint 'CHINA' brand and hardly noticeable unless you pay attention to the small itty-bitty details like me and as seen in the picture at the bottom of the blade is the Honshu logo and on the other side says 'UNITED Hand Forged' in small print. Surprisingly, they didn't annoy me. What annoyed me is that my blade was a little bent to the left and, if I can give a rough estimate, instead of it being like a perfect straight edge it was probably something like 170-175 degrees meaning its about 5-10 degrees from being a completely straight edge. I don't know, it's probably just me but that annoyed me the most. Nothing big, just a small nuisance that I will hopefully get over. FINAL VERDICT: Great blade, must buy. Hoped this helped!

This is really one Great Sword I'm so happy I bought this! It has several small flaws but overall well worth the purchase price! and by the way BudKs service and speed of delivery is amazing. Everytime I buy something from them I'm beyond happy with them!!

My new favorite sword. This is actually the greatest looking sword I own. It's design puts traditional wakizashi's to shame. It came relatively sharp too. The paracord on the handle is a pain, but comes off easily in a pinch. 4.8/5.

I absolutley looove this wakizashi. This is my first one and it was an exellent choice. Has and awesome weight to it, not too light, not too heavy. and i comes RAZOR sharp, cut my thumb deep the second time taking it out. the brass doesnt come mirror polished like in the picture but thats fine cuz i didnt want that anyway. the lanyard wrapping is glued on and the lanyard at the end gets annoying when you swing it. the tsuka feels great. the saya is also awesome its got wood on the inside so it doesnt move and rattle around, it fits in there TIGHT so it aint goin anywhere. definitley my favorite sword, you could use it for anything. compare this to the hanwei tactical wak and this one definitley wins. Im going to buy the molle attachment on their site for this sword so i can strap it to a backpack, gonna be epic.<br />this sword is amazing and most likely the best one youll buy, now when will the katana show up?

I was amazed right when i took it out of the box, it is so simple that is just beautiful. the quality is quite impressive for the price. it is very sharp, i tried to shave my arm and it took skin. the sword fits too tight on the scabbard but i guess that is part of the tactical business. overall it is an incredible sturdy goodlooking sword.

This wakizashi is fantastic. The blade is firm and sharp out of the box. The hilt is very sturdy and a nice change from the traditional ray skin. It fits very comfortably in my hand. The blade is a little heavy but not too much so that it is an impact on the performance. The cord at the end will hit you if you don't swing it right but adds to it if it is soley bought for decoration. Overall it is the best blade I have ever bought.

Scabbard was split about 6" found it to be made by injection molding and very, very thin. I had some fiber glass left over from another project and fixed it. blade not to sharp, takes about an hour to hour and A half on black Arkansas stone to get it right. for the price still A good deal if you have A small work area at home to do some tweking.

Disappointed. Not as good as I thought it would be. It definitely needs some sharpening and there is literally no grip on the handle. A modern take on a wakizashi is a big no.