Ronin's dojo pro line of samurai swords is currently the largest Japanese sword line in the world.  Each bears a unique tsuba which is based on an actual Japanese antique.  This line of swords is extensively tested every year, with videos of the tests published on youtube having received millions of views.  They have destroyed over $10,000 in swords to help educate us as to what we can expect of their blades. 

This is part of a line of blades based on the Dotanuki style of sword-smithing. These are swords with thick, powerful cutting blades that were so brutally effective that the style was actually banned during the peaceful Edo period of Japanese history! Dotanuki Swords aka Torso Cutters, are battlefield Katana with exceptionally effective cutting blades.

Historically these were no nonsense blades favored by battle hardened warriors during the civil wars of the Sengoku Jidai, and in peace time had they had a viscous reputation for raw cutting power that caused them to be outlawed under the Tokugawa Shogunate. 

The name Dotanuki is often translated as a 'torso cutter' i.e. can literally bisect someone clean in half at the thickest portion of the torso, the #1 cut, often performed on the condemned to test the blade. The name actually traces its origins to a village in Higo province where the original founder of this sword making style, Oyama Kozuke no Suke, was born and operated his forge from. 

His swords, and all the others in the same style made by other smiths that followed were noted for an aggressive forward balance and thick, wide blade with a wide motohaba (the blade width at the habaki) to generate cutting power far beyond your regular shinogi zukuri Katana. 

In addition to cutting power - they also had a very thick kissaki (tip) that swelled at the yokote to give it extra strength when attempting to pierce armor and could often puncture a hole where other blades would be turned aside.

This style was largely forgotten, until the 1970's when it was popularized by the manga, and later the TV series (and movie) Lone Wolf and Cub, where it was the hunted Ronin outlaw protagonists weapon of choice.

Ogami Ittō and his infant son Daigorō first introduced the Dotanuki Katana to the West 

To quote wikipedia.. 

Dotanuki swords quickly gained great popularity among the warrior class due to their superior cutting ability. The Dotanuki smiths cared little for aesthetics, but instead focused on strength, sharpness, and durability in the field. They were renowned for producing blades which would endure the harshest conditions, the most difficult battle field situations and survive to return to battle day after day, year after year. - Wikipedia

We wholeheartedly agree with their claims of producing safe and reliable workhorse swords that are welcome in dojos worldwide.  Ronin is a global brand with retailers based in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

The Specs;

Steel: Through hardened 1060 steel samurai sword

Saya: Hand cut and polished buffalo horn Kurikata, Koguchi and Kojiri.

Weight: 2.65 pounds

Point of Balance: 4 3/4 - 5 inches

Length in saya: 44 inches

Tsuka: 11 inches

Blade: 30 inches

Habaki to tip: 29 inches

Ito: Silk

Sageo: Synthetic silk

Fuchi: Blackened iron

Kashira: Blackened iron

Menuki: Brass Oni

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Although no longer published in the description of this sword, which is still in their catalog, priced at $335.00, we read and were told that the makers had successfully invoked the spirits of Oni into these blades during the forge.  This is what caused Uncle Waddy to buy them.

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Oni
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for the most part...

 An oni is a kind of yokai, demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore.  Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism.  Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess intriguingly complex aspects that cannot be brushed away simply as evil.  They are typically portrayed as hulking figures with one or more horns growing out of their heads.  Stereotypically, they are conceived of as red, blue, black, yellow, or white-colored, wearing loincloths of tiger pelt, and carrying iron kanabo clubs.  They are creatures which instill fear and feelings of danger due to their grotesque outward appearance, their wild and sometimes strange behavior and their powers.

They are popular characters in Japanese art, literature, and theater and appear as stock villains in the well-known fairy tales of Momotaro (Peach Boy), Issun-boshi, and Kobutori Jisan.  Although Oni have been described as frightening creatures, they have become tamer in modern culture as people tell less frightening stories about them like Oni Mask and Red Oni Who Cried.

Shuten-doji has been regarded as the most famous and strongest oni in Japan. The legend of Shuten-doji has been described since the 14th century in various arts, traditional performing arts and literature such as emakimono, joruri, noh and kabuki.  The tachi (Japanese long sword) "Dojigiri" with which Minamoto no Yorimitsu decapitated Shuten-doji' in the legend is now designated as a National Treasure and one of the Tenka-Goken (Five Greatest Swords Under Heaven).

Description

Depictions of yokai oni vary widely but usually portray them as hideous, gigantic ogre-like creatures with a single horn or multiple horns emerging from their heads, with sharp claws, wild hair, and fang-like tusks.

They are often depicted wearing tiger-skin loincloths and carrying iron clubs called kanabo.  This image leads to the expression "oni with an iron club" (oni-ni-kanabo), that is, to be invincible or undefeatable.

Their skin may have various colors, but red, blue, and green are particularly common.  They may sometimes also be depicted as black-skinned, or yellow-skinned.

They may occasionally be depicted with a third eye on their forehead, or extra fingers and toes.

They are predominantly male but can be female.  Females becoming oni has been attributed to them being overcome with grief or jealousy.

Oni can come in many different sizes ranging in both weight and height.

Origins

An old etymology for "oni" is that the word derives from on, the on'yomi reading of a character meaning "to hide or conceal" due to oni having the tendency of "hiding behind things, not wishing to appear."  This explanation is found in the 10th century dictionary Wamyosho, which reveals that the oni at the time had a different meaning, defined as "a soul/spirit of the dead".

The character for oni in Chinese also means a dead or ancestral spirit, and not necessarily an evil specter.  Accordingly, Chinese (Taoist) origins for the concept of oni have been proposed.  Particularly powerful oni may be described as kishin or kijin (literally "oni god"; the "ki" is an alternate character reading of "oni"), a term used in Japanese Buddhism to refer to Wrathful Deities.

The oni was syncretized with Hindu-Buddhist creatures such as the man-devouring yaksha and the rakshasa, and became the oni who tormented sinners as wardens of Hell (Jigoku), administering sentences passed down by Hell's magistrate, King Yama (Enma Daio).  The hungry ghosts called gaki have also been sometimes considered a type of oni (the Kanji for "ki" is also read "oni").  Accordingly, a wicked soul beyond rehabilitation transforms into an oni after death.  Only the very worst people turn into oni while alive, and these are the oni causing troubles among humans as presented in folk tales.

Some scholars have even argued that the oni was entirely a concept of Buddhist mythology.

Oni bring calamities to the land, bringing about war, plague/illness, earthquakes, and eclipses.  They have the destructive power of lightning and thunder, which terrifies people through their auditory and visual effects.

Oni have a massive appetite for human flesh and can eat a person in a single gulp.  They are said to suck in a human's vital energy and devour their flesh.  Oni are capable of transforming into both male and female forms at will, and can change from their grotesque form to a handsome man so that they can gain the trust of their victim.

Demon Gate

According to Chinese Taoism and esoteric Onmyodo, the ways of yin and yang, the northeasterly direction is termed the kimon ("demon gate") and considered an unlucky direction through which evil spirits passed.  Based on the assignment of the twelve zodiac animals to the cardinal directions, the kimon was also known as the ushitora, or "Ox Tiger" direction.  One hypothesis is that the oni's bovine horns and tiger-skin loincloth developed as a visual depiction of this term.

Temples are often built facing that direction, for example, Enryaku-ji was deliberately built on Mount Hiei which was in the kimon (northeasterly) direction from Kyoto in order to guard the capital, and similarly Kan'ei-ji was built towards that direction from Edo Castle.

However, skeptics doubt this could have been the initial design of Enryaku-ji temple, since the temple was founded in 788, six years before Kyoto even existed as a capital, and if the ruling class were so feng shui-minded, the subsequent northeasterly move of the capital from Nagaoka-kyo to Kyoto would have certainly been taboo.

Japanese buildings may sometimes have L-shaped indentations at the northeast to ward against oni.  For example, the walls surrounding the Kyoto Imperial Palace have notched corners in that direction.

Traditional Culture

The traditional bean-throwing custom to drive out oni is practiced during Setsubun festival in February.  It involves people casting roasted soybeans indoors or out of their homes and shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Oni go out! Blessings come in!"), preferably by a strong wrestler.  This custom has grown from the medieval ritual of tsuina or oni-yarai, a year-end rite to drive away oni (ghosts).

Regionally around Tottori Prefecture during this season, a charm made of holly leaves and dried sardine heads are used as a guard against oni.

There is also a well-known game in Japan called oni gokko, which is the same as the game of tag that children in the Western world play.  The player who is "it" is instead called the "oni".

Oni are featured in Japanese children's stories such as Momotaro (Peach Boy), Issun-boshi, and Kobutori Jisan.

Modern Times

In more recent times, oni have lost some of their original wickedness and sometimes take on a more protective function.  Men in oni costumes often lead Japanese parades to dispel any bad luck, for example.

Japanese buildings sometimes include oni-faced roof tiles called onigawara, which are thought to ward away bad luck, much like gargoyles in Western tradition.

Many Japanese idioms and proverbs also make reference to oni.  For example, the expression "Oya ni ninu ko wa oni no ko" (Translation: "A child that does not resemble its parents is the child of an oni.") may be used by a parent to chastise a misbehaving child.

They can be used in stories to frighten children into obeying because of their grotesque appearance, savage demeanor, as well as how they can eat people in a single gulp.

Stories

Momotaro, the Peach Boy, is a well-known story about an elderly couple having the misfortune of never being able to conceive a child, but they find a giant peach that miraculously gives them a boy as their child.  As the boy grows, he is made aware of an island of demons where the people are captured and, after their money is taken, kept as slaves and a source of food.  Momotaro sets out to travel to the island with some cakes specially made for him, and while on his journey, he meets a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant who partner up with him to defeat the demons on the island, and once the demons have been taken out they recover the treasures and return them to the rightful owners.  Momotaro and his companions, after accomplishing their goal, all return to their respective homes.

Oni Mask is a story where a young girl goes off to work at a ladies' house to make money for her ailing mother.  She talks to a mask of her mother's face once she is done with her work to comfort herself.  One day, the curious coworkers see the mask and decide to prank her by putting on an oni mask to replace the mother's mask.  Seeing the Oni mask, she takes it as a sign that her mother is worse and not getting better, so she leaves after alerting her boss.  After trying to run to her mother's side, she is sidetracked by some men gambling by a campfire.  The men catch her and ignore her pleas to let her go to her mother and instead make her watch the fire so it does not go out during the game.  While she is stoking the fire, she decides to put on the Oni mask to protect her from the flames.  At that moment, the men see only a brightly lit Oni through the red glowing flames and, terrified, run away without gathering their money.  The girl, after having made sure the fire would not go out, gathers the money, and waits for the men to return for it, but as time grows, she remembers she was going to see her mother and runs to her mother.  While she is at home, she sees her mother is healthier than before, and because of the money the gamblers left behind, she has enough to take care of her without going back to work at the ladies' house.

Red Oni Who Cried is a story of two oni, one red the other blue.  The red one wants to befriend humankind, but they are afraid of it, making the red oni cry.  Knowing what the red oni wants, the blue oni devises a plan to make himself the villain by attacking the houses of the humans and allowing the red oni to save the humans from the blue oni, making the red oni a hero to the humans' eyes.  After the humans see the red oni protect them from the blue oni, they determine that the red one is a good oni whom they would like to be friends with, which is what the red one wanted.  Seeing this exchange, the blue oni decides to leave so as not to cause any misunderstanding with the humans.  When the red oni decides to go home to his friend the blue oni, he notices that the blue oni is gone and realizes what the blue oni has done for him and cries from being touched by the blue oni's thoughtfulness and wonderful friendship.

The Oni of Japanese folklore and legends are hugely varied in appearance's but are usually portrayed as terrifying ogre like creatures with horns emerging from their heads, sharp claws, huge teeth and wild unkempt hair.

Sometimes worn along with their Hannya mask counterparts in Noh theatre, Kabuki performances and plays the Hannya and Oni mask were frequently used during the Japanese sengoku (warring states) period.

Its influence is reflected in Japanese Samurai armour by way of the Oni / Hannya becoming a design choice for many Menpo masks (face cheek armour) among Samurai warriors of the time.  Having a mask (Menpo) designed to strike fear into men on the battlefield is surely advantageous in securing victory.  It is a sign of strength and prestige for the individual as Samurai Armour was not cheap.

In modern Japan the Hannya which was originally designed to represent a "jealous and malevolent female spirit" and the Oni Masks originally representing "Evil demons" or Oni possessive spirits which are now mostly used for festivals and to "Guard" or protect against said spirits.

Much like Gargoyles in the west, their function is now more so as protective Guardians, both for the household/businesses and oneself.

This oni menpo was custom made for us on a 3D printer and skillfully painted from original imagery.

It is a full size wearable menpo with foam padding and elastic strap.

It measures approximately 6 5/8" x 6" x 4 1/4".

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Maintenance Kit, Sword Bag and Stand

The box from the maintenance kit is an old, handmade bamboo box that was restored by Uncle Waddy about 10 years ago.  It has 20 coats of hand applied tung oil that was sanded between coats. 

This is a traditional, full size Japanese sword cleaning kit which includes an all new mekugi-nuki, an uchiko ball, sword oil, cleaning cloth, and small storage container for storing Oiled cloth

A must have for all serious sword collectors.

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The red and black silk sword bag and black painted wood single sword stand are all included here at no extra charge,

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Onmyodo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 Onmyodo also In'yodo, 'The Way of Yin and Yang' is a system of natural science, astronomy, almanac, divination and magic that developed independently in Japan based on the Chinese philosophies of yin and yang and wuxing (five elements).  The philosophy of yin and yang and wu xing was introduced to Japan at the beginning of the 6th century, and influenced by Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, evolved into the earliest system of Onmyodo around the late 7th century.  In 701, the Taiho Code established the departments and posts of onmyoji who practiced Onmyodo in the Imperial Court, and Onmyodo was institutionalized.  From around the 9th century during the Heian period, Onmyodo interacted with Shinto and Goryo worship in Japan, and developed into a system unique to Japan.  Abe no Seimei, who was active during Heian period, is the most famous onmyoji (Onmyodo practitioner) in Japanese history and has appeared in various Japanese literature in later years.  Onmyodo was under the control of the imperial government, and later its courtiers, the Tsuchimikado family, until the middle of the 19th century, at which point it became prohibited as superstition.

In the 5th and 6th centuries, the principles of yin-yang and the Five Elements were transmitted to Japan from China and Baekje along with Buddhism and Confucianism, particularly by the obscure Korean monk Gwalleuk.  Yin-yang and the Five Elements, as well as the divisions of learning to which they were linked – astronomy, calendar-making, the reckoning of time, divination, and studies based on observation of nature – were amalgamated into fortune telling.  This process of judging auspicious or harmful signs present in the natural world, was accepted into Japanese society as a technique for predicting good or bad fortune in the human world.  Such techniques were known mostly by Buddhist monks from mainland Asia, who were knowledgeable in reading and writing Chinese.  Over time, demand from members of the imperial court who believed that Onmyodo divination would be helpful in decision-making, made it necessary for the laity to perform the art, and onmyoji began to appear around the middle of the 7th century. Under the Taiho Code enacted in the early 8th century, the departments of the Imperial Court to which onmyoji belonged were defined by law.

 From around the 9th century during the Heian period, Onmyodo interacted with Shinto and Goryo worship in Japan, and developed into a system unique to Japan.  Until then, Onmyodo emphasized divination for policy decisions by high government officials, but since the Heian period, Onmyodo has emphasized magic and religious services such as warding off evil for preventing natural disasters and epidemics and for the productiveness of grain, as well as curses against opponents.  Because Shinto places importance on 'purity' Shinto priests were required to perform misogi (ritual purification) and fast before performing these religious services, so their activities were restricted.  On the other hand, since onmyoji did not have to perform misogi or fast, they were able to deal with kegare (uncleanness) more easily, and they expanded their activities beyond the support of Shinto priests.  It gradually spread from the Imperial Court to the general public.  In the 10th century Kamo no Tadayuki and his son Kamo no Yasunori, made great advancements in Onmyodo, astronomy and calendar science.  From among their students emerged Abe no Seimei, who displayed superior skills in the divining arts of Onmyodo, by which he gained an uncommon amount of trust from the court society.  Tadayuki and Yasunori passed on their skills in astronomy to Seimei while their advances in calendar-making went to Yasunori's son.  From the end of the Heian period into the Middle Ages, astronomy and calendar science were completely subsumed into Onmyodo, and the Abe and Kamo families came to dominate the art in the Imperial Court.

Onmyoji
Further information: Onmyoji

 Onmyoji, also In'yoji, was one of the classifications of civil servants belonging to the Bureau of Onmyo in ancient Japan's ritsuryo system.  People with this title were professional practitioners of Onmyodo.

 Onmyoji were specialists in magic and divination.  Their court responsibilities ranged from tasks such as keeping track of the calendar, to mystical duties such as divination and protection of the capital from evil spirits.  They could divine auspicious or harmful influences in the earth, and were instrumental in the moving of capitals.  It is said that an onmyoji could also summon and control shikigami (small ghost kami).  During the Heian period the nobility organized their lives around practices recommended by onmyoji.  The practice of "lucky and unlucky directions" provides an example.  Depending on the season, time of day, and other circumstances, a particular direction might be bad luck for an individual.  If one's house was located in that direction, such an individual was advised not to go back directly to his house but had to "change direction" (katatagae), by going in a different direction and lodging there.  Such a person would not dare to go in the forbidden direction, but stayed where they were, even if that resulted in absence from the court, or passing up invitations from influential people.

Famous onmyoji include Kamo no Yasunori and Abe no Seimei (921–1005). After Seimei's death, the Emperor Ichijo had a shrine erected at his home in Kyoto.

Onmyoji had political clout during the Heian period, but in later times when the imperial court fell into decline, their state patronage was lost completely.  In modern-day Japan onmyoji are defined as a type of priest, and although there are many who claim to be mediums and spiritualists, the onmyoji continues to be a hallmark occult figure.

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