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A Beginners Guide to Authentic Japanese Swords"How to find Dojo Quality Cutters at a fraction of the price you might expect to pay..."
At the end of the day, it is impossible to buy truly authentic Japanese swords on a budget of under US$300. Indeed, the starting price for most entry level Shinken is often much closer to US$1000 and goes up (and up and UP) from there.
However in our price range, there are basically two Katana which come at least reasonably close to the 'real thing' in terms of their appearance, functionality and handling.
And quite a few more that are not quite 'traditional' in their construction but are amazingly tough 'Dojo Quality' cutters - Japanese style "beaters" if you will...
In this article, we will be taking a look at these two main categories of swords - affordable 'authentic Japanese swords' and functional yet contemporary 'cutters'.
But before we do, let's take a look at the most common and misrepresented types of Japanese style 'swords' on the market place, of which there are probably more of these available than any other type of sword around - the stainless steel Japanese style sword like objects...
Japanese Sword Like Objects... The overwhelming majority of cheap Japanese style swords being sold online are not in any way functional. Sure, they are made of steel and yes, some of them might even be sharp - but sharpness alone doesn't mean very much if the blade bends or snaps on the first strike...
Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with buying some nice looking Samurai sword sets to display over the mantelpiece, etc.
The only problem is that many people who believe they are starting a collection of authentic Japanese swords aren't getting what they think they paid for...
Essentially, most display swords are made of Stainless steel - which is a great choice for knives - but in anything over 12" long (like a sword) it tends to become overly brittle. What makes things worse though is that the tang of display swords is typically a thin steel rod welded to the blade. Such a tang tends to bend and or break off inside the handle when swung, which can sometimes send the blade flying out like a missile...
Bare Bones Japanese Style Swords...
In short, a functional Katana at an absolute bare minimum needs:
Of course, at the end of the day while the swords above might be reasonably decent cutters, these cheapies aren't anything even close to authentic Japanese swords.
Despite being of questionable quality, they are all missing one very important component that strictly speaking is not 100% necessary in creating a 'functional' replica but that all truly authentic Japanese swords possess...
Traditionally Forged Differentially Hardened Katana Blades...
One such technique is folding, in which the steel of traditionally forged authentic Japanese swords was folded in on itself around 10 to 16 times to remove impurities inherent in medieval Japanese steel, which was of a somewhat poor quality and consistency.
These days, considering the quality of modern steel, such techniques tend to be of cosmetic value only.
But there is one additional unique technique that is still very relevant in the creation of authentic Japanese swords - a technique that creates the wavy and beautiful temper line on the edge of the blade: the Hamon.
A real Hamon like the one pictured above is the result of differential hardening. In other words, the edge of the sword is made much harder than the shock absorbant spine.
If authentic Japanese swords were as hard all the way through as they are on the edge, they would be too brittle to use in combat. On the other hand, if there were as soft as they are on the back, they would quickly lose their edge.
The differentially hardened sword thus combines the best of both worlds, and is achieved by a process that involves covering the spine of the sword with a special clay before heating and quenching the blade, hardening the edge and creating the visible temper line between hard and soft.
99% of all 'Samurai swords' in our target price range have a fake acid etched or stencil ground 'hamon' because, naturally enough, this process adds a fair amount of time and extra costs into the production of a sword. And as a result of this extra cost and effort, there are only a couple of swords to choose in our sub US$300 price range from that are truly differentially tempered...
The ones that have been around the longest are the 'Practical' range by Paul Chen's Hanwei Forge
However, my personal favorite (which, incidentally has a blade almost twice as strong as the toughest of the Hanweis) is the 'Kaze' Katana by Cheness Cutlery
So let's take a look at these swords, starting with the Hanwei Practicals...
For a long time the Practical Plus Katana was considered to be the ONLY choice for semi authentic Japanese swords.
However, the most notable new entry to the world of production Japanese swords are the "great blades with basic fittings" line being produced by another gentleman (who is, by pure coincidence, also named Paul Chen!), from Cheness Cutlery... Japanese Sword Art Katana
Since 2005 Mr. Chen and a team of ex-Chinese Government Armament smiths have been working closely together to produce hand forged swords exclusively with the entry level practictioner of the Japanese sword arts in mind.
By using cheap (yet functional) fittings, while at the same time reducing their margins much lower than any other sword seller/manufacturer, Cheness Cutlery have made it possible to buy dojo quality authentic Japanese sworsd for serious martial arts practice all for a price tag of around US$250!
These new swords have caused quite a stir on the numerous sword forums, not least of which on Sword Forum International.
In all cases, Mr. Chen has proven himself to be extremely honest, transparent and upfront about his swords and has offered a rare insiders account into the Japanese production sword industry.
While Cheness Cutlery specialize in providing martial artists a large range of extremely practical and tough mono-steel "dojo cutters" - he also produces some differentially hardened authentic Japanese swords such as the Kanbai and the jewel in the Cheness crown, the Kaze Katana.
DH Katana by Other Manufacturers While there is little doubt that Cheness and Hanwei currently corner the market for the best quality and most authentic Japanese swords under $300, there are a few manufacturers coming out with differentially hardened Katana at the same or a similar price point and quality that varies from average at best to truly remarkable... Including:
Contemporary Monosteel Beaters
While authentic Japanese swords that are differentially hardened are rare in our price tag, full on durable monosteel through hardened "beater" swords are significantly more common, especially if you are willing to go just a little over our US$300 price limit.
Essentially though, there are 3 main brands to choose from: Cold Steel, Musashi Swords and Cheness Cutlery.
Cold Steel
The first in our line up is the Cold Steel Warrior Series Katana 88BK, which are considered to be the toughest beater swords on the market. While at first glance they may look like authentic Japanese swords, truth be told they are about as far removed from the originals as you can get...
On the negative side these swords are somewhat unbalanced with an overly thick and beefy blade, making them totally without grace and the ability to recover quickly from each strike. In other words, they are basically big, overbuilt choppers. However as 'big overbuild choppers' the monosteel (without even bothering with a fake hamon), through hardened 1050 Carbon Steel blades are very sharp and strong and as aptly demonstrated in their numerous promotional videos, are quite capable of taking on some pretty heavy duty targets...
"Despite all this though, these Cold Steel blades just ain't close to being authentic Japanese swords..." (then again, a lot of fans of super heavy duty Japanese style beaters like this one don't really mind...)
With the amazing handling characteristics you generally only find on much more expensive authentic Japanese swords - and beautiful tempered 1060 carbon steel mono-blades – these are the most graceful beaters on the market, carefully balanced between strength and precision.
Cheness Cutleries Dojo Cutters Finally, Cheness Cutlery specializes in a range of SUPER TOUGH, practical dojo cutter blades designed for frequent and heavy usage that actually handle like authentic Japanese swords should - and as a result - are extremely popular with budget conscious martial artists and dojos around the world.
And it's here that you'll find one of my personal favourite swords of all time...
One Final (Very Important) Word...
At the end of the day ALL sub US$300 Japanese swords, be they dojo cutters, beaters or simply sharp carbon steel replicas have one thing in common - despite how well they might perform, they are still NOT truly authentic Japanese swords...
With the proliferation of these bare basic Japanese style swords, it is unfair (and unreasonable) to compare them to a high level $1,500-$2000 production sword or (heaven forbid) a real Shinken/Nihonto.
Sure, if you are looking for a decent cutter for dojo applications, backyard cutting or a functional sword for display purposes (after all, a display sword that will fall apart if swung through the air is more embarrassing than impressive) - these swords will all meet (and probably exceed!) your requirements. But that said, all of them have their issues, especially when compared to truly authentic Japanese swords in the US$1000+ price range. They simply aren't in the same league - it's like comparing a Ferrari to a Pinto...!
Yes, all of the swords described above are hand forged. But none are made by a master smith - they are all made in China by blue collar workers...
Minor issues with most of these brands such as using panels of rayskin instead of a full wrap, cheap synthetic leather (i.e. PPK) or ‘shoelacy’ cotton (i.e. Cheness) ito on the tsuka (handle), a few inches of dull blunted edge just above where the hand guard meets the brass collar (habaki) or an imperfect level of polish (and many other small imperfections that do not effect the swords overall functionality) are common and largely to be expected. At the end of the day, it is simply impossible to produce truly authentic Japanese swords at the sub US$300 price point...
So if these small imperfections bother you - there is simply no choice but to fork out the money and buy something better - at the very least something like a mid level Hanwei Shinto Elite Katana from their performance series for around $750-$800, bearing in mind that even a sword like this (which are incidentally, also made in China but to much higher standards) doesn't compare to a $2,000+ production Katana. And a $2,000 production blade isn't a $5,000 custom sword - as a custom sword doesn't compare to a genuine $30,000 Japanese forged Nihonto...
It's all relative.
And as long as you keep this in mind, you can get a great deal of fun and satisfaction out of these bare bones Katana. Just don't expect to get a Ferrari for a Ford’s price tag and you won't be disappointed...! ;-)
Further Resources
For General Information on authentic Japanese swords, as well as guides to any unfamiliar terminology, sword history and much (much) more I strongly recommend a visit to what many people consider to be the best site on authentic Japanese swords - Richard Stein's Japanese Sword Guide which is the most recommended site in my own Japanese Sword Sites Directory, which lists all the best informational sites and sellers of Katana from $20 to $80,000... There's also an absolute mountain of information on authentic Japanese swords over at the Sword Forum International - just using the search function there will uncover an absolute goldmine of useful info, user reviews and more. Check it out - highly recommended, though almost as addictive as collecting authentic Japanese swords! ;-)
(1) ARTICLE: A Beginners Guide to Buying Samurai Sword Sets
I hope this information on authentic Japanese swords has been helpful. To return to the sword-buyers-guide.com Homepage from A Beginners Guide To Authentic Japanese Swords, click here.
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There are several techniques used in the forging of authentic Japanese swords that are rarely present in our sub-US$300 mark.
