Weight
100g
Thickness
8.8mm
Plies
1-ply
Handles
FL / ST
Material
AllWood
Head Shape
Custom
Balance
Balanced
Katsura
Yasaka Katsura delivers a unique playing experience through its single-ply construction from Katsura wood. This blade is renowned for its remarkable stiffness and hardness, offering a solid, direct feel that appeals to players who dislike flex. It excels in aggressive play, particularly with pimples-out rubbers, providing powerful, fast shots. With a well-finished appearance and a reasonable price, it's a specialized, high-quality choice for players seeking a distinct, hard-hitting blade.
Yasaka Katsura features a single-ply construction made entirely from Katsura wood. This minimalist design is responsible for its characteristic stiffness and hardness, providing a direct feel and fast ball transmission for offensive play.
TT Sensei Ratings
✦Our expert analysis of this blade's performance characteristics
Yasaka Katsura is rated highly for speed, with its inherent stiffness and hardness from the single Katsura ply enabling quick ball exit. This facilitates powerful drives and fast attacks, making it a strong choice for players focused on offensive play and direct shot-making.
While known for speed, Yasaka Katsura offers a respectable level of control, particularly for players who appreciate a direct feel. The stiffness allows for precise placement once adapted to its characteristics, providing good control for an offensive blade that balances power with accuracy.
Yasaka Katsura delivers a hard feel due to its single-ply construction of Katsura wood, which is significantly stiffer and harder than typical Hinoki. This provides a direct and solid impact, appealing to players who prefer a firm, no-flex sensation.
The combination of speed and stiffness in Yasaka Katsura tends to produce a medium-high throw angle. This facilitates powerful drives and flat hits, though players focused on extreme spin might find it less ideal for very high looping trajectories.
With its stiff and hard nature, Yasaka Katsura offers a medium dwell time. The ball doesn't sink deeply into the wood, leading to a faster ball exit that suits players focusing on direct attacks rather than heavy spin loops.
Yasaka Katsura is a very stiff blade with minimal flexibility. This rigidity is a key feature, differentiating it from more pliable wooden blades and appealing to players who prefer a solid, unyielding platform for their shots.
The stiffness of the single-ply Katsura construction results in a medium-high level of vibration. While not excessively jarring, players sensitive to vibration might notice it during impact, though the direct feel provides good feedback on ball contact.
Yasaka Katsura is generally perceived as a well-made blade, with players noting its good finish and high quality relative to its price point. It delivers reliable performance and durability, making it a solid investment for those seeking a specialized single-ply option.
Technology
Yasaka Katsura exemplifies a minimalist blade design, using a single ply of Katsura wood to emphasize natural timber properties. This pure wood construction focuses on delivering a hard, stiff playing surface without carbon or synthetic materials. By relying solely on the wood, it generates speed and power through direct feel and rapid ball exit, appealing to players who prioritize firm impact and straightforward offensive capability in a no-frills design.
Similar Blades
Yasaka Hasha Silver
Yasaka Hasha Silver is another single-ply blade, often made of Cypress wood, designed for Japanese Penhold players. Like Katsura, it offers a fast, hard feel with a pure wood construction, serving a similar purpose for direct and powerful offensive play, though it may differ slightly in wood type and thickness.
Yasaka Musashi V
Yasaka Musashi V is a single-ply Hinoki wood blade also suited for Japanese Penhold play. It shares the pure wood, single-ply offensive characteristic with Katsura, but as Hinoki, it might offer a slightly softer feel while remaining very fast, catering to players seeking direct feedback and power in a single-ply design.