Advice on getting a katana

[Bill M]

I saw a really neat, though absolutely new katana at the Atlanta Blade Show. It was in a booth where I also met Paul Chen of Hanwei Swords. We had a great talk about old Chinese swords. He is really a neat guy!

He makes some pretty nice swords. His top katana is called a Kami. About $1100.

I have always wanted a nice katana and realize I don't have a clue as to what to look for. Seems a very complicated area filled with unfamiliar terms that everyone who studies katanas understands, but no one else does!

Could someone direct me to some study books, or help me? I might get an older one if I understood them a little better, but one of the custom jobs made by a skilled craftsman is also an option.

Maybe a Hanwei Katana or made by another skilled craftsman?

Maybe a good, genuine antique?

I need a mentor.

If this is more appropriate in the Swap Forum, please move it.

[BBJW]

I have a Chen katana to play with. Great on fruit! I also have a Cold Steel bokken to practice with. I have other Cold Steel knives that I couldn't be happier with so I would check out their line of Japanese swords as well.

bbjw

[Rich]

If you need help with terminology, etc check my website at either:

http://www.geocities.com/alchemyst/nihonto.htm or

http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm

While my site deals mainly with antique Japanese swords, you may
find some useful info there.

Rich S

[Andrew]

Bill, you might check out John Lundemo of www.odinblades.com for a custom sword. He made a pattern-welded dha for me a few years back and did a fantastic job for a very reasonable price.

He's since started doing Japanese style swords as well.

[t_c]

Here are some starter books for you:

The Samurai Sword: A Handbook
by John M. Yumoto

The Japanese Sword
by Kanzan Sato

They are good introductory books for collectors, but I really enjoyed:

The Craft of the Japanese Sword
By Leon and Hiroko Kapp & Yosindo Yoshihara

It's more about how the swords are made than styles or history, but really great if you are interested in the process.

[Bill M]

Thanks for the tips. The weibsite is fantastic, Rich!

I am thinking about getting one of the antique blades. There is a lot to learn here.

Still need a mentor to help me pick one or two. PM me?

Maybe I will get one of the newer blades, well-balanced to do some sword play and cutting?

I really love swords of all areas! What a fun hobby!

[katana]

acquiring a 'genuinely' old Katana is like finding a needle in a minefield. The Market is 'littered' with high quality fakes and 'millions' of poorer construction.
Even the experts get their fingers burned.....this really is a specialist field .....where the risk factor is extremely high as prices are so extreme.
I have held a fantastic 18 th C katana....unbelieveably balanced, an absolute beauty with a lovely Hamon.....a work of art.....this sword 'talked'...but even then the owner wasn't 100% it was genuine
Bill please be very, very careful if you decide to invest in an antique version. A recently made quality katana sounds a good idea. There are still very experienced swordsmiths in Japan that still make them in a totally traditional way....including the production of the steel used in the blades...but these are extremely expensive

[Bill M]

This is obviously going to take more research. As I view wonderful sites like Rich Stein's website

http://www.geocities.com/alchemyst/nihonto.htm

and

http://www.aoi-art.com/

and

the Nihonto Forum

http://www.militaria.co.za/nihontomessageboard/

I begin to realize that there are some good quality antique swords that are not a lot more than the new models.

These new swords are pretty, and I can see why people would buy them, but for my money, I can't see spending $1,500 for a fake sword- a pretty wall decoration, when I could put that $1,500 towards a real one.

A good friend has only one Japanese sword, but it is from the 1500s. It looks nothing like these new ones. It's sturdy and sharp, and could easily cut off your arm to this day. It is made with a core and hamon and outfitted with a fine higo dragon gold inlaid tsuba and sword fittings- it's really cool to see this kind of workmanship and functional utility, I just don't think I'd get the same feeling from one of these modern sword. He paid $1,200 for his sword about 20 years ago. It is probably worth about $5,000 now.

Regarding new swords, I don't know Japanese, but have some experience with Chinese swords and I would not buy a new made Chinese sword. I just don't think it would keep my interest. Why would I expect a new made Japanese sword to?

I find one underlying quality in things I like to collect. If it is really good, I see new things in it almost every time I study and spend time with it. This can be a fine Kerman Lavar "Persian" carpet, or an old sword from Timor.

There is still a quality that only older antique pieces can have. So I am revising my search for a really nice antique Nihonto. May as well get something that will increase in value.

I believe that if I can network with the right collectors I can find something that I like and that it will be genuine.

But I may also get a cutter from Paul Chen in his "Pracctical" or better line that I can go out in my field and take on a big stand of Kudzu! I already got the black drawstring pants! Just need some of the split toe sandals!

Heee Yaaaaaah!

[Bill M]

Rich,

Would you please email or PM me?

[Antonio Cejunior]

Hi Bill,

After Rich's post very little can be said.
However I'd like to add a little condiment to it.
Many of those who collect contemporary made katanas that are not nihon-tô, do not like production stuff. And like me, some at my Forum are moving from Katana to Dhas. But then that's another story.

Production swords have been for long overpriced. You pay over 1K for a serial piece that costs in the origin not more than $150. The rest is profit margin with a little for shipment in bulk. And what you get is something similar to the next guy plus all the hype. I learnt my lesson the hard way.

And the proof is the PPK series which is made of steel (cheap or more expensive, it takes the same amount of work) is much more affordable.

I know of a Thai company whose owner spoke to me and said they were making katanas out of laser cut blanks and had a very special way to add a hamon etch without any quench.

All this is scary to me. But then it all depends on what you want it for.

I don't dwell into the nihon-tô area, but have many smiths with who I worked and continue to work. Here are some FYI

My Oar Saya Katanaby Jesus Hernandez
Buckeye Burl Katana by Walter Sorrells
Mino Den Uchi-gatanaby Anthony DiCristofano
SHIBUMIby Howard Clark
Katsujin-ken by Rick Barrett
Seasoned Katana by Joe Walters
Athziluth by Howard Clark

But then all of these have been designed by me. That is the pleasure of owning stuff that would not fit into traditional concepts. I'm mainly politically incorrect

[Bill M]

Anthony,

For new made swords, these are exquisite. I particularly like Atziluth. The name has deep meaning from something I have been studying for almost 40 years.

Perhaps you are reaching to an ideal to call it that?

Thank you for your response,

Bill Marsh

[Antonio Cejunior]

Originally Posted by Bill Marsh

Anthony,

For new made swords, these are exquisite. I particularly like Atziluth. The name has deep meaning from something I have been studying for almost 40 years.

Perhaps you are reaching to an ideal to call it that?

Thank you for your response,

Bill Marsh

Ah, I see Bill.
The Three of Life and the Kaballah.

Well, it was prompted after I designed the guard, tsuba. It happened that the person who did it is a kaballist, and he was absolutely stunned with the design in terms of numerology. It also stunned me as I was just guided by my own sense of harmony. He then sent me the Kabalistic explanations and I uploaded them for the record.

Hope you find it interesting.

[Bill M]

Thanks for all your input!

Got a modern made one. Good for a starter and will fun to do some chopping and learn a few sword forms while looking at antiques.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...9125&rd=1&rd=1

Turns out that two of the bladesmiths making custom swords mentioned in Antonio's post live near me. I am in contact with them.

I am still very interested in collecting antiques like the swords I already have, but seeing a lot of beauty and fun in the Japanese pieces.

[mross]

Bill,
This is where I started my antique sword collecting. If you want I can fill you in on what I learned. You should have my email.
Mike

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by mross

Bill,
This is where I started my antique sword collecting. If you want I can fill you in on what I learned. You should have my email.
Mike

thanks, Mike, will do.