Dynasty Forge Diamyo Tamahagane Katana Review

[@CrusherBall-ny1ox]

The best production Katana out there, without any dubt!!! I have got 2 of these Dynasty Forge Tamahagane Katana. The blade is an absolutely masterpiece. Especially Hada and Hamon are fantastic, exactly like a masterpiece japanese Nihonto I have got. Remember, the blade is the hearth and soul of a Katana, the Koshirae only the clothes and you can change them...

[@jasonmcinnis454]

Are the fittings better now?

[@MusashiSush1]

I agree with Jon, Tamahagane is just the Japanese term for raw steel. It's smelted in a tatara by mixing charcoal with iron sand and heating it up just below the point of turning into a liquid. You can make it anywhere, Walter Sorrels makes it in his back yard in a more modern tatara and a lot of smiths in Japan will smelt their own tamahagane if they have access to iron sand such as the brothers at the Akamatsu Taro. I have a sword by Kanetsugu and on the nakago he inscribed it as being made from home made tamahagane. Other Smiths like Gassan and Yoshihara get their tamahagane from the one official source in Japan who produces it. I would be shocked if the Japanese ever sold even the garbage steel that comes out of the tatara to the Chinese. For starters it's quantities are so limited they wouldn't have to and it would also be a pride thing for them. So for Dynasty Forge to use the name tamahagane is just a gimmick to jack up the price on unsuspecting buyers. I would never spend that much $$$ on a Chinese blade, it would be as someone posted below like buying a Chinese Rolex.

[@sipplix]

Hehehee, Matt, loving your close up "show us viewers the steel" shots, it really worked, great video cheers👍😜

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Thanks!

[@317consulting5]

Your hard work and research is greatly appreciated.

[@bmxriderforlife1234]

real japanese tamahagane and the ore used for it are not sold outside japan, i also think it might be against the law to do so, however i have heard of foreign smiths being given quantities of it as gifts. there arent very many tatara left, at least not on a big scale, so many smiths in japan end up blending it with other random steel to make orishigane. ive also heard some smiths get raw ore and make their own, though im not sure if thats actually allowed. the whole sword production thing in japan is very strictly controlled from my understanding. also you can make basically tamahagane from other iron sand, however i have heard that the iron sand in japan has a unique blend of alloys that give it a slightly different appearance color wise. and modern tamahagane as shad points out in his series is different then old tamahagane. personally i think both ways are valid but yeah its a confusing situation.

[@jord505]

you can buy tamahagane from authorized preservation foundries

[@SuperiorAutocraft]

Thanks for another review, Matt. Looks like another good blade in sub par fittings... Rather frustrating, really. My 10 year old PPK is still kicking, with a tight wrap, even diamonds, and no tsuba rattle. Think I'm going to cave and go custom for my next blade.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Thats a fair point.. I don't think this sword is targeting the same buyer as a PPK or at least not the same intention.. Funny that the construction quality is not much different in the fittings though..

[@FabledHeroes3351]

Figures they give you a good blade but slightly mediocre fittings

[@jacobdad2742]

Wow!!! For $2500 I would expect perfection. I would be livid if I'd paid that kinda money for that katana.

[@Intrepid_Explorer]

@Matthew_Jensen Would you say this this sword is worth it nowadays with it being on sale for ~$1250?

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Still hard to find something that feels as good but there are many swords that present a better value. If you are really looking for the light koto era feel and are willing to get work done, then it can make a fine sword.

[@johndeer8949]

Tamahagane is old name for Japanese iron sand , the only source of steel in old ancient times within Japan. Characteristics of this iron source is that it is very low quality along with many impurities that could only be decreased by folding method forging over and over again... Thanks for the video , as you help others to stay away from bad deal , as imo this sword costing 2500 bucks is absolutely equal to 300-500 bucks practical katanas from Hanvei or Chennes

[@sc2g424]

Great review. I owned this sword before and thought the same thing about it.

[@lornemcneil]

Edit wrap is fantastic really tight Bought a tamahangane from swordier Zhou is the master smith ,i have cut paper , cans ,plastic ,i dont buy a car and take a bus ,it is holding well 👍 vut i agree on the furnishings quality

[@emm_arr]

Just a Bog said that tamahagane looks - in his opinion - like fabric. I see what he means, and you have that in the blade here. Nicely shown.

[@way2dumb]

there are many Different ways to present tamhanaganananny so as to get variety of patterns and they ave there own names. like rice grain or what ever, cant think of the name right now

[@way2dumb]

11:00 when you swung that one-handed, your head barely moved at all when pulling it to a stop. It must be very well weighted.

[@MrPirreE]

Yes it is kind of same tsuba as on the practical plus, both are kiku (chrysanthemum) style of tsuba.

[@eduardogarcia9309]

What about at $ 1500 , would it be a good buy then?

[@josephl.cinematographerpho4976]

NICE camera work and edit on the blade detail views

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I think I have gotten a bit better at that kind of thing. Camera work, especially video has been a steep learning curve for me.

[@andreashartmann3900]

Hello i belive i have read that in Real tamahagane there are very few inclusions in the steel for example oxides and sulfides and other non metallic substances and therefor perfect for sword making because the steel id soft and stretchy metal for doing swords and i think theJSPA still does 1000kg every winter ot tamahagane traditional in NITTOHO TATTARA FURNESS IN JAPAN

[@manuelrocha9762]

You can get a Citadel for that money. The dynasty musha series are good if you want a good tough blade to customize.

[@andreashartmann3900]

I have a citadel and its beautiful very nice its old model called katana luxe

[@bern1228]

Thanks for another great review. The camera work on the close ups are very nice. Sound quality dipped during the swinging part. Sounded like you had a fan going. It's a shame that the tsuba is the generic wheel you find everywhere else. I hope Dynasty has improved over the years since this was produced. Ever the fan, cheers.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I am working with different cameras and microphones. Hopefully it sucks less in the future..

[@net-twin-de]

The hamon is also very unimaginative and simple. A nice "wild hamon" would be nicer or a "water wave hamon", but the one chosen here is simply not special for the price. The polish is ok but there is still a lot of space to do it better. I would never ever pay 2500 for that sword - never! There are 600-800 Dollar swords which are "equaly good or better" but maybe not made of Tamahagane.

[@wildyracing1]

For $4K, you can possibly find a Nihonto with better mount (any custom mount should be better than DF's default), but it won't be in a pristine condition. Surely (and I believe it), DF's tamahagane blade could easily outperform a Hihonto, it goes either way. As far as aesthetics, it depends on the sword itself, but if you don't know it is not a Hihonto, you'll have a hard time guessing.

[@speedgears1236]

Where is a good place reputable to buy a Nihinto? If you have time. Thank you

[@eugenestephenson3293]

isn't Tama Hagane just the means of using IRON sand... and melding it together (less impurity, yielding a stronger bond - than todays mixture/lab created iron steel) to make it more pure... kinda like "organic"?

[@riaandewinnaar5040]

Nice background ambience in this one.

[@joshb3906]

Hey Matthew, you should try and see if you can get your hands on a sword forged by Matsuba Kunimasa.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Yes I should.. Though I think it will be a while..

[@unclequack5445]

Sir,this don't look like a 2,500$ piece, sorry but the handle don't match the cost.

[@adameccleston1926]

It's always cold as balls and snowy outside. Where do you live, Canada?

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Not quite, but close..

[@ミスタードーナツ-k6o]

@@Matthew_Jensen Lol, been binge watching your channel and it seems to be perpetually snowing where you are. I'm in Canada and you get more snow than I've ever seen.

[@soykanmuri7277]

Wow. What if it was 3.11 lbs like my 1095 honsanmai sword I have with the other 1095 blade I all did Tameshigiri with?

[@doubletapthat2183]

Beautiful sword

[@JoeSteel1]

I wouldn't belive a production company like dynasty forge...calling their product Tamahagani...A true Iron sand made steel with the process is a 10K plus price tag...an attempt to put value to a 2500 sword..just my humble observation...I rather pay extra for a folded blade that has details to look at on the steel...this blade looks great but I have a kobuse blade that has beautiful details as well for 280.00 .thanks for the video...

[@traceydeanrainey]

I think your paying way too much for the steel that you really can't be 100% sure it is what they say it is . It's a nice blade but everything else is at a Hanwei practical level so it's a bad deal. I think you would get a better katana if you purchased a Bugei. You would get a way better sword .

[@wildyracing1]

Yes, but no tamahagane. Bugei excels with their K120C Swedish powder steel, but in that case you can buy Dynasty Forge Daimyo Tri-steel and have comparative quality of both aesthetics (hada) and functionality (hamon and springly back). The selling point for me is DF offers Shobu-zukuri in all their product lines, and it is a real Shobu geometry, not a Shinogi-Zukuri without yokote like many Chinese-made katana pretend to be. Bugei's Shobu is awesome, but it is not folded like all other blades they sell, which is a deal braker for me. I've owned more than one highest level swords from both brands and I can tell DF doesn't fall behind. In my opinion Bugei and DF are on par with their top of the line blades. Bugei has the advantage of better fittings and better fit and finish (on the koshirae, not on the blade) out of the box. Bugei also makes very solid, non-nonsense blades for serious cutting. But DF offers tamahagane, I doubt they will dare lie for it. Huanuo forge has the resourses to smeth their own steel, so why not? In the end, if they do smelt and create their version of tamahagane, price is justified IMO. Everyone interested in Japanese swords knows how difficult and time consuming the process is!

[@alunrogers464]

Good review.

[@ProphetMuhammadSuccessor]

id buy that for sure. dont care much of fittings btw what is on the wall black wakizashi shirasaya? isnt it the oren ishi from handmadesword?

[@Matthew_Jensen]

It is a Howard Clark L6 wakizashi.. I did a video on it a while ago..

[@unclequack5445]

Do you know of any Katana making video where they show them putting in the fullering on the blade?

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Different ways to do it.. I recall Michael Sabatiear had photos of carving the bohi out. Fred Chen might have some as well. Walter Sorrells made a youtube video about it.. I think

[@ミスタードーナツ-k6o]

Great review as always. Has anybody been able to verify if they actually use iron sand/their own version of tamahagane or are they just throwing the word around in the name of the model? I remember a while back Thaisuki, or at least their distributors were throwing around the word nihonto, when they were clearly not nihonto. Might be the same sort of thing going on here, Chinese Smith picked out some random buzz-word related to Japanese made nihonto and said, hey, Tamahagane sounds cool, let's name this sword Tamahagane, without really knowing what it truly means. Lots of stuff gets lost or misinterpreted in translation....you should see the names of some Chinese businesses around here....just bonkers, lol!

[@outlawsamurai47]

They should make a shogun model to be the king of there blades

[@Knight30884]

do you know where are Dynasty Forge swords made?

[@michaelfranco5191]

what's the toughest strongest Katana you would recommend? and what is your opinion on cheness kaze and Cheness SGC Series (Specialized Goza Cutters)???senpai😂👍🏼

[@michaelfranco5191]

or musha musashi?

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Its hard to say what the strongest is.. I have not really tried to beat the piss out of many swords but the Ronin Katana Dojo Pro has been tough. I would imagine similar through hardened blades would be about the same kind of tough.. That is if you are defining "strong" as able to be beaten against a rock without breaking. I have had a few Cheness SGC blades and I did not like them much. It was a while ago though so it might be different now.. Musha.. nothing comes to mind.. I don't know if I have had one or not.. Musashi seems to make decent swords for the money. I had one of their $50 swords and thought it was well worth the money..

[@manuelrocha9762]

Could you do a review on dynasties musha class swords? You can get them for less than four hundo. Maybe a destructive test to see how their spring steel holds up. I've heard the blades are worth buying but everything else is junk. That being said I'd trust your opinion more than the fellas on the forums.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I'll keep my eye out but it is not on the horizon at this time.

[@SneakyGenius]

At that price point I expect much much more.

[@KF1]

As I understand it, the term "tamahagane" doesn't mean the historical thing to the reproduction market. It just means any steel that's been forge folded in-house. Like getting the chef's special omelette at the local diner. I figure the marketers know we know Chinese tamahagane isn't actually Cognac. Sounds cool, looks cool, gets you drunk on swords. That'll be $2500 please.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

The word means different things to different people. Only important that people know what they are getting. Personally I don't mind Chinese companies using the term tamahagane and most of the major companies out there are not misrepresenting what they mean by that.

[@KF1]

@@Matthew_Jensen Same here. Though I could see how to a historian the term could be read as false advertising if taken too seriously. Maybe if you get some good example pieces, it would be cool to do a hada comparison from historical, modern and reproduction. (As if filming swords isn't challenging enough) Hope you're getting settled in well at the new house. Good video and topic still relevant

[@unclequack5445]

Blasphemy! To even mention a 2,500$ piece would need to be re-worked in any way is not worth my efforts for this amount of coin i expect a fully finished piece.

[@bsrodeo7s]

Tamagahame is the type of steel, and the way it is forged. I’ll find you a good link.

[@speedgears1236]

Hi. Did you find a good link for real tamahagane steel? Thanks

[@frankstewart2468]

Tell my gun, Hagane is a type of the bloom steal that is made out of Japan out of iron sand. It is called a jewel Steel

[@manuelrocha9762]

Have you ever done a bugei review?

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Nope, I am on the look out for one at a reasonable second hand price.

[@manuelrocha9762]

Matthew Jensen Thanks for the reply. I've been watching your reviews for years. You saved me from wasting money on the oni demon.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

Glad I could help.

[@soykanmuri7277]

The L6 was used for Bugei I'm thinking well Howard Clark

[@TheScotsmen1]

I just check on the price is in 2021 $1500 now.

[@dannyrock4738]

Do you have a real nihonto sword?

[@Matthew_Jensen]

yes.

[@monstersdoexist]

They lowered the prices almost 1k for their blades now and it is still quite obvious you are paying for the blade only as all the accoutrements are pure crap found on mall swords.

[@9unslin9er]

It's not Tama-huh-gone-ay It's Tahmah-hahgah-neh

[@Psycho-Ssnake]

No... Its levy-oh-gramma.

[@MrDkgio]

I love katanas, but let’s be realistic, for the era these were originally made, tamahgane was a great steel, but if the craftsmen back then had had access to the modern steels we have now, the best katanas would NOT have been made with tamahagane.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I don't think that is the argument behind using tamahagane.. What steel is "best" is subjective to the user. If performance is the goal, no one will argue that tamahagane is superior to modern steels used in swords. That said, if you want historical accuracy, a tie to history, interesting metallurgical effects, or simply find some beauty in the steel then tamahagane has something to offer. That said, it is time consuming to do and thus the price.

[@Luciffrit]

Got distracted by the little arm in the background... ^_^

[@albaniansk8er]

The money is not technically in the the details it’s in the metal of that specific blade looks folded. I diss like the wave temper look it’s too formal and perfectly waived

[@rushzeen]

Tamahagane→ steel made from iron sand (black sand)

[@nolabelnoise1140]

Oh man I'd be sooo mad if I paid $1500 for this even. Who cares about the type of steel when the damn thing rattles in the saya and has a tsuba that looks like it came from Amazon. Id give em $1200 for that blade because I have to admit that metallurgic profile looks crazy

[@soykanmuri7277]

And then there is shotgun, or the other way.. The Samurai

[@ooQ-pi3es]

Dynasty Forge much better than hanwei ！

[@jr-xh5tu]

Can anyone help me translate this name in my picture it's on a sword someone just gave me

[@Thrthrthbrth]

First character is sword Second character is dragon

[@john050994]

Hi. I'd like to pay almost 3g on a sword made of inferior steel that I'm never gonna use.

[@marcuslee3090]

You must be rich to get all these blades

[@josephl.cinematographerpho4976]

Ok so the blade is worth 2300 which is great..and the rest of the sword is 200 worth...not good... better to get a cheaper but still viable metal with a professional quality finish for 2500.00...much better options out there for that price point

[@Matthew_Jensen]

To date.. the feeling on this one was one of best. I think getting it mounted up in new cloths would have made something truly fantastic feeling for iaido. I think Motohara and Citadel make very nice blades and in terms of total package, they offer better options. Still, this one felt real good in the hand. Just needed new shoes.

[@anthonydeen9388]

For $2,500, (currently $1,500) you can't even buy a bare blade in Japan, so who cares about the fittings? If you get a great blade for this price, you put your own koshirae on and have a solid sword.

[@TheNEOONE1]

You forgot to mention they use one side decent quality rayskin and the other side really cheap crap rayskin.

[@Matthew_Jensen]

The skin quality defiantly not the top notch stuff but the back side does not look like a worse quality. The emperor node is not there but its not weird for their to only be one. I don't like that it still has samegawa panels and I am not sure if I said that or not. Still, I think I made the point about the mount being at a lower level than the sword itself.

[@TheNEOONE1]

Matthew Jensen Yeah, for 2.5k and fittings at that level (even 500 swords) I would be unhappy with. On my DF bushi there is definitely 2 different quality rayskin pieces on each side. Stuff like that really bugs me. Thanks for the review anyone Matthew. Catch you sometime on FB.

[@soykanmuri7277]

Hey the length of the tsuka or ska might be the most perfect length for a sword everything put together assuming complete full tang or an inch or so close to it. Hees so cool, has the perfect practical plus katana

[@jackcook3318]

Never mind

[@Matthew_Jensen]

I cant tell if you are trolling or not.

[@jackcook3318]

Matthew Jensen I wasn't trolling I'm just stupid

[@Matthew_Jensen]

You are not stupid, it is all good.

[@jackcook3318]

Matthew Jensen I just remember learning about Tamahagane (like you said) location, spiritual implications. It's hard to understand metal even if you did have it and I'm new to carbon stell in whole learning all this it is in-credible How changeable iron and steel is in the forgery from a 200dollar katana to 20 thousand dollar katana from Japan i knew one that was made recently went for 70 thousand GBP brother of what was called "Naginata Naoshi" an antique made in 1990 something by master sword Smith in Japan by 3 people oriental weaponry .co. UK has sold it now i can't find it

[@Gr8WhytBuffelo24]

....aliens......

[@showingYOUtheworld]

2500$ is too much for that quality. Of course it's just my personal opinion.

[@ProphetMuhammadSuccessor]

btw can you think about getting a proper mic or at least play with equalizer? something in this audio hits the ears(

[@JonHunter80]

what a poor example of a $2500 katana, seen better for $600

[@Psycho-Ssnake]

I play video games and watch KZbin, so I'm an expert in these things. Tamahagramma is a very rare legendary drop from the doostiny 2 lord of aliens. You do the wak wak wak and it go ded. Bam, purple lootcrate for 25 hundo magic points.

[@yusufjorgenz5951]

You think Chinese won’t rip off richy Americans? Would be better off buying antique

[@Divine_Serpent_Geh]

Yusuf Jorgenz Do you know where you can find antique Katanas online?

[@shreddinjoe]

Man!!! You can buy a katana for $350 better steel, with even better fit/finish..the tamahagani steel is all they had in the years 1200-1800s..the Japanese Smith's WISH they had the steel options we do now back then..they charge $2500 because of the major pain in the ass endured to forge a blade such as this

[@Divine_Serpent_Geh]

Joey Timmons I believe you are right. If anyone has seen the process of Tamahagane, they’ll know it’s pretty insane. You are truly paying for the blade. I personally don’t find that a bad thing. However, I would be in a hard decision making situation between this sword, or fork up another $1-2k for an authentic piece from a Japanese Swordsmith.

[@williamavery9185]

This is total crap! If you can throw away 2500 buy it. If you have that kind of money to blow, add another 2000 and buy a real nihonto that will appreciate and you can pass it on to your son. And it will have been worn by a samurai or 20!!