Japanese Sword Arts FAQ Version 2.7
15. I want to buy a Japanese sword. What do I do?
This section only briefly touches on the main issues involved in purchasing a nihon-To (Japanese-Sword). The topics of swordsmith, dating, value and type are too complex for inclusion here - books only give a generalization in 100+ pages.
Your best weapon is information. Join the Japanese Sword Society of the United States (JSS/US). Take your time to find out who the reputable dealers are and deal with them only - the JSS/US can help you out here. Study and look at a lot of blades first, before buying. Find a trusted advisor/collector to assist you. Buy and read John Yumoto's Book: The Samurai Sword - A Handbook. You will find it invaluable. Read other Japanese sword books.
Note the following definitions:
Blade: the steel blade only - no fittings (handle/guard/scabbard/etc).
Sword: includes the blade & all fittings.
15a. How much do they cost?
Note that all prices given are in US dollars, and are approximate. Your mileage may definitely vary.
If you are looking for an antique sword, the starting point is about $500 for a relatively new (20th century) blade, rising up to $5-50k for good swords by well-known smiths, and $100k+ for famous swords by famous smiths. For a decent working sword, expect to part with at least $1,000.
If you buy an antique, it may need polishing. A reasonable minor touch-up polish may cost about $10 to $20 per inch of blade length from a US polisher. A major polish by a US polisher may run $30 to $50 per inch. Your prices may vary. Blade length is measured from the tip (kissaki) to the back notch (mune-machi) where the blade collar (habaki) stops against the blade.
If you want to buy a newly made Japanese sword, the starting point is about $2,000 for an OK blade only, through about $10,000 for a good blade to $50k+ for a blade by one of the top smiths. Note that these prices are just for the blade. If you are buying a new blade, you will need to buy fittings - the tsuka and all its pieces, the tsuba and a saya. Expect to pay about $700 minimum for everything, more if you want real artwork.
If you want a iaito, you can get a complete sword including fittings and saya for anywhere from $300 to $2000. Cheaper ones are available but are considered dangerous as the handle may break.
If you are buying an antique sword, you may get only the blade or you may need to repair/replace some of the fittings. Both antique and replica parts are available. Antique tsuba cost $75 to $300+; replica brass $30 to $50, and replica iron/silver tsuba $90 to $120+.
Antique grip aids (menuki) cost $50 to $150+; replicas $20 to $30 for brass, $50 for silver/gold plated silver. Antique handle front and butt piece (fuchi/kashira) cost $75 to $200+; replicas $50 to $100.
A beat up saya can be fixed. Horn pieces are about $15 each, metal parts are also available. A simple black water-based lacquer paint job is about $100. A new saya in simple black laquer made for your blade costs about $150 to $300. Antique blades may need new silk or leather handle cord (tsuka-ito), costs about $120 for materials and labour for a good job.
15b. Where can I find swords to purchase?
The availability of Japanese Swords in the US is due primarily to large numbers of swords brought back by GIs after WWII. As such, the quality varies all over the place - from excellent old Koto blades to late WWII machine made pieces of steel.
Japanese swords can be found at major gun shows. There are also annual Japanese Sword Shows in San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas and Florida, among other places. Major auction houses often have auctions featuring Japanese blades.
At auctions, sometime good buys can be found on the last day, or in "off/odd" lots - not featured in the catalog. Inspect every blade at the preview. Learn what is good, and also the actual "hammer price" the blade sold for.
Sword clubs, especially the Japanese Sword Society of the US (JSS/US) can help put you in touch with sellers. The JSS/US newsletter has advertisments from various dealers and polishers. Addresses for sword clubs are found elsewhere in this FAQ.
15c. How can I tell if it's a good sword?
Learn, learn, learn. Join the JSS/US. Read Yumoto. Read him again. Read him a third time. Read other sources of information. As in any other consumer exchange, it's possible/likely for you to get burned. Find a knowledgable mentor you can trust to help you.
Curved Japanese blades were made from the 900s to today. Age of blade by itself is not indicative of quality - there are many periods in Japan when swords were cranked out in high volume to meet war-time conditions. Don't buy a crummy blade because the polish job looks good or the fittings/wrap looks good. Focus on the blade itself first. Know the age of the blade - a lot of recent (19th/20th century) blades are passed off as old blades. Learn the terminology of eras of swordmaking (Koto, Shinto, Shin-Shinto, Showa-to, Gendai-to, Gunto, etc. ).
The order of consideration is #1 blade, #2 polish, #3 fittings, #4 scabbard and #5 handle. In addition to all this, if the blade is to be a working blade for iaido, tameshigiri or whatever, it must fit you and be suited to the purpose.
When examining blades, ask first! Don't touch the blade with your fingers, the salts & moisture on your hands can cause fingerprint rust marks on the blade - major faux pas! Don't touch the edge to see if it's sharp. Again, you may rust the blade and you may also severly cut yourself (much less important than damaging a valuable blade). Don't breath on the blade either! Treat every blade with respect - for the maker, the present owner and the blade itself. The Japanese sword was often called "the Soul of a Samurai".
Inspecting the sword - always hold the sword by both the tsuka and saya when picking it up for the first time. Hold it horizontally, as the saya/habaki fit may be very loose or the wood/bamboo handle pin (mekugi) may be loose or missing; check first. Inspect all exterior fittings first, do they match in design/ age? To remove the blade from the saya, hold the sword by the tsuka with one hand, cutting edge up, either horizontally or vertically, and separate the blade and saya - sliding on the mune only. This minimizes/eliminates putting scratches on the sides of the blade. Examine the blade (length, curve, style, hamon, defects, feel, etc). If you are still interested in the blade, have the owner remove the tsuka - handles can often be ill-fitting, or in the case of Gunto (WWII) mounts, have a lot of spacers (seppa) and miscellaneous hardware.
Many of the WWII blades are machine made single bars of steel. Some Navy blades are stainless steel with faked (via polishing) temper lines. A few blades will have engraving (horimono) - it was often done by machine to primarily WWII blades after the war for GIs, a dragon chasing a flaming pearl being a popular example. Engraving can also be used to hide flaws in the blade. Many of the WWII blades were crudely made, using machines and non-swordsmith workers. Are the lines straight on the blade? Does the main line (shinogi) waver about?
For terminology of age and features, be sure and read Yumoto. Look for defects, chips, fissures, etc. Check the temper/hardening line (hamon) on both sides and in the tip area carefully. The hamon tells a lot about the blade, study Yumoto and others to understand what it is saying. The steels used in the 20th century for mass production of Japanese blades are such that flashy looking hamons can be made on poor quality blades. Check the grain of the blade - again, some very flashy, large grain (contrasting layers) blades are sometimes of poor quality. Hamon questionable or no grain visible? Hold your breath and your wallet!
Does the line in the tip area (ko-shinogi) match the tip cutting edge (fukura) in shape? If not, this is a clue that the point was reshaped after a chip or break. Look down the mune from the tsuba. Bent blades may have been straightened, you may see zig-zags (major or minor) or "stretch marks" on the sides of the blade. If the blade looks questionable, don't buy it.
Look at the tang (nakago). Signature(s) may mean everything or nothing. A famous name signature may turn out to be the 7th generation son of the famous maker or a forgery. Go to a trusted expert to understand the signature (or lack of it) and its meaning.
The polish job on the blade is the second consideration. A good polish job will show the grain of the blade without being bright shiny. If the whole blade is like a mirror, chances are someone has been using Semi- Chrome(tm) polish on the blade to make it look good. If you can't see the grain or the hamon or the hamon fades in and out it, it may be a good blade with a bad polish. Or it may be a "tired" blade - polished out with the core steel showing. Or it may be just a bad blade (poor workmanship/materials) with a bad polish.
The mountings on the blade are the third consideration. Be aware that replica tsuba, menuki, fuchi/kashira, etcetera can be treated to look antique. This is OK as long as you are aware of what you are getting. The saya is the fourth. A beat-up saya can be repaired or replaced fairly cheaply, unless it is very fancy. Last is the handle. Again, a poor handle can be re-wrapped or remade.
15d. How can I tell if the sword is right for me?
Quality of the blade aside, you must find one that fits you. Many katana for sale in the US are relatively short, (around 24-26 in. - measured along the top from the kissaki to mune-machi) as the longer katanas are often valued by collectors/users.
If you are of typical non-Asian height (5'10"-6'), look for a 26" to 29" blade length. Hold the handle with right hand at front next to the tsuba, and carefully let the blade hang down at your side, arm relaxed. Don't let the tip hit the floor or you've just bought a blade with a bent or broken tip! A correct length blade should come close to, but not touch the floor.
Hold the sword with both hands, without saya (scabbard). It should feel good to you, live and natural, not dead, like you're holding just a bar of steel. This is a very subjective feeling. If you are going to do any tameshi-giri (test cutting), you should be buying a heavier blade. Also, a fine polish job is probably not your greatest concern for tameshigiri. If the blade is to be used primarily for iaido, it should be light, yet not too light. You're not swinging a bokuto, a sword has some substance to it!
15e. Are there special concerns for iaido?
Yes. A moderate curvature seems best in that it is easier to draw and sheath. An extremely straight sword forces the iaido practioner to over stretch when drawing the blade. A sword with extreme curvature (mostly older tachi blades in katana mounts) is likewise awkward to draw. A medium point (chu-kissaki) is easier to sheath; less likely to cause cuts to either the practioner or the saya. Blades with long points (o-kissaki) are more likely to cut the user when being drawn or sheathed and may also cut and damage the saya mouth. The ultra small point (ko-kissaki) is normally associated with the tachi blade. A katana blade with a ko-kissaki may very well have had its point broken and reshaped.
The design of the temperline is not critical to the function of the sword.
A moderate to long tsuka is easier to control and offers much better leverage for cutting. However, be sure the tang of the blade runs practically the full length of the tsuka. Long tsuka hiding short tangs are dangerous in that the strain on the tsuka without the underlying tang is extreme as it leads to broken handles (tsuka).
The twisted style ito (handle wrapping) is less likely to loosen and slip with prolonged use than other styles. It is critical that the tsuka be properly fitted, tight on the tang, with tight ito. If the tang rattles in the tsuka it is the incorrect tsuka for that blade. This makes it impossible to properly fit the mekugi (peg) which secures the blade. The mekugi is more likely to break in a poorly fitted tsuka, which is very dangerous to the practisioner, his fellows and the blade.
A properly fitted wooden saya is easier to draw from and much easier to sheath the blade into. Poorly fitting saya are noisy, rattle and more easily trap dirt which may damage the blade. Also the blade may just plain fall out of a poorly fitted saya. The metal gunto saya of the Russo-Japanese War period or WW II period nearly always have brass or other metal throats - these will damage the blade as sooner or later most everyone "drags" the edge on the saya mouth. It the saya mouth is metal, the edge will be damaged or ruined.
Please don't use a high quality old blade - accidents may happen, and damage to ha (cutting edge) is not repairable - only more material can removed to smooth out the chip contour.
A wide-groove (bo-hi) in the flat sides of blade (shinogi-ji) is not a blood groove. It serves to lighten the blade, providing a more lively feel. It also has the side effect of making a loud "hiss" when the sword is swung straight (back of blade (mune) in line with the ha). If the sword is swung tilted, it will not "hiss". A blade with bo-hi is often desireable for this reason - you and everyone else will know if the sword was swung true.
Swords for iaido (iai-to) are modern day replica swords, the blade is made of soft metal that cannot be sharpened. These are recommended for beginning iaidoka.
15.6 What About Having a Sword Made?
If you?re looking for a blade to actually use, you can try to find a suitable old blade, or have a new one made. Advantages of a new blade are getting what you want when you want it, and not having to fear commiting a mortal sin if you ding it. Advantages of an older blade are possibly lower cost (compared to a folded new blade) and perhaps higher and easier cost recovery on resale. Finding the right older blade at a good price is difficult and tricky. It is unlikely you?ll find an older blade over 27" without paying a hefty premium. And then you have to decide whether you want to have it remounted, particularly if it's in gunto garb (not exactly cheap, even with reproduction pieces). If there is any danger of you damaging the blade, then go with a new blade, or with a bar stock WWII gunto. If there is very little chance of damage, then consider looking for a (shin) shinto blade that might fit you, one in low end, but traditional samurai mounts.
If you get a blade made, you can choose from having one smithed traditionally in Japan (gendaito), or having one made by a smith working outside of Japan. Estimates are that actual Japanese new gendaito runs $US5000 from a "C" grade smith, $15000 from a "B" grade smith, and $30000+ from an "A" grade smith (like Yoshihara). This is for the polished, unmounted blade. Cutting Edge Technologies (www.nosyuiaido.com) is a reputable firm that can help put a gendaito in your hands, starting at about $US6000 complete.
A popular choice is to use one of Bob Engnath?s blades, which are available in rough shaped form fairly inexpensively. One can polish an Engnath blade and mount it in the traditional appearing (but cast) koshirae from Fred Lohman (fuchi-kashira, tsuba, seppa and menuki would run about $200, plus $125 for a handle wrap). Habaki are available from a few people at about $175 a pop for a plain copper single, and saya for another $200 or so. Throw in another $100 for odds and ends, and be prepared for a lot of work for the polish. If you want a traditional Japanese polish kit, Lohman has them for $500. Failing this, you can probably get away with hard block and sandpaper up to about 1000 grit, then switch to hazuya and jizuya finger stones ($35 each from Lohman - you need to prepare the stones for polishing). If you can't sight down swords and tell a good polished shape from a poor one, then don't even think about trying to polish one yourself.
Another choice is to buy a finished and mounted sword, if you haven?t the time, patience or talent to do your own finishing work. There are a number of smiths working in North America who do such work. The following is a list compiled by Kim Taylor with additional comments from Rick Bliss and Christopher Lau (please note prices are $US and may be out of date: use as a rough guideline only).
| Name | Construction | Cost | Comments |
| Bob Engnath | bar stock, traditionally tempered 1050 blades | about $9/inch in rough shaped form | Blades show a nice wide habuchi, and big bright ashi. The blades have fumbari and a very well defined kissaki area. |
| Bugei Trading | bar stock, traditionally tempered katana in traditional style mounts | about $2200 fully finished | I believe their tempered, unfinished blades come from Engnath, and the fittin gs look like they come from Lohman. |
| Scott Slobodian | bar stock (1045 to 1060 steel, depending on length), traditionally tempered | about $3000 mounted | Mounts are traditional style, but cast (silver). Excels in his saya - many ch oices of exotic woods, pressure resin impregnated, with a very hard and durable clear finish. Polishes are non-traditional. |
| Phill Hartsfield | A2 tool steel bar stock, "traditionally tempered" katana | about $5000 mounted | Blade shape and mounts are somewhat non-traditional. Claim to fame is imputed cutting ability of his blades. |
| Barry Dawson | Stock removal | ? | Stock removal, prices rather steep IMO |
| Don Fogg | Forged | ? | Decent forging, questionable yaki-ire technique though |
| Paul Champagne | ? | ? | Made sword for Obata used in helmet cutting video |
| Michael Bell | hand forged "cutting sword" out of multi-strand carbon steel cable | about $5000 in simple mounts, or $8000 for traditionally folded construction | - |
| Larry Harley | Forged | ? | - |
| Tom Maringer | Stock removal, some forging, D2 steel | ? | - |
| Francis Boyd | Traditional | ? | Student of Nakajima |
| Wally Hayes | Damascus | ? | Student of Don Fogg, made blade of damascus for prototype of Kane sword used in movie Highlander III |
| Mike Faul | Traditional and bar stock | ? | Pretty good work |
| Keith Austin | Traditional | ? | Possibly the other Japanese-trained US smith |
| Muh-tsyr Yee | ? | ? | Student of Bell, taught smithing class at Guelph Japanese Sword Arts School |