Purpose of the Bo-hi on a Japanese sword

Just a quick expalaination on the purpose of the bo-hi (fuller) on a Japanese sword.
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[@stubbsiren4368]

The Bo-hi looks cool

[@santanajackson6160]

my very first katana has a bohi but I dont like a bohi on my katanas. I underatand that you can get some audible feedback and so forth and its lighter weight . but I prefer my katanas without the bohi because onbiously theyre tougher and can hold up much better in a battle and a katana just looks so much better without the bohi . thats why I love my ronin dojo pro # 13 model and my hsts tsunami . they don't have the bohi and they look like katanas that will destroy anything that gets in its path ! the ronin dojo pro is my favorite katana because the dotanuki geometry is my favorite blade geometry and I know that I can take that katana and go to battle and not have to worry about the blade having any issues and I know that the tsuka is going to hold up and it has real iron fittings which helps the structural integrity of the tsuka . I also like the hsts tsunami and I have the 2018 version tsunami so the blade has a thinner profile and it looks similar to a high performance 1095 through hardened spring steel blade . the rockwell is between 53-54 so its similar to a 9260 spring steel blade and I can tell that its a very well tempered blade because I can see the martensite grains in the steel and it kinda almost looks like a folded steel but its just a monosteel blade that was forged very well . im lucky to have that particular blade .

[@StudentOfWarCustoms]

I'm not fond of bohi either. Honestly in my opinion the audible feedback is overstated, I can actually make most swords whistle that don't have bohi which is something most people can do if they practice and the blade is straight. As for making the blade lighter it definitely does that but if the sword is properly made it's unneeded, I was lucky enough to but a shobu zukuri raptor katana back when hanwei was making good swords and that sword is so well balanced and light it's a pleasure to use. I am not familiar with the dotanuki geometry. My favorite blade shape is shobu zukuri, a good tough blade with an o-kissaki (I'm a big fan of o-kissaki blades) and the cherry on top is it's more specialized to penetrating armor than the typical shinogi zukuri blade. I'm fond of iron fittings as well, drives me crazy seeing some of the inferior material being used for sword fittings these days especially on the tsuba. I have relatively high standards so as a result most of my swords end up getting some form of modification not long after owning them. I still have yet to own a sword that I've unboxed and said to myself "yep this sword is perfect, I don't have to do anything at all to this sword. Whether it's touching up the edge, fitting the tsuba, de-burring the mekugi holes, rewrapping the tsuka, etc I generally end up improving the sword in one way or another. Glad you got a sword you like though. Thanks for watching!

[@SuperCratoss]

Bo-hi Katana is actually better in battle, they are usually more lighter so you can be a bit faster and make you tired less.

[@powerplay4real174]

Good information and straight to the point quick.

[@Captain-Electro]

I ordered one with a bo-hi this is going to be a bit different for me but I think I will enjoy it.

[@StudentOfWarCustoms]

You probably will. Most of my swords have bo-hi but I’m not a big fan of it lol. Bo-hi is nice on some swords. Thanks for watching!

[@Dark_Sun_Gwyndolin]

Thx m8 !

[@StudentOfWarCustoms]

No problem, thanks for watching!!!

[@velazquezarmouries]

I saw some naginata with a thin double bohi I would try to make something like that on a katana someday

[@stevenshields3079]

I think the sound had a lot to do with frightening your next opponent. Imagine Dizzy Gillespe on Samurai sword.

[@StudentOfWarCustoms]

I have to disagree with that. Keep in mind in my style we actually have a kata in the dark where you can’t see the opponent and they can’t see you so you tap your blade and the ground to make them think you accidentally made the sound then when you hear the whistle that’s how you know where they are. Plus in a real fight if adrenaline is pumping more than likely the opponent won’t hear the whistle after he’s seen 1 or more of his friends get killed, fight or flight will have kicked in.

[@Zerosen89]

90% of modern production katana made in china have them, I think they must think its more appealing too

[@StudentOfWarCustoms]

Probably. Same with those ugly as sin wire brush hamon.

[@nguyenthanhvu182]

Totally agree , a bo-hi can make your sword shout louder , make it a little bit lighter or many other beautiful reason to explain about it... but the true function is : if you got stabed by a blade with bo-hi , you bleeding to death in no time .

[@StudentOfWarCustoms]

Yes the Bo-hi is there to lighten the sword, enhance audible feed back and for looks however it doesn't have anything to do with blood my friend because the sword won't be in the wound long enough to matter the sword is going to be pulled right back out. Even if the Samurai somehow lost his grip of the sword while the sword is still in the wound it'll more than likely fall out because you want to stab with the monouchi (which is the top 8-10 inches) of the sword at most not the entire blade. In all reality if the bo-hi was there for that purpose with some styles of bo-hi (namely the ones that meet the habaki) it would drain the blood right under the habaki and into the Tsuka which wouldn't be a good thing.