How do traditional hand forged katanas compare to modern high end swords?

[cziv]

Somebody earlier mentioned how the edges were never supposed to make contact with each other during a combat. How so? Does it mean that parrying was always done with the flats or the spine? But in that case the attacking sword would hit those flats or spine with the edge, resulting in some kind of damage...

In parrying or defending cuts the sword was held at angles. If correctly done this would cause the attacking blade to glance off and neither the attacking or defending blade should have, ideally, sustained much damage.

 

[Triton]

Somebody earlier mentioned how the edges were never supposed to make contact with each other during a combat. How so? Does it mean that parrying was always done with the flats or the spine? But in that case the attacking sword would hit those flats or spine with the edge, resulting in some kind of damage...

... and now you have done it. There's all sorts of sacred cows that could be potentially gored in this thread!

 

[JParanee]

In the event of edge to edge contact the best sword will chip and sustain damage useing the sides or spine of a blade is the prefered way to deflect a blow. This is not always possible and thats why you see so many tired swords (over polished) swords that sustained damage and had to be brought down and repolished to remove chips.


To answer the question can modern makers useing none traditional methods make better performing blades ? in my opinion yes they can makers such as Howard Clark with his L 6 blades and the late great Phill Hartsfield with his special heat treated A 2 blades are definately IMHO better performers than blades of old. But they are also in the 6000.00 to 10000.00 dollar range which is in sword language not very expensive.

I have cut with Phill's blades for many years and my first one has never been sharpened and will still shave and cuts like a demon

Awhile back I purchased an L 6 blade from paul chen and though I dont expect it to cut like one of Howards blades I am anxious to try it out.

I have cut with alot of different swords and nothing compares to the cutting power of one of Phill's swords at least in my hands .. He will be solely missed

 

[edmundl]

Help me expand Steve. I took your advice and looked up O-tanto , Blade length 12"-15". Shorter than the bussekin. Ko-katana 24"-26" blade length. Longer than the bussekin. My reference source "wikipedia" and "sword forums international". If we go by your suggestion,and according to these reference sources. The o-tanto is too short. The Ko-katana too long to compare to the busse blades. Are these sources I used incorrect?

 

[Kohai999]

Help me expand Steve. I took your advice and looked up O-tanto , Blade length 12"-15". Shorter than the bussekin. Ko-katana 24"-26" blade length. Longer than the bussekin. My reference source "wikipedia" and "sword forums international". If we go by your suggestion,and according to these reference sources. The o-tanto is too short. The Ko-katana too long to compare to the busse blades. Are these sources I used incorrect?

Yes and no...there are no super firm length mandates in Japanese sword nomenclature, more like generalizations. The exception to this would be the wakizashi's MAXIMUM length, as almost anyone in the middle class that could afford to do so in feudal Japan could wear a wakizashi, but only Samurai could wear katana.

The vast majority of wakizashi that I have seen from Japan have blade lengths from 14"-16" and are quite thin compared to Katana or even o-tanto blades.

If you took a wakizashi length blade of 19", and fit it with a handle that was 10.5" long, with a katana tsuba and other mounts, it would no longer be a wakizashi, but would be in fact, ko-katana. That would be the closest matchup in dimensions to your Busse AK-47.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Burningcort]

It depends upon how you define traditionally made.

Traditionally made swords from Japan have blades where the steel has been folded many times. Many of the better performing steels of today would suffer a performance disadvantage from that treatment.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

Folding was only done to make the billet more consistent, i.e., that all 'impurities" were worked out, much the same as a potter kneads the clay, to work out air bubbles and such. Modern steels do not need this process as the proceedures for smelting iron and adding carbon and other alloying materials is far more consistent than any traditional manufacturer could accomplish. So, the modern steels wouldn't gain anything from folding as all that work is accomplished at the foundary. When the modern swordsmith gets his steel from the foundary he can be assured that it meets all the appropriate ASTM standards for composition of the material. The tradtional manufacturer was working with only intuition, experience and tradition.
The following quote from wiki is consistent with other references I've come across regarding the smelting of the steel from which the Katanas and such would be forged.


The process described in the first bolded section above is what the modern swordsmith does not need to do since modern steels have all been smelted and forged to fairly tight specifications. This process would have been taken on by the traditional swordsmith with varying degrees of consistency from smith to smith and I would say even from year to year with the same smith. Either way there was some element of imprecision which would make "tradtional" steels of lower quality than modern steels.

In the second bolded section, again the modern swordsmith does not need to fold his steel as the material would arrive at his shop already forged to an exacting ASTM standard which garauntees minimal, if any impurities and consistent distribution of carbon and other alloying minerals in very specific percentages. And this is all done by machines which do not experience fatigue like the swordsmith.
A traditional smith on the other hand, may or may not be on top of his game on a given day and the quality of the welds in his folding may not be up to snuff. I'm sure a master smith could produce high quality highly consistent steel repeatedly, but nothing like today.

Thank you for the replies gentlemen...

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

In parrying or defending cuts the sword was held at angles. If correctly done this would cause the attacking blade to glance off and neither the attacking or defending blade should have, ideally, sustained much damage.

In the case of European swords the base of the blade, while beveled, was typically not sharp, and was intended for use in parrying. Honestly, you don't really strike with that portion of the blade, so using it for parrying makes a bit more sense. If used in a static stop of a blow it would still nick, but you should be redirecting the energy away from you rather than attempting to stop it dead anyhow. Later on with the development of the military saber/hanger/spadroon, etc. edge-on-edge contact wasn't too uncommon since the degree of speed necessary to parry effectively prevented the operator from being able to be overly concerned about the condition of their sword. With the more modern manufacturing techniques of the time, furnishing a replacement blade from a cutler was not out overly difficult, either.

 

[the possum]

In the case of European swords the base of the blade, while beveled, was typically not sharp, and was intended for use in parrying. Honestly, you don't really strike with that portion of the blade, so using it for parrying makes a bit more sense. If used in a static stop of a blow it would still nick, but you should be redirecting the energy away from you rather than attempting to stop it dead anyhow. Later on with the development of the military saber/hanger/spadroon, etc. edge-on-edge contact wasn't too uncommon since the degree of speed necessary to parry effectively prevented the operator from being able to be overly concerned about the condition of their sword. With the more modern manufacturing techniques of the time, furnishing a replacement blade from a cutler was not out overly difficult, either.

Oh, I've tried to stay away from this thread. Guess my will power is getting weak.

I'm passingly familiar with the German traditions, and at least in those, the base of the blade is supposed to be sharp as well. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to execute a "handshake" (händetrucken) with it. This is a move to use when you find yourself bound up with the opponent's blade and need to create some space- you wind the hilt around to put the edge (at the base of the blade) on your opponent's wrists or hands, and then wind upwards, thus slicing his wrists almost all the way around.

The old fencing manuals I've read don't specifically say to always parry with the edge or flat, and at least in the German tradition, there's not much true "parrying" anyway. It's all framed from the perspective of counter attacking. They'll say, 'if your opponent throws cut X, then counter by cutting against his strike (sword) with cut Y, then as soon as the swords clash together, do Z'. Sometimes this means the blades will be meeting obliquely just as a natural result of the specific cuts involved. Other times, you do pretty much get straight edge-on-edge bashing, such as countering a Zwerchhau with a Krumphau for example. Some moves you do indeed intend to stop his motion cold rather than redirect- this depends more on where the blades meet. (i.e., stopping the weak [tip] of his blade with the strong of yours) Besides the fact you don't cut with the flat, the blade is much more rigid in the plane of the edges- if you try to block with the flat, the blade can wobble and bounce right out of the way, which is useless.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Very true. The dangerous thing about generalizations is...they're generalizations. Styles of swords varied GREATLY depending on region, time period, and personal preference. It would be interesting to see what would happen if someone were to test sharp edge-to-edge parrying actions somehow.

 

[scotchleaf]

What would be the ideal sword for combat against unarmored foes by a skilled warrior? Imagine you had an unlimited budget and access to any maker(s) past or present to build it.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I'd say whatever kind of sword the warrior had used to become skilled! As they say, beware the man with only one gun! Musashi's thoughts were that the weapon itself was comparatively irrelevant compared to the knowledge of the warrior.

 

[Bigfattyt]

To complicate the question, there is also more than one way traditional Japanese swords were made. Different methods of getting the hard edge and soft sides and back.

Another issue, is that there are different designs of Katana's depending on era and what type.

I read more than one article that stated the Katana was made more robust after an invasion by Chinease proved that the sword design they were using was not robust enough for the combat encountered with the Chinese soldiers using "inferior" swords. De-lamination, handle failure (Katana's don't have, strictly speaking, the most robust handle designs, with often one single bamboo pin holding the handle on), and out right blade breaks. I don't remember the articles, and am too lazy to search. The point of the articles was that after these problems, the Katana underwent a make over to be designed more robust.

Another thing that happened was that Naginata (sp) were converted into swords.

Also, some one called the AK a sharpened prybar. I don't find this to be the case either. They are 3/16 th of an inch. Not too thick, and thinner than some traditional Katanas. The edges on the traditional katana will be a full convex/zero edge. Which translates to less effort cutting, and significantly less drag than a V grind edge with a transition between the edge and the primary grind.

I would posit, that if you took an AK and had Ban (or NorCal, etc) do a convex zero edge, with a satin finish, you would no longer thing it was a sharpened pry bar. They are not thick, but rather, may have a thicker edge geometry.

Completely different blade height from edge to spine, which has a drastic effect on cutting efficiency.

You will be able to make deeper cuts with a taller blade geometry combined with a good edge profile.

If you look at the modern cutting competitions with blades, they use longer, taller blades.

The AK won't be able to cut as deep. It is a shorter blade from edge to spine, and also has less length.

For toughness, I have seen torture tests of AK's and and RAt Waki's that have impressed the hell out of me.


I would not recommend using a traditional style Katana to chop down a tree (bamboo handle pins again make me nervous), but you would have no issues with a modern style sword like the AK or Waki.

Did this answer any questions? I don't think so.


I do think that with a modern "super steel" with a modern computer controlled heat treat, not to mention a cryo treat (If I remember correctly the cryo treat by Busse is down below -300 degrees for some thing stupid like 60 hours).

I have seen that .50 cal vid a time or two.

I can tell you for certain, no tungsten core bullets were used. It would have vaporized the steel.

I also, in watching that video, if I remember correctly wondered if the bullets were even jacketed? I watched it a few times and seem to remember that I thought the bullets were plain lead.

People will tell you "you can't shoot a .50 cal machine gun with lead rounds". But I would tell you I can hand load, with my own bullet dies, and do so. Your machine gun would not run for a super long time before problems arose, but it is definitely possible (you can also load the ammo down in power, and use a heavier slower bullet and still reliably cycle the action).

It is pretty sweet, but I would put up several modern steels, with the same blade profile, treated appropriately to recreate that same action (especially if we are using modern laminated steels, and differentially heat treated etc).

 

[SShepherd]

To complicate the question, there is also more than one way traditional Japanese swords were made. Different methods of getting the hard edge and soft sides and back.

Another issue, is that there are different designs of Katana's depending on era and what type.

I read more than one article that stated the Katana was made more robust after an invasion by Chinease proved that the sword design they were using was not robust enough for the combat encountered with the Chinese soldiers using "inferior" swords. De-lamination, handle failure (Katana's don't have, strictly speaking, the most robust handle designs, with often one single bamboo pin holding the handle on), and out right blade breaks. I don't remember the articles, and am too lazy to search. The point of the articles was that after these problems, the Katana underwent a make over to be designed more robust.

Another thing that happened was that Naginata (sp) were converted into swords.

Also, some one called the AK a sharpened prybar. I don't find this to be the case either. They are 3/16 th of an inch. Not too thick, and thinner than some traditional Katanas. The edges on the traditional katana will be a full convex/zero edge. Which translates to less effort cutting, and significantly less drag than a V grind edge with a transition between the edge and the primary grind.

I would posit, that if you took an AK and had Ban (or NorCal, etc) do a convex zero edge, with a satin finish, you would no longer thing it was a sharpened pry bar. They are not thick, but rather, may have a thicker edge geometry.

Completely different blade height from edge to spine, which has a drastic effect on cutting efficiency.

You will be able to make deeper cuts with a taller blade geometry.

If you look at the modern cutting competitions with blades, they use longer, taller blades.

The AK won't be able to cut as deep. It is a shorter blade from edge to spine, and also has less length.

For toughness, I have seen torture tests of AK's and and RAt Waki's that have impressed the hell out of me.


I would not recommend using a traditional style Katana to chop down a tree (bamboo handle pins again make me nervous), but you would have no issues with a modern style sword like the AK or Waki.

Did this answer any questions? I don't think so.


I do think that with a modern "super steel" with a modern computer controlled heat treat, not to mention a cryo treat (If I remember correctly the cryo treat by Busse is down below -300 degrees for some thing stupid like 60 hours).

I have seen that .50 cal vid a time or two.

I can tell you for certain, no tungsten core bullets were used. It would have vaporized the steel.

I also, in watching that video, if I remember correctly wondered if the bullets were even jacketed? I watched it a few times and seem to remember that I thought the bullets were plain lead.

People will tell you "you can't shoot a .50 cal machine gun with lead rounds". But I would tell you I can hand load, with my own bullet dies, and do so. Your machine gun would not run for a super long time before problems arose, but it is definitely possible (you can also load the ammo down in power, and use a heavier slower bullet and still reliably cycle the action).

It is pretty sweet, but I would put up several modern steels, with the same blade profile, treated appropriately to recreate that same action (especially if we are using modern laminated steels, and differentially heat treated etc).

what kind of personal expierence do you have with traditional style japanese swords?

 

[JParanee]

To complicate the question, there is also more than one way traditional Japanese swords were made. Different methods of getting the hard edge and soft sides and back.

Another issue, is that there are different designs of Katana's depending on era and what type.

I read more than one article that stated the Katana was made more robust after an invasion by Chinease proved that the sword design they were using was not robust enough for the combat encountered with the Chinese soldiers using "inferior" swords. De-lamination, handle failure (Katana's don't have, strictly speaking, the most robust handle designs, with often one single bamboo pin holding the handle on), and out right blade breaks. I don't remember the articles, and am too lazy to search. The point of the articles was that after these problems, the Katana underwent a make over to be designed more robust.

Another thing that happened was that Naginata (sp) were converted into swords.

Also, some one called the AK a sharpened prybar. I don't find this to be the case either. They are 3/16 th of an inch. Not too thick, and thinner than some traditional Katanas. The edges on the traditional katana will be a full convex/zero edge. Which translates to less effort cutting, and significantly less drag than a V grind edge with a transition between the edge and the primary grind.

I would posit, that if you took an AK and had Ban (or NorCal, etc) do a convex zero edge, with a satin finish, you would no longer thing it was a sharpened pry bar. They are not thick, but rather, may have a thicker edge geometry.

Completely different blade height from edge to spine, which has a drastic effect on cutting efficiency.

You will be able to make deeper cuts with a taller blade geometry.

If you look at the modern cutting competitions with blades, they use longer, taller blades.

The AK won't be able to cut as deep. It is a shorter blade from edge to spine, and also has less length.

For toughness, I have seen torture tests of AK's and and RAt Waki's that have impressed the hell out of me.


I would not recommend using a traditional style Katana to chop down a tree (bamboo handle pins again make me nervous), but you would have no issues with a modern style sword like the AK or Waki.

Did this answer any questions? I don't think so.


I do think that with a modern "super steel" with a modern computer controlled heat treat, not to mention a cryo treat (If I remember correctly the cryo treat by Busse is down below -300 degrees for some thing stupid like 60 hours).

I have seen that .50 cal vid a time or two.

I can tell you for certain, no tungsten core bullets were used. It would have vaporized the steel.

I also, in watching that video, if I remember correctly wondered if the bullets were even jacketed? I watched it a few times and seem to remember that I thought the bullets were plain lead.

People will tell you "you can't shoot a .50 cal machine gun with lead rounds". But I would tell you I can hand load, with my own bullet dies, and do so. Your machine gun would not run for a super long time before problems arose, but it is definitely possible (you can also load the ammo down in power, and use a heavier slower bullet and still reliably cycle the action).

It is pretty sweet, but I would put up several modern steels, with the same blade profile, treated appropriately to recreate that same action (especially if we are using modern laminated steels, and differentially heat treated etc).

If I sent a prybar to Ban and had him give it a full convex edge I bet it would cut well also

 

[Kohai999]

If you look at the modern cutting competitions with blades, they use longer, taller blades.

Did this answer any questions? I don't think so.

.

1. If you look at the modern cutting competitions in JSA, SOME competitors use longer, WIDER blades like the Kotetsu....these also have a propensity to bend....in the hands of a moderately skilled cutter they WOULD bend as that cutter pushed their cutting ability.

2. What exactly is your point?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Bigfattyt]

If I sent a prybar to Ban and had him give it a full convex edge I bet it would cut well also

For sure.


I have some Busse knives that are, for sure sharpened pry bars. But for some things I love that.

When I take them and put a convex edge on one with a nice polish, they chop much better.

My point on that was that I would not consider anything in the thickness range of the AK47, or Ruck, or either of the Waki's (the Scrapyard or the swamprat) to be "prybar" thick. They are definitely "prybar" tough, but not prybar thick. 3/16 is not thick in my experience, especially when considering a blade length out past 18 inches.

what kind of personal expierence do you have with traditional style japanese swords?

None. That is why I am such an expert! But really, I have never done sword cutting competitive or other wise. I do own a beater European sword that is edged. I have not used it for cutting.

I have held and swung traditional style Japanese swords, but never against a target. I have also seen vids and pics of broken handles, blades, and injuries of arms, legs etc (many of these from careless use of knives, which should be easier and safer to handle and control). Even as we speak (or I guess type) I am sitting on my couch dressed from head to toe in black pajamas with my ninja gear on. I had to take my spike hands and feet off.......the wife yelled at me for marking up the floor, and apparently the wall I just climbed with them was not rated for a fat ninja........I'll have to fix that later.

I have been interested in swords, all types, for most of my life and have done some reading on the subject.

Traditional Japanese swords are one of the topics that really get people riled up for some reason. Lots of crap about them. Both true and not. They are built with a handle construction where the whole handle assembly is basically held on with a bamboo pin.

A traditionally constructed sword using that method, with a properly fitted handle, done by some one who really knows what they are doing will be robust enough to use for cutting, and last a life time (although I would keep an eye on the condition of the pin).

A modern made sword, using the same construction, properly done will be robust enough for the same heavy use.

A modern made sword, using the same construction, but poorly executed would give me great pause in using it hard. There are so many junk swords out there right now, that it is buyer beware.

I am not tying to say that a decently made Japanese style sword would give me any pause. But I would want to be careful when using one with a questionable assembly without asking around (IE Cold steel are supposed to be heavier, and suitable for general bashing, but as already stated, there have been reports of spotty QC, with some handles cracking and splitting and failing under use........not my reports, but it has been mentioned).

1. If you look at the modern cutting competitions in JSA, SOME competitors use longer, WIDER blades like the Kotetsu....these also have a propensity to bend....in the hands of a moderately skilled cutter they WOULD bend as that cutter pushed their cutting ability.

2. What exactly is your point?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

Oh, no real earth shaking observations or assumptions. I was just pointing out that blade geometry has as much effect as any other of the variables in the performance of the blade. (Ie modern super steel with a modern heat treat protocol vs traditional forging, construction, heat treating will have less effect on cutting performance than the over all blade length, blade height from spine to edge, edge geometry etc will all be more important to cutting, thrusting, performance than what method was use to make the steel, or what type of steel etc). The Busse family Waki's (AK's, Ruck's, Swamp rat Waki, and Scrapyard Wakis) are not the most efficient cutters for one thing. Especially the CG versions. They will be hella tough, but won't compete with more traditional designs that have more optimal geometry. They can be made much more efficient at cutting by applying a full convex grind with a nice polished zero convex edge.

Some of the video's of people doing "world record" Tameshigiri cutting, the swords you sometimes see have very little resemblance to traditional sword designs at all. They are optimized for cutting tatami mats, and that is about it. They would be impractical for "combat" or even combat orientated training. Like a F1 race car would be impractical as a daily driver. Specifically I was thinking about the video's where they are cutting those massive tree trunk tatami rolls (I think one was 14 rolls combined into one giant roll). The guy is using a sword that looks like O No Daichi (sp?)if I remember correctly (the sword is taller than the cutter is). When you look at swords that big, they are in the realm of poll arms. Great for cutting the legs out from under a horseman I guess.

I think the guy in the video is Bruce Baldwin, who is the current Tatami "world record holder" with 25 tatami mats in a single cut. I believe the swords he uses are all Angel Forge swords. The video's were on the Angelforge website. (wish I had a collection of these swords. I was all hyped about wootz/bulat damascus when it was "rediscovered"). I have heard some very unflattering things about the maker though, including some complete bunk he was passing off on a History channel program about making his swords (something about his mythical sword making techniques and magic causing the water quench he was doing to light the water on fire???). I had a friend who is an instructor and does demonstrations for European style sword fighting (ARMA?) say he had personal dealings with the Angel Forge maker and would never send a friend there, or do business with him again.

I have also heard negative things bout the maker of Angle Forge bullying makers on here. One in particular had some sort of mistake, or unexpected result from his heat treat, where the steel looked like Wootz, and he was told he would be sued (for a mistake in heat treat that gave the steel a wavy appearance, because obviously, Angle Steel owns all intellectual property involved with Wootz/Bulat making........... Not sure how that works when the prior art existed a thousand years ago).

I was just thinking out loud from my Ninja Fortress of Solitude (or my huge comfy couch as some might call it).


I think the original question was which would perform better Traditional construction using traditional methods and heat treat, or modern super steel (and all that entails, including a cryo to neg 300 degrees, which I doubt was possible in the golden age of sword making).

Just trying to point out that so many other variables have just as much effect on performance outside those two variables.


Now, if the design, and profile (IE thickness, length, edge to spine, grind profile etc) are all done exactly the same, I do think my vote (as to top overall performance) would have to go toward modern "super steel". I base this off of absolutely no knowledge and very little intelligence.

 

[JParanee]

For sure.


I have some Busse knives that are, for sure sharpened pry bars. But for some things I love that.

When I take them and put a convex edge on one with a nice polish, they chop much better.

My point on that was that I would not consider anything in the thickness range of the AK47, or Ruck, or either of the Waki's (the Scrapyard or the swamprat) to be "prybar" thick. They are definitely "prybar" tough, but not prybar thick. 3/16 is not thick in my experience, especially when considering a blade length out past 18 inches.

Bigfattyt don't get me wrong I am a huge Busse fan and customer my point was out of the box you can't compare edge geometry and handleing of the 2 it's like compareing apples to oranges there just different

Hold and cut with for example a Hartsfied Wak compared with an AK one makes the air bleed the other does a good job no a great job of what it was ment to do.

 

[JParanee]

This is a Hartsfield Wak

Phill's interputation of what the Japanese Sword would have evolved to exemplifies a modern non traditional Japanese styled sword

Here is a Tanto with a blade that might be close to size of some of the Bussekin swords

Phill used A 2 and is one of the only people that I have seen put a heat treat that left a Hamon on A 2. By the way my original AK was A 2

 

[Joshua J.]

Very true. The dangerous thing about generalizations is...they're generalizations. Styles of swords varied GREATLY depending on region, time period, and personal preference. It would be interesting to see what would happen if someone were to test sharp edge-to-edge parrying actions somehow.

While not trying to replicate parrying, and maybe not even relevant to the conversation at all, the tests from Mythbusters are pretty cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z8i6V2wYHU&feature=related

 

[SShepherd]

None. That is why I am such an expert! But really, I have never done sword cutting competitive or other wise. I do own a beater European sword that is edged. I have not used it for cutting.

I have held and swung traditional style Japanese swords, but never against a target. I have also seen vids and pics of broken handles, blades, and injuries of arms, legs etc (many of these from careless use of knives, which should be easier and safer to handle and control). Even as we speak (or I guess type) I am sitting on my couch dressed from head to toe in black pajamas with my ninja gear on. I had to take my spike hands and feet off.......the wife yelled at me for marking up the floor, and apparently the wall I just climbed with them was not rated for a fat ninja........I'll have to fix that later.

I have been interested in swords, all types, for most of my life and have done some reading on the subject.

Traditional Japanese swords are one of the topics that really get people riled up for some reason. Lots of crap about them. Both true and not. They are built with a handle construction where the whole handle assembly is basically held on with a bamboo pin.

A traditionally constructed sword using that method, with a properly fitted handle, done by some one who really knows what they are doing will be robust enough to use for cutting, and last a life time (although I would keep an eye on the condition of the pin).

A modern made sword, using the same construction, properly done will be robust enough for the same heavy use.

A modern made sword, using the same construction, but poorly executed would give me great pause in using it hard. There are so many junk swords out there right now, that it is buyer beware.

I am not tying to say that a decently made Japanese style sword would give me any pause. But I would want to be careful when using one with a questionable assembly without asking around (IE Cold steel are supposed to be heavier, and suitable for general bashing, but as already stated, there have been reports of spotty QC, with some handles cracking and splitting and failing under use........not my reports, but it has been mentioned).

so, you're making generalizations about something you know very little about. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it would be like me saying " Those helocoptors aren't safe because they don't have wings"
Yes, you can find anything to prove a point on the net- or youtube. The construction of the katana worked well for the japanese for hundreds of years, I'm sure if it was something prone to failure they would have come up with alternate construction methods (they're pretty crafty at those things)

Having said that, a katana is not designed to chop anything...