$6500 Custom Katana from Evolution Blades

This is a Motohara on loan from my dojo mate and sword friend Jon. It was a custom project and shows both what Evolution blades can do and what they cost.
If you are interested in getting something like this check out the website here -
motoharablades.com/
My Measurements:
Handle/Tsuka Length: 10.5”
Blade/Nagasa Length: 29.125” (without habaki)
Kissaki: 3.75”
Sori: .62”
Moto-haba: 1.305”
Motokasane: .256”
Saki-haba: 1.101”
Sakikasane: .215”
Weight: 2lb 5.9oz
POB: 5” from tsuba
MSRP: $6550
Order to Arrival: Approx Six Months
Options Listed From Evolution Blades:
Blade
-Steel type: SGT tool steel ($2500)
-Blade geometry: Shinoji-zukuri
-Edge geometry: Hard target cutter geometry with custom measurments & geometry*****($200)
-Nagasa: 74cm********
-Motohaba: 33mm
-Sakihaba : 28mm
-Motokasane: 7mm
-Sakikasane : 5.8mm
-Sori: 15mm
-Bohi*********($150)
-Kissaki: O-kissaki********($100)
Koshirae
-Habaki design: Mokume double habaki*******($700)
-Habaki material: Mokume
-Tsuba design & material: Iron sukashi with silver rim*****($200)
-Saya color & finish: Dark green Partial rayskin with black glossy kesha sendan carving******* ($700)
Tsuka
-Fuchi/Kasihara design: Mokume*****($1000)
-Samegawa on tsuka core: Antiqued with emperor node****($100)
-Menuki design: Ken*****
-Menuki position: Regular position*******
-Mokume seppa******($600)
-Fitting material: Mokume
-Fitting finish: Mokume
-Tsukamaki ​material : Black doeskin leather*****($200)
-Tsukamaki style: Hinari
-Tsuka shape: Haichi
-Tsuka size(including fittins): 25.5cm
Sageo is from Sword Store - $158 www.swordstore.com/products/0...
Other Videos I have made on Evolution Blades:
Sword Friend Carlo's - • Sword Friend Carlo's M...
LMC - • Evolution Blades Motoh...
L6 Tensho - • Evolution Blades: Moto...
Evolution Blades VS Citadel - • Thoughts on Citadel V....
Sword Stand by Enso Workshop - www.etsy.com/shop/EnsoWorkshop
Music provided by - Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com
Link to the Facebook spot - / matthewjensenswordreview
Link to the Twitch spot - / sword_friend_matt
Link to the Patreon spot - / krunan
Link to the TicTock spot -.tiktok.com/@SwordFriendMatt
Link to the Instagram spot - / matthewjensenswordguy
Link to the KZbin Membership spot - / @matthew_jensen
Link to my eBay sales page - www.ebay.com/usr/krunangree

[@iratezombiemann]

Great point about the swords increasing in value over time. It's amazing how high both the low and high bar for the katana is becoming.

[@not-a-raccoon]

Evolution blades: So which extras do you want on your sword? Customer: ... Yes.

[@scatterbug]

That may be the most beautiful sword I have ever seen.

[@a-sheepof-christ9027]

I agree. No pomp, very elegant. The blade is also perfect. I'm used to seeing this from motohara/evolutionblades.

[@Erebus.666.]

Definitely one of the most beautiful Japanese type blades. There are some far more beautiful European type blades around though.

[@SamuraiGuy87]

Really just an amazing sword. Great review!

[@rakugakid]

Jason is absolutely awesome and gracious with his time.

[@kelticknight6116]

Absolutely beautiful craftsmanship, truly amazing thank you for sharing Cheers 🍻

[@shadowfox2814]

The steel is SGT. The SKS3 doesn't have the banding effects in it. Both of my Evolution Blades swords are also SGT.

[@TheChzoronzon]

Which is just a fancy name for ole O1...

[@TylerJadeye]

amazing and gorgeous. nice work sir. cool you gotta spend some time with that sword. thanks for sharing. Keep up the great work

[@Han-rw9ev]

That is one of the nicest and interesting katanas I've seen. . Though personally I would have omitted some of the decorative patterns but that's more to do with my personal taste.. ..

[@candyshop84106]

Matt, you are such a pleasure to watch and listen to.. Your Such great guy. Your eye for detail is much appreciated. You take us on a peaxful, relaxing educated review...Be interesting if you branch out to other subjects as well...Thanks Again Matt...😎

[@dubstepbronx]

Beautiful just beautiful artwork. 🖤

[@dirtyscavanger]

The grooves on the saya take a long time. very nice!!

[@zenhydra]

Tell me about it. I decorated an entire 7 foot spear haft with spiral grooves of alternating width, all filed in by hand, and it was both time consuming and tedious work. It looks really cool though, and I'm happy with the results now that it is complete. I can also attest to having difficulty with painting and lacquering inside the grooves, and struggling to try and avoid the same texture inconsistencies shown on the saya in this video.

[@dirtyscavanger]

I got lazy and just used rattan wrap with glue. Just be light on the sanding.

[@MarieCrossbow]

Compared to what you normally see, the habachi is godlike; it looks beautiful.

[@1h1oh34]

Excellent break down & explanation …ty

[@scottjua]

Excellent video Matt! I still have a Motohara I have yet to cut with. The PAndemic and life really screwed up my schedules and things I have been putting it off. Hopefully this spring I will get some mats soaked and get to it.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Looking forward to seeing it. How do you like it from the looks?

[@JoeSteel1]

The ONLY Definition for Evolution Blades should be "Grail Swords" 💯💯💯😍😍😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@joningalls4958]

Fine looking sword!

[@not-a-raccoon]

I drooled on my phone. Thanks, man 😑🤤🤤🤤

[@sattercaster1]

Gorgeous!!!

[@harrisonjones9955]

Love it!

[@PicardoMontalban-sq8gg]

Sweet sword sir

[@chainednexile]

Gorgeous❤

[@redbatsamuraiproductions]

Also, it’s really ironic that I was just watching a bunch of Arkham videos and you’re wearing an Arkham Knight shirt in this I got to replay those games now

[@stevenfriedman2902]

I just discovered your channel and have enjoyed a few of your videos. I don't know if you reply to comments of your videos but I was curious if you had a recommendation for someone that is starting off collecting on a lower budget. I was looking for something within the $300 range.

[@austinseymore8260]

BTW, Mathew, if join us for Toyama Ryu Tai Kai in May in Tokyo, there will be a bottle of Japanese whiskey with your name on it ! we look forward to sharing some post whiskey katana reviews together with our Tokyo sensei! along with the Toyama Ryu groups from New York and Floridal! hahaha

[@JoeSteel1]

Matthew did I see MICRO chips on the Ha edge here and there? or was it the lighting and shadows?

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Lighting, I don't see any chips. Might have bee dust or something like that.

[@bladetasticknives5712]

I was seeing the same thing, looks like chips.

[@JoeSteel1]

@@bladetasticknives5712 Good 👀 eyes..lol

[@BACCHUS777]

The chapter names are pretty funny: "Habachi rant"

[@shadowblack2021]

that is a super nice sageo. did that come with the katana?

[@MrMrbrianbechtel]

I have seen quite a few for sale on ebay for like 10 to 11 grand. I was thinking I had to wait for my bitcoin to blow up. I can order one of these beauties now

[@austinseymore8260]

Evolution blades makes sharp AND forgiving katanas. They are extremely useful for passing the Toyama Ryu exams in my Dojo in Hong Kong! Unfortunately, we cannot take these blades to Tai Kai competitions in Japan. Other comparable sharp shinkens in our dojo are Japanese made blades. We find the EB to be more forgiving in Tameshigiri than our Japanese Shinkens. We think this is due to the mono steel being used. These days, given the low Japanese yen, the EB blades are more expensive than the Japanese Shinkens! just sharing experience from my training.

[@martialman12]

I love my motohara , but yeah they are pretty expensive haha

[@henrymrowicki7004]

This is the kind of sword i show my wife, so by her math, what i do buy will be saving us money😂. That being said, it is one hell of a sword. Thank you and sword friend for sharing it with us.

[@yuyuhaio]

One day I'll make enough to afford a Motohara lol.

[@Erebus.666.]

Have you not considered selling a kidney? Just an idea.

[@jonandresen1483]

Thanks for the look at this custom sword. With current exchange rates I'm not sure it's a value vis a vis with a nihonto. There are still some oddities but compared to a lot or even most of the non-Japanese stuff but overall it's cool.

[@TONEDEAFSOUND]

god damn

[@rico7292]

Where the f are you live dude? There is always snowin😅

[@jsthemess3283]

DESTROY TEST THE HONSHU BOSHIN KATANA .....PLEASE

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I tested the wakizashi a while back. I would imagine the katana is similar.

[@cantremember6794]

​@@Matthew_JensenI would love to see either broadsword lol

[@villaincengeng7922]

If i have that amount of money i will buy Miller Bros Blades instead

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Those are very different things. And I have had one and did not like it.

[@makidiaz3894]

Do you miss the long hair?

[@williamhowe8605]

The black is probably shakudo , copper alloyed with a smidge of gold Mokume gane is effectively patern welded copper and silver based alloys, as well as alloys of gold and then patina is applied The “foil” on the habaki looks more like a weld delamination than a foil sloughing off

[@michaelrs8010]

I guess when the videos are declassified 😉 the proletariat would eventually get to see them, but I'm glad I'm a channel member so I can get to see them earlier. The only bummer is there's a few I very much want to share with people on my Katana forum and by the time they are released to the general public I have sometimes forgotten about them. Oh well, their loss. 😄

[@128789842]

6.500,- $ is so cheap!

[@Erebus.666.]

No, it really isn't. It is a beautiful piece for the price though.

[@aayazahmed5389]

Is it Chinese?

[@410cultivar]

You can get actual blades from Japan's past for under that

[@Erebus.666.]

You can, but not as good quality as this piece though. Historical doesn't always equate to better.

[@londiniumarmoury7037]

I think it's a bad investment, you could buy 2 real pre edo period nihonto for that price, and they appreciate in value more. Just my 2 cents.

[@hellboy1976]

Can/should you cut with them? Are they to be used as everyday cutters as this one is? Quite frankly, spending that money on antiques and then cutting with them is being irresponsible to history IMO. You're looking at this piece as a wall hanger for investment when it's clear he (Mathew's friend) uses it as his primary cutting tool.

[@MaaZeus]

You would not want to cut with Nihonto antiques. Maybe occasionally as a demonstration but not as a sword that is actively used and practiced with. Compared to newly made japanese sword this does compare quite favorably. I doubt you can get anywhere similar quality and parts for this price from japan.

[@londiniumarmoury7037]

Well, that's a perfect question, and because this blade costs 6500, and you can easily pick up a good Nihonto for under 3000 USD. You could buy a Nihonto and still have 3500 USD left over for a hand foged Katana from a smith. So even if you don't want to cut with your antique (which most wouldn't) You still get to spend 3000 on a mint Nihonto, with 3500 left over for your cutting sword. Which I will argue again, is a much better investment. PS: I'm Jewish so this might be a cultural issue, but I want bang for my buck :)

[@hellboy1976]

@@londiniumarmoury7037 Okay - assuming you go the Nihonto route for one, and have the 3K left over, which Smith will be able to make a blade for that much that's worth it? Honestly asking because even if you got a blade for that much, you'd need the furniture and one of the selling points of the Motohara pieces, this one especially, is the fit, finish and tight Tsuka Ito.

[@londiniumarmoury7037]

@@hellboy1976 There's quite a few options for 3.5k in the smithing community here on KZbin alone I could point you to many smiths who will make you one for 3.5k. In the sub 5000 you have lots of options. There are some smiths who would charge you 8k+ but lots will do it for 3.5k and under. People often assume blacksmiths will charge extortionate amounts but honestly, I haven't found that to be the case. You will find 3500 is more than enough to get a good handmade sword. I could probably get you one made for under 2000.

[@dlkravcov1973]

The sword is magnificent, but the mokume fittings, in my opinion, spoil the aesthetics of the samurai sword. And with macro photography, three jams are visible on the cutting edge. Apparently they shouldn’t have cut the tatami...

[@petersiska9939]

For what 6500 Dollars ....haha wtf ...............................

[@TheCurrysauce]

I suppose I will always be in the minority here, but unless I get to slice or thrust through armor I fail to see the value of a sword that lacks 'pizazz'. Some folded blades get the job done just fine. Without recurrent tests of these Motohara blades, I seriously question the "worth it" factor given the cost. Who wants to blow $2,000-3,000 or more for a sword that bends and breaks all the same when tatami or bone is the target. These swords should demonstrate unique abilities to command their price. I still have yet to see rigorous tests like Howard Clark and "Big Tony" did

[@apothecy4011]

Not worth the 6k

[@robertsilva5041]

I don't know if it's just me, but that sword does NOT look like it should cost 6500.00. I'm sorry. I'm not an expert. But I do know quality and hard work. Or maybe it's because of the video 😂

[@Oldtanktapper]

Certainly the roughest, plainest mokume I’ve seen. Might be the style they were aiming for but to me it looks really cheap.

[@robertsilva5041]

@@Oldtanktapper I was wondering if it was the video does it no justice as it would in front of you kinda thing. Love the sword, no doubt. Kinda pricey for me 😞

[@culture-nature-mobility7867]

Destructive test? 🫣🤣

[@Matthew_Jensen]

If evolution blades sent me one to break, then I would but I don't feel keen on breaking one of mine and I don't think any sword friends are going to volunteer theirs. Also, I am not sure how helpful it would be. I suspect the majority of people buying these want them for dojo or iaido use. So long as they can survive typical bad cuts on a mat, then they should be fine. For what it is worth, they seem to hold up well to that. I would be more keen on testing further if Evolution Blades was selling them as overly durable blades but they market them as tools for JSA, and to that end it is hard to get better.

[@culture-nature-mobility7867]

@@Matthew_Jensen I would be amazed and shocked at the same time, if a sword like that would be taken through the full testing protocol 😆🫣😳😮

[@thomasandrews2045]

motohara has taken them through all maner of destructive testing. you need only reach out to them for that information@@culture-nature-mobility7867

[@Pilafcg]

The more durable it would be, the more your heart would break ​@@Matthew_Jensen

[@DutchAce]

The must explain where 6500 cames from now gold same materials like rest i had expect a way more next level sword with real gold end hand painting decorotion or some thing diffrent robe evrything dontvwant be negativ im just saying with its treu my opinion its looks like same 1300 dollar sword or 900 or 1800 , you see that it all comes from same places not invidual handmade pieces some factorys in world where it all come from , in my opnion this onexptubel for this money its most be orginal handmade that you cannot find same handpieces , but it looks so fimiliar the a 1000 dollar sword or 1700 its almost same sometimes