Buying a Japanese Sword
I'm sure everyone studying Kendo/Iaido or otherwise following a martial art want to own
a true "Nihonto" Samurai Katana. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the kind of money
necessary to own a real Samurai treasure, but there is something for everyone (as they say)
and "stages" of owning a katana. First of all, for the serious Kendo or Iaido practioner,
somewhere along the line a metal bladed "Iaito" will be necessary. For the Iaidoka, this will
be almost immediately they start, however for a Kendoka it will not be necessary until the much
higher Dan levels where a metal blade is used in place of the woden bokken in the Kendo Kata.
Other than that, there is no real other need, other than personal desire - unless one wishes
to practice Tameshigiri - test cutting with a real sword. If you are not in these two categories,
one can choose from the price/quality continuum starting with a display or "wall-hanger" sword,
moving up through low end "live" blades to WWII era "Shin-gunto" and then into the "true" Nihonto
blades.
If you decide to buy a sword, I recommend you first of all research as much as you can about the
topic, the types of sword available and where to buy them from, then watch and wait, and wait
some more! Patience is a virtue, otherwise you might rush to be a bargain and find it less than
imagined and you are out of pocket as a result. As difficult as it might be to resist the
temptation, "there'll always be another sword" is a saying I've invented! It is important to
understand what you are buying before you part with your money, so prepare well. And good luck!
Once you have decided what you want to buy, if it falls into the category of a "low cost" sword,
we have access to a local wholesale sword importer who is willing to sell to us at wholesale
prices. Contact George for more information.
"Wall-hanger" Swords
So-called because they are often hung on a wall for display. The term is a derogatory one among
sword collectors - it denotes a sword that is not considered good for anything other than being
hung up for display and not for real use. That aside, many homes around the world feature a set
of katana style swords as a display piece. The more common is a set of 2 or 3 on a stand. These
swords typically start above $100 if bought in a shop, but from other sources can be bought more
cheaply. In NZ, TradeMe on-line auction
site can be a good source with many display swords going on auction at $1 reserve and being sold
for whatever the bidding reaches. You can also find all the other sword types there too. Of course
you will mostly also find some of these swords being sold in gift shops or other shops in local
shopping malls. The swords are typically stainless steelblades with either wood or plastic saya,
and to my eye, usually look "gaudy" and quite un-like what a real Samurai would own. If you search
a bit harder you will find specialty stores or on-line sources selling the less gaudy/more realistic
display swords. Sometimes these are also less expensive than the gaudy ones in the mall!
Iaito Swords
Iaito are non-sharp, metal bladed swords for practicing Iaido, or performing Kendo kata
or similar practice. The blades are usually an aluminium alloy based metal for lightness.
While top level Iaidoka often use shinken (live blades), these Iaito are more common -
especially for beginners.
Tameshigiri Swords
Tameshigiri is the art of test cutting with a "shinken" (live blade). Some martial
artists frown upon tameshigiri as it is one step away from killing, however others
believe it is useful part of the Way as it shows the difference between the theory of
cuts made in Kendo or Iaido and a real object. Kind of like why kata were included in
Kendo to give the feel of a "real" sword compared to a juk-do/shinai.
Traditionally, tameshigiri targets consist of rolled up and 'wet' tatami (straw) mats
tied on a stand. When done properly, this is said to have the same "resistance" as a
human body. In old Japan, samurai would also practice on criminals ordered for execution
and/or corpses. Presumably they found that the "feel" and resistance of rolled, damp,
tatami was similar enough for it to become the peacetime standard. It is recommended
that new tatami matting rather than used matting be used as used matting will contain
bits of dirt, stones etc that have dropped onto what is a floor covering similar to
western carpets. This dirt and stones will scratch and damage your expensive blade.
Anyone practicing Tameshigiri will not want to use a real Nihonto due to the liklihood of
damaging the precious blade - especially while learning. Paul Chen blades (sometimes
referred to as "Hanwei blades") seem to be a popular choice for price and quality.
They are made in China using modern versions of the
Japanese tradional ways, and distributed by almost everyone who sells swords! There are
also modern Japanese "shinken" (live blades) and other blademakers supplying swords in this
category. Sometimes you will see/hear people using WWII era swords for cutting - it's up
to the owner of the sword, but usually if a swords blade does not have historical significance
it won't be expensive and therefore can be used for tameshigiri without fear of devaluing the
blade with small scratches that are likely when test cutting.
Real Japanese Swords
There are many levels of "real" Japanese swords! There are those from "old Japan" when the
quality of the sword determined life or death, and there are those made in peace time,
including those made today. These modern era blades are still made using the traditional
methods. And then there is the realm of the sword collector interested in the older era
blades. Strangely enough, it is said that the USA has more "real" Japanese swords than Japan
does because at the end of WWII, the Americans mandated all weapons be turned in and so many
Americans ended up with the confiscated swords and other military items that were handed in.
some of these have been returned now, but still there are some missing treasures.
Recommend you start down this path by referring to the many specific pages at Richard Stein's
website. Check out the info about fakes, WWII era swords etc before going any further.
Anyone interested in buying a modern Shinken from Japan, will likely need to go there to
get it. An export license is needed. The most basic modern Japanese-made shinken starts at
a price around US$4,500.
Sword care
If you own a "real" sword, you will need to know how to take care of it and prevent the blade
rusting etc. The following a couple of links we have found on this subject.
Choosing the Correct Length Sword
Just like your juk-do/shinai, anything other than a display sword will need to be the right
length for you to use it efficiently. The following a couple of links on this subject.
