Yasaka Musashi

An amazing product for the price! It has good quality cypress wood with the classic long head and handle. This blade is perfect for all-around and offensive play.

I used this blade for about 5 years with Acuda S3. I remember having good control and touch with this setup. I could also finish the point both at and away from the table.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a well-balanced J-pen.

My first ever table tennis blade. I used to use tons of speed glue with either Midshid or Mark V GPS. Nowadays, I use a Calibra LT Plus.

The blade has a really high throw, which makes blocks tricky. However, I think it excels at doing loop drives.

The blade is of high quality. After many years, it still looks like new.

This blade is like an offensive Japanese penhold version of the Extra blade, making it extremely balanced. It offers good control, a soft feel for touch shots, and some flex for creating loops. It’s a solid choice for loopers and drivers who want to dominate their opponents on the court.

This is a fantastic Japanese penhold blade, not even in regard to price.

Quality: Yasaka has made yet another great product with amazing quality and yet still a low price. Amongst Japanese penholders, a blade is treated like a treasure - every high quality 1-ply hinoki jpen is unique and a beauty to look at, and this blade is no different. Now, because I have only one Yasaka Musashi, I cannot say how the quality of the wood varies from blade to blade, but the one I received had a surprisingly high quality. The grains were straight and very tight. The hinoki itself had a nice even color, and it had an “eye” on one side of the blade. The blade had a black backside and the cork handle was of equally good quality.

Playing characteristics: Once I sanded the jpen and began playing, I was yet again surprised. I put a sheet of Gambler Outlaw (2.2mm red) on the blade and the set-up was fast, yet controllable. Even at 9mm and 80 some grams, the blade was fast, with minimal vibrations. I had no problem maintaining high speed rallies far away from the table. However, this 9mm jpen still has plenty of control. Close to the table and with backhand blocks, the blade felt very easy to maneuver and control. Because of the softness of the single-ply wood, the blade has an amazing feel that allows for pin-point precision on pushes and returns of serve, along with the serve itself. Backhand drives with the blade were also easy and fast. In addition, smashing felt great and the few opportunities I had of fishing with the blade, the feel definitely remained, even at much longer distances. Above all, paired with a light rubber, this blade remains extremely maneuverable, making transitions from forehand to backhand a snap.

Overall, the Yasaka Musashi is a great deal. Even being one of the cheapest single-ply hinoki jpens, this blade is up there with the best along the lines of quality. There are much more expensive 9mm jpens that the Musashi can proudly rival. If a player is lucky and receives a Musashi with higher quality hinoki, he/she will have a jpen that can remain with them for years and years to come. Also, because the blade is controllable, it is a perfect jpen for beginners or players just switching to the Japanese penhold style. Outside of say, Korea or Japan, there are not too many people playing a Japanese penhold style, compared to all the shakehanders. Here, Yasaka offers a great deal for anyone who has ever had an interest in the particular style. The mix of price and quality is unbeatable, so if you have ever wanted to play the Japanese penhold style, this blade is well worth trying.

I think this blade is underpriced. It’s 9mm thick and made of one piece Hinoki Wood. I can’t believe it only costs $40 and has really high quality compared to Butterfly’s! I would totally buy a spare one.

It’s an excellent Japanese penhold blade for the price and quality. It’s fast enough for long distance smash with a good rubber!