Potential 1st Katana purchase ?

K

Kamagatsu

Joined
Jul 7, 2022
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2
Hi all, 1st post.

many years ago I started an interest in samurai and there swords, I started a journey down the samurai rabbit hole and a number of books latter even a few visits to specialised Japanese sword fairs, following Japanese sword auctions ect! although never quite got round to making a purchase.

here we are many years latter and my interest has again peeked although this time I intend making a purchase, having looked at some of the websites that sell genuine swords in auctions I’ve decided I won’t spend this much now in favour of a good reproduction ( new sword).

now I have practiced Kendo for a few years although taking a break after a health issue ! But I do have a practicing Iaito gym on my doorstep which I may look into.

so I’m after some advice from those that know preferably from experience, as to what brands models are acceptable?
im in the UK and have dealt with The Knights shop ( who do sell Hanwei and a few others). I’ve found a couple I like the look of but are they worth the money and are they well made?
id like a sharp sword so I may attempt practice cutting, I’d narrowed down to the Wind & Thunder, and a few others

[Links to non-supporting vendors removed by staff]

EDIT ( due to incorrectly posting prohibited links.

swords I’ve been looking at are :
wind & Thunder
big wave
Bamboo mat
koi


ive also discovered the Hanbo-forge and although I really like the look of there products ( online) I don’t understand how they can do what they claim they can for the asking price?
im 52 yrs old and have been an engineer most my life so I do know the difference in quality aswell as a little technical information like T10 or 1095 is a good choice.

any advice greatly appreciated.
thanks, Lee.
 
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Kamagatsu said:
Hi all, 1st post.

many years ago I started an interest in samurai and there swords, I started a journey down the samurai rabbit hole and a number of books latter even a few visits to specialised Japanese sword fairs, following Japanese sword auctions ect! although never quite got round to making a purchase.

here we are many years latter and my interest has again peeked although this time I intend making a purchase, having looked at some of the websites that sell genuine swords in auctions I’ve decided I won’t spend this much now in favour of a good reproduction ( new sword).

now I have practiced Kendo for a few years although taking a break after a health issue ! But I do have a practicing Iaito gym on my doorstep which I may look into.

so I’m after some advice from those that know preferably from experience, as to what brands models are acceptable?
im in the UK and have dealt with The Knights shop ( who do sell Hanwei and a few others). I’ve found a couple I like the look of but are they worth the money and are they well made?
id like a sharp sword so I may attempt practice cutting, I’d narrowed down to the Wind & Thunder, and a few others

[Links to non-supporting vendors removed by staff]

ive also discovered the Hannover-forge and although I really like the look of there products ( online) I don’t understand how they can do what they claim they can for the asking price?
im 52 yrs old and have been an engineer most my life so I do know the difference in quality aswell as a little technical information like T10 or 1095 is a good choice.

any advice greatly appreciated.
thanks, Lee.
Click to expand...

Aren't curved swords other than antiques prohibited in your country? If you have a facebook join the All Swords &/or Sword Buyers Guide group there. I see a lot of people from the UK so they might be able to provide better guidance.
 
Legendary_Jarl said:
Aren't curved swords other than antiques prohibited in your country? If you have a facebook join the All Swords &/or Sword Buyers Guide group there. I see a lot of people from the UK so they might be able to provide better guidance.
Click to expand...
Not from what I’ve read recently Jarl, it appears the law was changed recently to allow handmade swords once again legal. All of the website's that are either based in the Uk or sell to the UK ( The Knight shop, Katanamart.co.Uk,coldsteel) to name a few all have details on this claiming that the law now allows hand made swords to once again be sold.
thanks for the advice, I have already joined a few and am awaiting answers.
Lee.
 
No personal experience, but several years ago I was also considering purchasing a functional katana to learn cutting on tatamis.

At the time I was looking hard at Ronin Katana. They seemed to be producing well made swords for very reasonable prices.

Good luck in your search and please come back to tell us what you decide on!
 
Paul Chen/Hanwei make excellent, relatively affordable functional swords. I have several, and would highly recommend them to someone just dipping their toes into the katana pond.
 
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If you're practicing sword martial arts, a good idea would be isolate your searches for "competition" swords, so you get something that's built for function and less rattly teenager mantle piece. I'm not sure if you're into hunting down things made by specific sword smiths at this point, but this article might be a helpful starting point to get a competition blade you could use in a tournament.

www.sword-buyers-guide.com

Best value for money high quality Katana

Your guide to buying high quality Katana without breaking the bank
www.sword-buyers-guide.com
 
There are some great reviewers out there. Matthew Jensen has a great channel as it has comparison of many brands and price points. I have three swords. Here is my opinion.

1. Cheap: Tenchi something (from sbg) spring steel beater/user that's half my age. I've abused it forever and it's still tight and swinging strong. The blade is so scratched, it's soft steel and needs touch ups often.
2. Moderate. Bamboo Mat as a user for most practice cutting. It's held up to seven years of use. No issues and while double the price, it's not quite double my old Tenchi katanas quality or performance.
3. Painful. Citadel Lotus is my holy grail. It's not traditional Japanese, but it's pure handmade quality. The lotus cuts only somewhat better than the other two. But, I hardly use it due to the cost. It mostly just sits by my bed for what if moments. While it doesn't cut eight times better based off the 8x price, the quality is twenty times better. Fit and finish is where big money shine.

Buy cheap to medium depending on how picky and snobby you are. Both price ranges will have issues to overcome and both "will kill" just fine.


PS: Yoir first swords must be cheap, you will do dumb things as you learn. I absolutely wrecked some mall ninja swords in my early teens. Lucky no loss of eyes, blood or quality cutting tools.
 
Kamagatsu said:
Hi all, 1st post.

many years ago I started an interest in samurai and there swords, I started a journey down the samurai rabbit hole and a number of books latter even a few visits to specialised Japanese sword fairs, following Japanese sword auctions ect! although never quite got round to making a purchase.

here we are many years latter and my interest has again peeked although this time I intend making a purchase, having looked at some of the websites that sell genuine swords in auctions I’ve decided I won’t spend this much now in favour of a good reproduction ( new sword).

now I have practiced Kendo for a few years although taking a break after a health issue ! But I do have a practicing Iaito gym on my doorstep which I may look into.

so I’m after some advice from those that know preferably from experience, as to what brands models are acceptable?
im in the UK and have dealt with The Knights shop ( who do sell Hanwei and a few others). I’ve found a couple I like the look of but are they worth the money and are they well made?
id like a sharp sword so I may attempt practice cutting, I’d narrowed down to the Wind & Thunder, and a few others

[Links to non-supporting vendors removed by staff]

EDIT ( due to incorrectly posting prohibited links.

swords I’ve been looking at are :
wind & Thunder
big wave
Bamboo mat
koi


ive also discovered the Hanbo-forge and although I really like the look of there products ( online) I don’t understand how they can do what they claim they can for the asking price?
im 52 yrs old and have been an engineer most my life so I do know the difference in quality aswell as a little technical information like T10 or 1095 is a good choice.

any advice greatly appreciated.
thanks, Lee.
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t look at steel with close to 1% carbon for a large blade, like a sword. Better bets would be something like 5160, 1060 or perhaps 1070. You need a tough steel for large blades. I don’t know much about katanas, but I can’t imagine that 1095 would be appropriate, unless you have a folded steel with a softer outer layer or layers to ensure the blade is tougo.
 
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