Advice on getting a katana

katana · 19th June 2007, 09:27 PM

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

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Threaded Mode

19th June 2007, 09:27 PM	#7
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	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