The sword is an absolute work of art. When it arrived I didn't expect it to come in the red display case it came with for starters, giving it a safe home for it to return to when I have done my daily routines with it. Aside from that, it holds a true katana edge, unlike Honshu swords with their knife bevels. As a matter of fact I took the faux leather wrapping and decorative metal pieces from my Honshu blade's saya (sheath) and used both of them to decorate the simple and plain yet stunningly beautiful saya. This sword already has its own personality given the patterning of the damascus, which will inherently be slightly different for each blade, and I am proud to make it my own with bits from rather less impressive purchases (Honshu I'm looking at you, your blades edge is trash but at least the faux leather wrapping looks pretty and can be replicated). Anyways, tl;dr, the sword is completely worth every penny you spend on it for the quality and presentation alone, not to mention the feel of it.

Wow. Most likely Shinwa's best.

I have many swords, most of them katanas. This Shinwa katana is by far the best quality sword I have purchased from the company. Very well put together with a beautiful Hamon line. You can tell it's not a fake Hamon via acid etch because it's only visible in the right light. Just like it should be to reveal a true clay tempered Hamon. The fit and finish is amazing and feels fantastic in the hand. I've done martial arts from child hood holding several black belts and even an international ranked 2nd Dan black belt with the Kukkiwon world Taekwondo federation. I don't mean to brag just want you to know I've held many weapons over the years and this one is by far the best katana for under $500.00.

I bought this sword a few weeks ago and it is absolutely fabulous. Taking price and quality and performance into consideration it's an amazing deal and is worth the purchase for anyone who plans to use or display it.