What the heck is a o-hi?
Some of the Cheness swords come with the option to select either a ‘solid bodied’ blade or a blade ‘with bo-hi’. A bo-hi is essentially a fuller or groove that runs down the length of the blade, lightening it and changing the balance point to make it a bit faster and easier to wield. A by product of a Katana with bo-hi is that it makes a great ‘Tachi-Kaze’ (sword-wind-sound) when it swings through the air, giving some nice feedback on the angle and speed of your cut. The structure of the bo-hi is such that it minimizes any loss of durability, acting much like an ‘I-beam’ as used in the construction industry – and with the 9260 Monosteel Katana, it is something of a mute point (these swords are so darned tough with or without, it makes almost no difference to its durability). At the end of the day – if you want a real ‘choppper’, select the solid bodied blade. For a sword with a little more finesse, go with the bo-hi.
