Yojimbo

[satori]

I saw the prototype for the Yojimbo knife designed by Mike Janich during the MBC class. What can we do to make Spyderco put the "Yojimbo" project on the fast track to get it out sooner than later?

[sal]

Hi Satori. Customer support is always good. We're working on a prototype now.

sal

[satori]

Sal; You can count on me on buy two sets ( Live Blade and trainer) as soon as they come out. A lot of the guys during the last MBC class wanted them too. And a bunch of my friends wanted the knife after I described the design to them, when it comes out also. Thanks

[Colinz]

Satori,
Now I guess you got more than one person (me) curious.

Yojimbo, a very good movie and now a very good blade? Tell us what did it look like? G-10 scales? Spearpoint, clip-point or what? Double liners in Ti or SS? Length of blade? Overall length? Traditional V-grind, convex/hollowgrind? Steeltype?

Tell us, please,
/Colinz

[Michael Janich]

Dear Colinz:

Probably the best way to describe the knife is to have you take a look at a very similar design in a fixed-blade neck knife format. It's called the Ronin and can be seen on Mike Snody's web site at this link, http://www.snodyknives.com/MS_Knives_Mvc-004f.htm. Imagine a Ronin blade with a G-10 handle, nested liners, compression lock, and extended butt for striking/pressure-point use and you'll have a pretty good idea of what I'm thinking of.

By the way, thanks for understanding the connection of the name with the movie. I guess we chanbara (samurai film) fans are a rarer breed than I thought. The name means "bodyguard" and I thought had a nice sound to it. Any opinions out there???

Stay safe,

[Colinz]

Thanks for the info. Yojimbo - have it on VHS <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> together with some other B/W Kurosawa classics.

Interesting knife. The blade looks a little like a Szabo KerUUK. Would be cool with a blade that can be used in a reverse grip, cutting edge forward... will it be like that?

BTW didn´t know that samurai films were called chanbara, you learn something new every day.

/Colinz

[Michael Janich]

Dear Colinz:

I'm glad you like the design.

Yes, it will work in reverse grip with the edge forward (my preferred reverse-grip method). In fact, the blade shape produces better cuts than traditional designs when cammed forward from the wrist because the cutting edge does not run parallel to the arc of motion.

Stay safe,


mike j

[Gatekeeper]

Where can I aquire a look at this new project. A fellow forumite told me I should check it out.
Gatekeeper

[Michael Janich]

Dear Gatekeeper:

Right now the closest "look" you can get is its fixed-blade cousin, the Ronin. The link for a photo of this is referenced in my 27 August post above. As soon as there's more to offer, we'll be sure to share it.

Thanks for your interest.

Stay safe,

[Carlos]

A couple of questions on the Ronin/Yojimbo design:

1. How come you've opted to go for the Wharncliffe-like low point? Most "martial" knives seem to favour a centered point.

2. Why have you chosen to use a straight edge with no belly? Advantages/disadvantages?

[Michael Janich]

Dear Carlos:

Thanks for your questions.

I chose the Wharncliffe point after watching James Keating demonstrate the mechanics of the Bowie back cut at last year's Riddle of Steel and reading Bill Bagwell's explanation of the same topic. I was also greatly influenced by some extensive live-blade testing I did of Spyderco's Centofante designs.

I used to believe the conventional wisdom that a martial knife needed a blade with belly to cut effectively without snagging. However, once you examine the mechanics of the arc of your arm during a cut and compare them with the angle of the belly of the blade, you'll realize that once you hit the belly, you are no longer applying forward pressure into the cut. The belly really only works when the knife is held with the wrist cranked forward in a traditional saber grip - something that I don't do and purposely advise against (unless you actually have a saber or a very large knife).

The Wharncliffe point, combined with the natural wrist angle of a Filipino-style grip, applies forward pressure throughout the cutting stroke because the cutting edge never runs parallel to the arc of the arm. With good edge geometry, the point can remain strong and cut with very little drag and almost no tearing.

Although the point of the knife appears to be far off center, the handle is shaped so that the point centers on the vector of the hand during a thrust.

In reverse grip, the Wharncliffe blade profile also allows maximum cutting efficiency when the wrist is cammed during the cutting stroke - an action that also usually produces the same parallel arc/lack of pressure experienced with standard grip cuts.

The straight edge was chosen to make sharpening easier since the angle of the edge to the sharpening device remains constant and is not affected by any curves of the blade. This is especially true for folks who sharpen on stones.

The bottom line with this design is that I want the cutting power to go all the way to the tip, maximizing the effect of a small defensive knife.

I hope this answers your questions. Thanks again for asking.

Stay safe,

mike j

[Carlos]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the thorough explanation! Obviously a well thought out and tested design.

Do you know what blade length the Yojimbo will have? 3" like the Ronin?

[Michael Janich]

Dear Carlos:

Yes, 3 inches is the intended length. In my opinion, that's a great compromise between a practical maximum and an effective minimum.

Stay safe,

mike j

[Carlos]

Thanks again.

[satori]

Any news on the progress of getting the Yojimbo out to production yet?

[sal]

We're just prototyping now, so it will still be a while. R&D works on many projects at the same time.

sal

[satori]

Sal; Thanks for the update!