table tennis!!
I think he is using his named blade: VICTAS Koki Niwa
https://www.victas.com/ja_jp/products/blade/offensive-shake/koki-niwa/koki_niwa
Maybe, yes. Would be interesting to see a close up from the side of his blade from matchplay. Just because the blade he uses has the handle caps of his signature blade doesn't necessarily prove that he actually plays with the "whole thing"...(see FZD, Harimoto and others)
I heard that he's gone back to new all wood signature blade from his carbon composite signature blade. Thing about Niwa is that he switches blades so often, it's near pointless to try using same blade.