Shinwa Regal Black and Maroon Damascus Steel Katana Sword

Beautiful. My son loves it.

This Shinwa Black and Maroon katana is Regal indeed. Over a decade ago I had purchased the Regal Teal Damascus katana and was very happy with the katana I was sent. I was so pleased with the quality that I purchased the Makaku Damascus katana. I was so very disappointed with the Makaku. The blade was so completely beat up it looked like either the blade maker was on his first day making swords, or someone had intentionally taken a hammer to it after it had been made, it was that bad and honestly I should have returned it, I couldn't believe quality control sent that out. So I started buying the more expensive Musashi swords instead. Fast forward 10years and I purchased a nice Sokojakira T10 Joker sword, nice polished blade, not a Ding anywhere to be seen. I had looked at the Regal Black and Maroon Damascus katana for a while, but was hesitant from my past experience. I've also learned alot more about Katanas and blade making in general and knew what to look out for now and how to look down the blade for errors. So I bought the Regal Black and Maroon Damascus katana. It got to my house in a quick 3 days. It came in the nice presentation box with latches and a leather carry handle. I removed the katana from its sword bag and started the inspection. This Regal Black and Maroon was a huge improvement over the previous Shinwas I had purchased so many years ago. I couldn't find one Ding, dent or hammer mark any where. It was beautifully made. The pattern in the Damascus steel is stunning to look at and I liked the Lion and Tiger motif on the Tsuba. As I stated in the title of this review, my faith in Shinwa's has been restored. It's absolutely flawless, and the feeling I got when I first recieved the Regal Teal Katana has been restored. The Saya is a nice Maroon color. The tsuba, seppa, and habaki are nice and tight. No loose fittings, the Ito isn't loose, and the menuki's are black in keeping with the Black and Maroon color theme. Let me also say the blade is nice and sharp. I'm already eyeing some other Shinwa's, which I'll be adding to my collection soon. Well done Shinwa and thanks Budk.