Proper way to disassemble a Katana

[mayshubby]

I can’t find anything on this but i ended up damaging my kashira and I was wondering how to take it off and replace it(was plastic now replacing with metal yes it is authentic except the one part oddly enough)

[552joker]

Hi, I would like to know if you know what kind of katana I have. It kind of looks like your first one? The dragon on the hilt is in the same spot, but the hilt is kind of square, and the sheath has I believe two japanese markings on one side. It's not the one you have, because mine has a couple hole shaped in its hilt. Please, if you know tell me.

[unikornbutt]

what is that hammer you have called??

[TheZombieDecimator]

please help me what side do i hammer the mekugi out? and how do you get the mekugi out in like five little hits? I have hit the mekugi like 50 times!

[Intruder74]

@TheZombieDecimator Make sure you hit it from the side where it's smallest.

[markstanley149]

I used the swordsofmight video and now my brass hammer is stuck in the pin and still on the handle :( HELPPPPP!!! :(

[VANDD4621]

what about a military Katana? where the pins are a screw with a cap to them

[icyberia]

@VANDD4621 I dont know I've never owned one. But I would assume once the pin is out it's the same process.

[trialsrider001]

you should send this video to swordsofmight.they use a hammer and beat it apart

[icyberia]

@trialsrider001 well sometimes that is necessary. often times in low end production katana the tsuka are not made to fit, they are made to an approximate size then hammered on. But I'm sure they've seen my video.

[TheMavking]

Thank you so much I used the footr technique to get mine out it was stuck bad.

[SakamaruNetoi]

Firstly, beautiful blades you have there. Secondly, I really have to thank you. I had kinda figured out how to disassemble them myself, but this really cleared up some questions I had, like whether any part of the tsuba needed to be dissambled to take out the blade. Thank you so much!

[DanTheShotokanKid]

what is the purpose of katana disassembly

[walatalalaw]

@DanTheShotokanKid maintenance

[gnulen]

got the mekugi out. but the sword wont disassemble from there ? the hitting on the hans thing, did´nt help.. ?

[icyberia]

@gnulen some cheaper production katana are glued together, like the older Hanwei Practical Katana

[CYBERB0X]

@icyberia Well then how do you take apart the practical one?

[mr3shootr]

@icyberia So how do you disassemble it if it is glued together?

[TheStpatricksday]

@gnulen keep watching he says how

[111wwwfff]

I thought it was a good vid. I took apart my no-dachi, first time I ever disassembled a sword, after watching this. It was a little tight, but came undone and put back together well. 

[quintonbob]

i cant get my handle off >.< ive hit my so many times and so hard that my hands are covered in bruises haha this sucks

[solotc]

Lol I just watched that swords of might guy. I didn't like how he was going about it either

[weloveyoudimebag]

work on your pronunciation man

[arubian06]

the mekugi on my sword does not even want to come out no matter how much i hammer it,any advice?

[icyberia]

@arubian06 if it's not moving it may be glued in place. Do some internet research on the make and model of your sword and see what you can find.

[bradatfema]

Well done young man. Very helpful,and informative. Simple and effective. Where did you receive your training?

[icyberia]

@bradatfema specifically on disassembling a katana? I honestly can't remember, I know it must have been a documentary on nat-geo or discovery a long time ago.

[RockstarDrift]

Great video! I have a question tho. I own a hanwei practical katana and I can't find the second pin... Any advice?

[icyberia]

there isn't one on the practical, and if it's an older model with a steel makugi pin then dont bother because the tsuba is epoxied on.

[JadeMSuicide]

@RockstarDrift i saw one where he a guy said use some really good chop sticks and shave em down or sand them

[Shmotz23]

the tsuba is loose on my katana and no matter what i do i can't get the handle off

[yamimatsuy]

how would you fix your sword when your bakugi(i think thats how it was pronounced) becomes loose?

[icyberia]

@yamimatsuy I dont which part your talking about.

[bentenren]

do you mean mekugi?

[yamimatsuy]

probably lol its the little wooden pin that holds the sword in the hilt, and i found out the solution after getting my first katana. you just need to get a new pair of them to fix it lol.

[bentenren]

yes its called mekugi not bakugi. i like swords but guns are 10 times better

[linkfanatic13579]

where can i get the meguki hammer?

[icyberia]

check out bugei, there $12 + shipping

[Sergheill]

with any sword maintenance kit, a lot of swords are sold with it as an extra, though, so I guess yours didn't... but just ask the guy you bought it to and you should be able to find one

[linkfanatic13579]

@Sergheill lmao I didn't get one yet and didn't look close enough to notice that ut comes with it XD

[Sergheill]

LOL! You're a funny guy, I like you!

[Zero0050]

Well, thanks for the information! I'm expecting to get my Masahiro White Shadow katana in the mail later this week, so I'll definitely be using your disassembling and reassembling technique when I clean it

[icyberia]

cool! keep in mind you only need to fully dissemble every once in a while to check the tsuka for damage. make sure you at least dissemble when you get it to make sure the tsuka is not cracked.

[juggalo128]

i have a cheness sword and i cant get the damn thing out of its tsuka its so tight after 3 days of trying i just gave up i cant get it out do u have any suggestions that could help?

[Volrath3316]

i had the same prob with you. I put a cloth around the guard and hit it for some times with my hammer lightly to try and unstuck it. After some tries i did it.

[ninjasixsixsix]

Nice video man thx

[BalorCM2]

Thats how i had to get my DF apart

[Brittaintrail]

Awesome... This will be really helpful for a noob like me.

[RobbyDoom]

Trust me man, it's Jonis. Go watch the video. Note the tattoos, skin colour, demeanor, ect. Oh yeah, it's the J man!!!!

[icyberia]

well I didnt want to call him out on the unsafe way in which he dissembled that sword.

[RobbyDoom]

No worries. I was just pointing out that it was Jonis. :)

[RobbyDoom]

Wasn't it Jonis that made that video...ha ha!!! ;)

[icyberia]

that hasnt been confirmed... :-P

[TerraFirma369]

Good video, Hiroshi! These are production swords. so I find these techniques to be sufficiently proper. I enjoyed it! Have a good one, man! Peace.

[MarshmallowMasta]

If the tsuka is too tight you do NOT put any pressure on the tsuba!!!! You need to buy/make a special wooden tool that fits onto the spine of the blade, and it slide down onto the center of the tsuba so that you can use a wooden mallet to hammer the tsuka off.

Putting your feet on the tsuba will possibly bend the tsuba, perhaps kill your floor when the blade jettisons out of the tsuka and could break you tsuka.

[MarshmallowMasta]

As for filing the Nakago, you should file the inside of the Tsuka instead, Tsuka can be remade, your Nakago cannot.

[icyberia]

thanks for your honest opinion marsh, true it can be dangerous to use the "feet on tsuba" technique but if the tsuka is on hard enough that the tsuba might bend/break then I think its obvious this technique in not the one for that sword.

as for filing the nakago in this case I believe was the best thing to do, for a cheap production blade and for someone who cant afford/doesn't have the skill to rewrap the ito filing the nakago works.

[RobbyDoom]

Wow triple M, you're a pretty negative person eh?? A bit of a dick.

[MarshmallowMasta]

YesI guess I am. But I don't see how this is negative so much as trying to help prevent people from hurting themselves or possibly breaking their katana.

[icyberia]

I dont think its negative but marsh has some good points, but there are many shaded of gray here.

[TerraFirma369]

True that, Hiroshi! Peace.