ShadowDancer Muramasa Replica
Reviewed by Josh Marlan of Cottontail Customs, 2024
Full Disclosure
I was sent this sword by the manufacturers for review purposes.
The Muramasa replica katana currently retails on ShadowDancer’s website for $790 USD. Keep in mind these are handmade swords and details can differ slightly from sword to sword. Please remember I am commenting on this particular sword, not necessarily the entire model line or brand, your results may vary.
Shadow Dancer Swords
Shadow Dancer Swords is a relatively new sword production brand out of China that makes and sells a wide variety of low to high priced Japanese style swords. As far as I know, they are a division of or work closely with, Z-Sey brand swords. You can see this sword on their website.
Packaging
The katana was shipped undamaged in a narrow cardboard box, wrapped in packing tape.
Sword Stats
Steel: crucible steel
Overall length: 36″
Nagasa: 26″
Sugata: shinogi-zukuri
Motohaba: 28.8 mm
Sakihaba: 19.2 mm
Motokasane: 6.1 mm
Sakikasane: 4.8 mm
Sori type: koshi
Sori depth: 20mm
Hamon: suguha
Mune: iori
Tsuka length: 7 3/8″
Nakago length: 5″
Weight w/saya: 2.09 Lbs./948g
Weight w/out saya: 1.60 Lbs./726g
POB: 6 3/4″ from tsuba
Polish: “Sashikomi A”
Ito: Japanese cotton
Habaki: brass
Tsuba: iron/steel
Aesthetic Overview and first impressions
My first impression of this sword was that it possessed smaller than average nagasa and proportions. Somewhere between wakizashi and katana.
I did a quick visual check for damage and a fast wiggle check on the tsuba and fittings and everything was tight with no apparent damage. The overall color scheme and koshirae theme is fairly plain and simple but the sword has enough nice features overall to keep it interesting.
The blade’s polish and lines are above average for production and the quality of the fittings stood out to me during this pre-inspection. The sword felt small but still possesses presence.
Muramasa swordsmith
borrowed from Wikipedia:
“Muramasa (村正, born before 1501), commonly known as Sengo Muramasa (千子村正), was a famous swordsmith who founded the Muramasa school and lived during the Muromachi period (14th to 16th centuries) in Kuwana, Ise Province, Japan (current Kuwana, Mie).[1]
In spite of their original reputation as fine blades favored by the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu and his vassals, the katana swords made by Muramasa gradually became a symbol of the anti-Tokugawa movement. Furthermore, in lore and popular culture from the 18th century, the swords have been regarded as yōtō (妖刀, “wicked katana”).”
You can read more about him here.
More information can also be found in this article by Markus Sesko
Tsuka
The tsuka of the Muramasa replica katana is in a rikko shape, which is defined by the top and bottom edge having a concave shape, though the ha curve is so slight it could be mistaken for haichi, which is when the ha or top ridge is relatively straight while the mune or bottom ridge is concave, with the deepest part of the curve in the center.
The tsuka is approximately 7 3/8” long from top of fuchi to end of kashira with no difference in thickness along the length, except at the end knots. It’s slender and nicely shaped and fits comfortably in one hand, probably a little better in smaller hands, but feels a little cramped when attempting to use two hands. I suppose as far as functionality and grip and swing mechanics is concerned, I would describe it as feeling similar to wielding a western hand and a half sword, where the pommel would rest somewhere in the middle of your palm.
The tsuka is slightly angled, following the sori, or curvature, of the blade resulting in good visual flow.
I don’t find that the angle changes the way it feels when drawing or swinging but then I am not a trained practitioner, formally or otherwise.
The wood core is clean and well carved and fits the nakago well. It was tight with no movement yet I was able to remove it with just a couple of taps with a mallet.
The tsuka is secured to the nakago with one bamboo mekugi that fits snugly in the nakago-ana.
Tsukamaki
The tsukamaki is done with black Japanese cotton tsuka-ito and is in hineri-maki style, the most commonly seen tsukamaki style. The maki is very tight with no movement under regular pressure. This is possibly the tightest wrap I’ve seen on a production tsuka so far.
The wrap alternates as it should and utilizes paper hishigami (paper wedges under the wrap). The diamonds are small but that makes sense given the smaller tsuka size. They are fairly even and relatively neat and with minimal bunching or variation.
The end knots are positioned on the correct sides of the tsuka but do not appear to be recessed, though they do not sit very tall so are not terribly obtrusive. I won’t know if the core has carved recesses or not until I unwrap the ito.
The transition of the ito to the fuchi and kashira is level on all sides. There are a few technical mistakes here and there but these are small details I notice because I wrap a lot of tsuka and look for them specifically but they are of no real consequence, functionally speaking.
I do like that they correctly thread the ito through the kashira’s shitodome side by side instead of the incorrect way more commonly seen, one on top of the other. It’s a nice detail to see on a higher end sword.
The cotton ito is soft and comfortable but it gets fuzzy very easily. To be honest, I would have expected and preferred they used silk at this price point but overall, this is a very well done tsukamaki for a production tsuka.
Samegawa
The samegawa is in panel form and are lacquered black. The nodules are very small and there is no oyatsubu or “emperor’s node” present. I would have hoped for better quality panels with larger nodes at this price.
The samegawa is the traditionally used raw air dried variety as opposed to the tanned leather shagreen. It does not seem to be polished traditionally or otherwise, which is something I have yet to see any production katana manufacturer offer.
The panels are snugly inlaid into the wood core’s surface, as they should be and are free of any unsightly stains, falws or glue residue. The panels are sized well so there is no exposed wood in the corners of the hishi and no gap at the fuchi on the ura or omote side or at the kashira on either side.
Fuchi
The fuchi is cast in brass with a Bonji or Siddham script design on both sides. It features a worn copper patina textured finish with black accents in the recesses. The details are crisp and clean with no apparent casting lines or grinding marks. Overall, the subdued and worn in look is nice and might be appealing to those who don’t prefer a lot of bling.
Kashira
The kashira is of the same style and metal as the fuchi and features the same Bonji motif, texture and color scheme. The cast quality is good, without any obvious warping, disfigurement, casting lines or any other major blemishes. The edges of the kashira are rounded and relatively smooth, making them feel more comfortable in hand.
The nicely detailed brass kashira shitodome are separate inserted pieces, as they should be, and are of higher-than-average quality for production fittings. Inserted kashira shitodome are always a nice touch and offer a more finished look.
Menuki
The featured menuki don’t seem to be a matched pair. Typically, the “Vajra” menuki set is supposed to include the Kongosho and the Tokkosho, two different sacred Buddhist objects but this set utilizes only the Kongosho. Having said that, the quality of the pieces are excellent and highly detailed.
They are small and low profile, which works well with the slender and smaller tsuka. They are also positioned properly on the tsuka as well is within the maki.
Seppa
The set of seppa are cast in yellow brass. They feature a scalloped edge design, high polish and fit tightly on the nakago. They are sized appropriately for the smaller than average fuchi and saya koiguchi and look great overall.
Tsuba
The round blackened steel sukashi tsuba features a matching Boni theme to the f&k. The cast tsuba is done well with clean cut outs and fine details, the edges are softened and the black patina looks very natural and not cheaply painted.
The tsuba’s seppa dai is the same size and shape as the seppa, which is a very nice touch. Even though it’s a rather lightweight piece, the steel provides your hands with more than enough strength and protection. The fit is solid with zero movement in any direction.
It features both a kozuka hitsu-ana, and a kogai hitsu-ana and it is positioned correctly, with the kogai hitsu-ana on the omote side, something often incorrectly done on many production tsuba. There are no sharp points or edges, everything has been well rounded out with nothing to catch, cut or irritate your skin.
This tsuba goes perfectly with the koshirae theme and has been executed very well, no complaints at all.
Habaki
The habaki is made of solid cast yellow brass and fits like a glove. It slides on with little pressure and does not move once in place. There are no gaps anywhere, there is no notch on the ha for the ha-machi, which is refreshing to see and the blade’s mune-machi is nestled comfortably in the extended walls at the mune, another feature not seen often enough.
I’m not sure if there’s a separate machi-gane soldered inside or not but if not, they’ve at least carved some sort of ledge for the Ha-machi to rest on, providing protection for this fragile part.
The surface features a horizontal brushed finish. This habaki is quite thick, possibly more so than it needs to be but I don’t really see a downside to extra thickness in this case. There is one tiny area on the omote ha where an extra facet has been ground on but this is hardly noticeable and doesn’t negatively affect it’s functionality.
Saya
The saya is a lightweight wood model, featuring a brown, ko ishime or smooth stone lacquer finish. The paint is applied thinly but it seems fairly durable and the satin finish will help prevent the annoying buildup of fingerprints.
The koiguchi, kurikata and kojiri are all made of black horn. The koiguchi interior is neatly shaped and is properly fitted to the habaki with a friction fit that’s more on the ha and mune than the omote and ura.
The saya is slender and slightly tapered, at least more than average, which is nice to see. There is some very slight saya rattle down toward the kojiri but this is of no concern since the fit at the koiguchi is very secure.
The kurikata is set in tightly with no movement and features two brass shito-dome that are either friction fit or glued into place, either way, there is no movement. The kurikata is tied with a decent quality synthetic silk sageo in black, though it does have some snags. It is tied in a standard presentation knot.
One noticeable issue with this particular saya is that the saya lacquer was not taped off neatly at the base of the kurikata and there is a obvious blemish on one corner as well. It’s not that big of a deal since the sageo covers most of this, at least when kept in this knot. The kojiri end could have been finished a little better too.
Blade
The blade is advertised to be hand forged from crucible steel, which is defined on Wikipedia as:
“Crucible steel is steel made by melting pig iron (cast iron), iron, and sometimes steel, often along with sand, glass, ashes, and other fluxes, in a crucible.”
It features a differential heat treatment using clay to create an authentic hamon and was forged in the well known shinogi-zukuri sugata.
I was not able to find too much information about the original blade this replica was inspired by but according to the photo I have, I can say this replica is very close in many ways, yet very far in others. The blade seems to match the general dimensions well and the overall shape and style of the hamon looks spot on.
A big detail that is clearly missing is the horimono on both sides. I would guess carving matching horimono by hand would be a very expensive addition but I also question how much of a replica this sword is without including such a prominent and important feature like this. I do however think it’s better that they left it out completely rather than resorting to laser or electro etching, which many consider very limited and cheap looking.
The nagasa measures in at 26”, which is on the shorter side as far as modern made shinken go but well within normal standards historically speaking. It is short and narrow but it still has a respectable blade presence and authority in the cut. The style of sori or curvature on this example is koshi sori, where the deepest part of the curve is closer to the habaki. Koshi sori is not seen very often on production katana, most of them favoring the more commonly seen tori sori which is deepest in the middle of the blade.
The blade is perfectly straight and the iori mune runs dead center all the way to the tip of the kissaki.
The shinogi is crisp and well defined and runs unwavering all the way to the yokote and the shinogi-ji and hira-ji are flat and smooth with no rippling, bumps or divots. There are a couple of deeper surface marks on the ura, about 2″ up from the habaki.
Kissaki
The chu kissaki measures in at just 30mm.This kissaki is very well shaped with no unsightly bulges at the mitsukado, overly soft ko-shinogi or wavy fukura.
The yokote is geometric and is very straight, nicely defined, easy to see and matches on both sides. The boshi is well executed and prominent.
Hamon
The hamon on this blade very closely matches the shape of the original and is a combination of a suguha and maybe a bit of gunome or notare and the pattern is very similar on both sides. I think they did a great job replicating this part of the sword.
There is nice activity with visible ko nie and nioi. The habuchi is prominent and even throughout the length.
This hamon was traditionally created by claying the blade, heating to red hot and then quenching in water to create a harder cutting edge and softer spine.
Polish
The polish on this blade is listed as sashikomi, which Usagiya defines as:
“Sashikomi style (the classical style)
Sashikomi is the work to finish the blade with oil what includes fine powder of stone. The blade is not shining like the modern style polishing, but all the appearances come up honestly. This polishing style has been used on good blades for hundreds years.”
Whether this is actually an example of sashikomi polishing or even perhaps a hybrid of traditional and modern methods is up for debate which I’ll leave to those more knowledgeable on this topic than myself. The ji has a more satin appearance while the shinogi, shinogi-ji and mune have a more reflective burnish. The grain pattern of this steel is quite tight and visible, adding some interest to the steel.
The ha is very sharp from the tip of the kissaki to the first few inches above the habaki, which is refered to as the ubu-ha or “virgin edge”. I detected no obvious dull spots or micro nicks.
There are some surface scratches along the blade on both sides but nothing that obscures the visibility of the hamon. I wasn’t expecting perfection for this price, so I found this acceptable. Overall, it’s a decent polish that shows off the hamon and separates this sword from many with lower quality polishing. It’s unfortunate that there are a couple marks, for this price point I can accept the less than perfect polish but the marks shouldn’t be there.
Nakago
The nakago measures about 5″ from the bottom of the habaki. The nakago is also shaped very closely to the original and is free of burrs and includes yasurime. Shadow Dancer describes the nakago shape as
“like the belly of a crucian carp” and claims this is a trait of the Muramasa school. The closest I can compare it to is the Funagata, which is shaped similarly to the bulging bottom of a boat.
It is free and clear of any active red rust and all the edges have been chamfered and smoothed. It features a single mekugi-ana, which is also free of sharp edges or burrs on either side.
The katte sagari yasurime, which is the angled file marks we see on the flats of the nakago, was done neatly. The flat planes are even and clearly defined. The nakago is within approximately 2″ of the end of the tsuka, so is considered full. There is no mei or other writing present on the nakago.
Handling, weight, balance
This is a smaller than average sword and for the most part, it handles like a full size sword more than a small one. The blade has nice presence but it’s not just that the blade is shorter than the typical 28 1/2″ we see most commonly, the furniture and fittings are also smaller or petite, so it can feel a little awkward in a standard two handed grip. Since I have large hands I feel this sword handles more like an O wakizashi than a katana.
With a pob of almost 7″, the blade has authority in the cut and can be a little slow to recover if using one handed. The nagasa is long enough to reach the target without too much overextending and if you’re able to use it with two hands, you can definitely make effective strikes quickly and with some power.
I have dry handled it for a couple of weeks now and have cut a few pool noodles, just to get a feeling for the cutting ability. It’s a little tough on the wrist with one hand due to the pob and after a few cuts, I start to really notice how small the tsuka is since it gets harder to grip the more I swing it. Unfortunately, because of my existing injuries I will not be doing any heavier cutting with this sword, I will leave that to other more able reviewers.
Fit and Finish
Possibly the best feature of this Shadow Dancer katana is the level of quality and attention paid to the construction of the furniture and fitment. After all the years I’ve been collecting and working with production katana, I know that most forges and brands can make or offer a decent to exceptional blade, it’s usually the rest of the sword that falls short.
This brand so far has shown they use better than average materials, possess better than average skills and do a much better than average job putting it all together. Sure, there are a handful of cosmetic issues here and there but the “bones” are good, so to speak and overall, they produce a well made sword that looks and feels great.
Pros
Impressive polish and well-defined geometry
Excellent fit & finish
Excellent quality fittings
Well-shaped tsuka
Quality cotton ito
Great fitting habaki
Good fit in saya
Dimensions and hamon style match original well
Cons
Missing horimono
Petite size
Light scratches and some deeper marks on blade
Miss-matched menuki set
Thin paint on saya/unfinished spots
No sword bag
Final thoughts and opinions
Overall, I’m impressed with the Muramasa Replica from Shadow Dancer Swords. It has checked off several important boxes for me, from the blade’s crisp lines and polish to the solid fit & finish and general good craftsmanship of the furniture. I personally look at most production swords with the intent of eventually modifying them so furniture quality is something I appreciate, along with a well fitted habaki and of course, a blade I feel is worth building on. I think this sword has these qualities.
The fact that it’s missing the most recognizable feature of it’s inspiration is a little disappointing but understandable for the price. Since the original blade is shown without any mounts, it’s very difficult to say whether or not the koshirae and tsuka on the replica are historically accurate. I know that tsuka from many antique katana are smaller than what we’re used to seeing on modern swords, especially production swords but again, I really have no way of confirming if these are the proportions it would have been.
I do appreciate the attention to detail when it comes to the blade shape, hamon and nakago.
At the $800 price point, I feel this sword is a little expensive, mainly because as a display piece it’s missing the horimono and as a functional sword it falls into an in between size category that can feel a bit awkward to use. And again, not having any records of it’s original mountings, this area remains in question.
I feel that most of the swords I’ve seen from Shadow Dancer are made well and excel in the fit & finish department and this example is no different. For those that appreciate this level of workmanship, this sword is sure to please. I am hoping to review more examples of Shadow Dancer katana since I feel they could offer something different to the flooded market, especially in the lower price range where most other brands fall so short on good furniture, fittings and craftsmanship.
I would like to see silk ito and a properly matched set of menuki on a $800 katana but as I mentioned, the tsukamaki is super tight and neatly done and at least they did use a decent quality ito instead of the typical synthetic silk. A samegawa upgrade would have been a nice touch and really finished off the tsuka’s aesthetics.
I haven’t seen too much cutting done with Shadow Dancer swords but after fully inspecting this model inside and out, I have no doubt it could handle more than pool noodles. The blade is very sharp, the hamon is executed well, the geometry is good and the furniture fits like a glove and is made of quality materials so there is really no reason for me to think it would fail under normal use cutting normal targets.