T H E SAMURAI SW O RD G UIDE

THE
SAMURAI SWORD
GUIDE
Learn what to look for when planning to buy
www.samurai-sword-shop.com
JAPANESE SWORD BUYING GUIDE With the inception of the powerful and highly modernized internet, searching for and buying hard‐to‐find gadgets, gizmos and watchamacallits have never been easier than it was 10 years ago. And this includes finding a good katana. If one wants to buy a katana way back in the good ‘ol days, he had to go out and look for a brick and mortar store where some actual katana swords were being sold. But sometimes, after having traveled quite a distance, the store owner would tell you that they don’t have any katana in stock! What a big disappointment! All of these have changed though with the birth of the World Wide Web. Now you can find ten or more different katanas with just a few clicks and in just a fraction of time. You can quickly compare katanas that range from as low as 100 euro up to a few thousand euro while a real nihonto would probably cost around 10.000 , 20.000 and up to +100.000 euro and more. Well, don’t be shocked! Even a simple antique tsuba can actually cost much more than a regular sword! Nevertheless, the emergence of modern technology cannot quite replace the actual buying process that we have been earlier exposed to – one that allows us to examine closely and even touch and smell the product before we decide if it’s worthy of our penny. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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It’s really hard to tell if the katana on your computer screen is worth the price and if it’s really what you are looking for. It’s like being outside of a shop where you can look at all the displays behind the glass and admire them from a distance – but that’s all you can ever do, I’m afraid. You can keep looking at that sword for as long as you like but you won’t get any other detail in the process. But don’t despair! There are indeed ways to ensure that you have made a wise decision in purchasing online items. I have come up here with a guide which I’m sure would help you out in your journey and would give you a better idea of what you may be searching for in the web. Hope you’ll find it useful! Dave Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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CONTENTS Introduction • Let Me Check My Wallet! • Why Do I Want / Need A Katana ? What do I need ? • I’m a Sword Collector • I’m a Martial Artist I need an Iaito I need a katana for kata and occasional Tameshigiri I’m doing a lot of Tameshigiri (Cutting Exercises) • I want to practice at home • I’m new to this… just like to own a katana! What is important ? •
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What should I look for when buying a katana? The steel that has been used. Differentially or Through Hardened Blades What’s up with the polish ? The fittings & other parts of a katana Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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Let Me Check My Wallet! If you only have $20 in your wallet, then you would surely not go to a high class restaurant but instead you would run into the nearest McDonald’s to satisfy your gastronomical urgings, right? Well same goes true for online shopping…. your choices will always depend on how much money you have in your pocket as one cannot spend much more than what one has. So don’t get crazy trying to buy a katana that costs far beyond what you can afford. There are perhaps much more important things that you need to spend on rather than splurge your bucks on something as ‘trivial’ as a katana. A real Japanese Nihonto and some really good custom made swords will cost you some few thousand dollars. Although occasionally you may find some great bargains like a few antique pieces and/or custom katanas that sell for just $3000 ‐ $4000. However, if you only have a few hundred dollars (which is most often the case ☺) or probably just a thousand bones to spare, then what you should be eyeing out are those Chinese made katanas. 99% of the production katanas these days are actually being made in China. Believe it or not, there are some really good and amazing pieces of katanas that are being produced over in China. But we’ll get to that later… Don’t get crazy trying to buy a katana that costs far beyond what you can afford. Meanwhile, you should also be aware that some Japanese sword companies just buy their products (or sword parts) in China, label them with “Original‐Made in Japan,” or something to that effect, and then raise the price according to the Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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prevailing Japanese sword rates. If not, you might just end up spending a lot more than what you should have for some production katanas that were made to look like the original Japanese katanas. Why Do I Want / Need A Katana ? This is actually the very first question you should be asking yourself before going out there to buy a katana. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, then you need to find out what your personal motives are for needing/ wanting to have a katana. Are you a sword collector who would like to add some really fine pieces of swords in your collection (definitely not the cheap wall hanger type of sword) without having to spend your hard‐earned cash for some expensive swords that cost like a real Japanese nihonto? Or maybe you are one of those martial artists who are looking to buy their very first (or probably their second ☺) katana to be used during training sessions at your dojo. If so, then you have the choice between an Iaito (blunted and lighter) katana and a real shinken which can definitely hurt you if you are doing the wrong motions or you’re not concentrating at all. Then finally there is this possibility that you have just recently watched Tom Cruise in “The Last Samurai” or maybe even “Kill Bill” and suddenly you just cracked up and thought of getting your very own Samurai sword in case you might need it (for protection in case the enemy arrives :D) or to put on your table and use it for some occasional cutting every now and then. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
Never, ever forget that you are still planning to buy a weapon ! 5
I’m a Sword Collector If you are a sword collector, then you most probably want to consider how close to the original katana you would like your sword to be. The price of a katana is predominantly based on the type of steel, the quality of fittings, and the polishing process used. I will share with you later some useful information about steel and polish so just keep on reading. If you like a sword that resembles closely a real Japanese Nihonto, then you must go for a Tamahagane steel (Jewel Steel in English, or Yu Steel in China) blade with a traditional stone polish. Although there are some swords that come really close to the lower priced Nihonto, none of these can be compared to the €15,000 Nihonto made by a famous Japanese sword smith. The sword’s weight and balance will probably not matter that much if you are a sword collector since you most likely won’t use it anyway. You probably don’t want to go for any piece in the raptor serie since that is more the functional stuff made for practitioners and doesn’t feature the traditional clay process to harden the blade and so they don’t have a hamon line (which most of the collectors highly appreciate). Same goes for the Iaito Serie, these swords don’t even have a real steel blade and the hamon is sandblasted so you can skip those one’s too. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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All of the swords in the Practical serie of Paul Chen are ok to start with but the ‘just ok’ fittings, the standard polish and the ‘yokote‐less’ blades are probably not exactly what you might looking for in a collector piece. The swords feaured in the Forged Serie are definitely worth to take a look at. They do have a nice looking blade and hamon. The polish is way better than those in the practical serie and they do have higher quality fittings and an overall finish. The Shinto Katana , Golden Oriole katana, 3 monkey katana and Tea Culture Katana does have a very detailed fuchi, kashira and tsuba. The latter one also feature a katate maki (battle wrap) on the tsuka (handle) and is the only one in that serie you will find it on. All of the above swords does feature one of the better fittings in the whole Paul Chen range. Of course it depends what kind of fittings you particularly like. Some people have an ‘less is more’ attitude while others like to see some spectacular things. I’m not here to discuss about taste , you’re big enough to figure out yourself :o The Folded Swords are where most of the collectors like to pass by. In terms of overall quality and finish they are on the same level as their forged brothers and sisters. The biggest difference is the fact that all of these swords are folded and forged which results in a blade with a nice hada (pattern) and is of course much more attractive to the eye as a monosteel blade. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
The swords in the forged serie are a good place to start when looking to buy your first katana 7
Don’t be fooled by someone who is trying to tell you that a folded blade is more better and stronger than a monosteel blade. Bullshit ! In fact, monosteel blades are just way better to use. The smiths in ancient Japan had to fold their steel because of the poor quality of it in that time. It was done to get the impurities out of the steel in order to create a better overall quality. If they would had have the same sources of steel as we have them now, they would never ever thought about folding a blade..just a waste of time and energy… But it is what it is and because of the folding process they invented back in the good old days, they created a very strong and visible activity in the structure of the steel which is known as the hada. In order to get a similar effect nowdays, they are folding the blades too…not to get the impurity out of the steel because there’s nothing wrong with the steel these days . The only reason they’re doing that is to get a ‘similar’ look as the ancient blades. And there’s still lot of room to discuss that but let’s keep that for another time :o In the folded blades you can make a distinction between : 1. folded blades where billets of modern steel were used to forge the blade 2. folded blades where the forge made their own steel to start with. When they make their own steel (using iron sand as base) we can technically speak about tamahagane. Paul Chen only has 1 piece in their range where they use their own made steel but I Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
Saying that a folded blade is ‘better’ than a monosteel blade is just bullshit ! 8
don’t offer it because it’s just to pricy (read over the top) and you can get better stuff for less bones. If you really need that Paper Crane katana, shoot me a mail or call me, I can still order it for you :o So all of the swords in the Folded serie are made of modern steel with a Mirror polish : •
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Ronin katana Bushido Katana Tiger katana Orchid Katana Kami Katana Praying Mantis Katana If you want to see a natural looking hada and especially an attractive hamon, you need to go for a stone polished katana. The one’s I’ve just listed above don’t have a stone polish. Only the Paper Crane Katana has but it still looks ugly..sorry my honest opinion. But we do have the folded blades from Zhui Feng who are made of modern steel and who does have a stone polish for far less than the Paper Crane and does look 1000 times better… Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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I’m a Martial Artist After you have set your budget, functionality will most certainly be the primary factor that will determine your choice of sword. Aesthetics might not even be at the top of your priority list (although I strongly believe things rather than some ugly and disgusting stuff!) that each of us prefer to have nice With functionality to consider, you now have a choice between the blunt and lighter Iaito and the sharp Shinken. Or to make things even more difficult, you can go for a Shinken with a blunt edge ☺! I need an iaito Most Iaidoka are looking for an iaito. In other words it need to be light, not sharp and available in various blade sizes. In that case you need to go to our Iaito Section. Most of the blades are available in 4 sizes (measured from tsuba to tip) : 1.
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68, 5 cm or approx. 2,24 shaku 71,5 cm or apporx. 2,34 shaku 73,5 cm or approx. 2,41 shaku 75,5 cm or approx. 2,47 shaku Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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I need a katana for kata and occasional Tameshigiri For this purpose, an Iaito (as described above) would be the recommended sword as it is much lighter than the Shinken and its blunt edge is less likely to cause any injury. A sharp sword is definitely not a good choice if you want to use it for training purposes unless you are an advanced practitioner and/or your Sensei has given you the permission to do so. Using a sharp sword for practice will only put you and your fellow students at the dojo in danger. Some styles of Sword Arts prefer a live blade because every now and then , tameshigiri tests are performed in the dojo or they just like to have the weight and feel of a 'real' one. If you want to do a lot of kata, then go for the lightweight katana that has its point of balance (POB) near the tsuba. It will certainly be more comfortable for you. So if you are looking for a light weight blade (900 gram) there is the Shinto Katana and the 3 Monkey Katana. Both of them are very light and able to do some tatami tameshigiri. When looking for a katana with a long tsuka (38,5 cm), the Musashi katana and the Golden Oriole katana (34 cm tsuka) are light weight katans too that can handle some cutting. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
A sharp sword is not a good choice for you if you don’t have any experience… 11
The only negative point here for practitioners is that these Paul Chen swords comes in a ‘one size fits all’ so no choice for you to choose the length of the blade. If a 1000 gram sword is still ok for you, you might consider our new Zhui Feng Monosteel Swords which are specially designed by and for martial arts practitioners ! Most Iaidoka or other sword drawing art practitioners prefer the katana with a hi. The hi (or the groove running along the back of the sword) creates a pleasant sound when performing your exercise and allows you to determine if the movement is done correctly or if it is poorly executed. For some occasional light cutting such as tatami or beach mats, then the most appropriate sword would be the Shinken with a hi. Just make sure not to use it on harder targets! I’m doing a lot of Tameshigiri (Cutting Exercises)
Now for much harder targets like the tatami with a bamboo center or just plain bamboo, make sure to choose the katana without a bo‐hi and with its point of balance leaning towards the blade. The same type of sword should be used when doing a lot of Tameshigiri as a katana with its POB near the tsuba can be very uncomfortable.
However, it would certainly require greater effort on your part as it is quite heavier and can indeed slow down your movements. A well‐trained swordsman though can move as fast as a practitioner using a lighter katana. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
Zhui Feng swords are designed by and for practitioners
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When performing a lot of cutting and or heavy cutting exercises at your dojo, the previous Paul Chen swords mentioned above are not a good option. Those swords are too light and not constructed to absorb heavy blows. The Zhui Feng swords however are just fine for the job, but we do recommend that you are choosing a blade without hi when heavy targets such as bamboo are your main targets. If you want to go with a Paul Chen sword we can recommend you these swords. Keep in mind that a non hi version is probably the one you like to choose when bamboo and other hard targets are on the menu : •
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Practical Plus Elite Katana (no hi) Practical Plus Xl Light Katana (hi) Tea Culture Katana (hi) Tsunami Katana (no hi) Wind & Thunder Katana (no hi) Raptor Shobu Zukuri Katana (no hi) Want to practice at home…
Ok you happen to love (Japanese) swords, have no martial arts experience whatsoever and you need some work out every now and then to get rid of your inner stress :o So you go into your garden , armored with bottles of water, beach mats and or other targets in one hand and your sword in the other…ready to have some cutting fun ! We all have our own hobbies so nothing wrong with that but Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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before I continue (and I’m sure you’ve hear it already 100 times..) don’t go too crazy, you still holding a weapon that can hurt you or someone else very badly ! This being said, what’s the best choice for you ? If you are on a low budget Let’s consider a low budget anywhere between 200‐400 euro..Going lower is always tricky and as you know, you get what you pay for and since you want to buy a weapon, you better think twice or safe some more money to get something better. Now, if you just like to cut (every now and than) small bottles of water, cardboard tubes, 1‐3 beach mats or some other soft targets you will be fine with any sword within the Practical serie or the Raptor serie. The latter one was especially designed for these kind of practices so they should be a good choice. The biggest difference between these 2 series are the way they have been made. All of the swords in the practical serie are made of high carbon steel and does feature a hamon, which means they are differentially hardened. The same kind of process they used to work with in ancient Japan. The Raptor serie swords are made of 5160 steel and through hardened, so no hamon line there. 5160 Steel is an alloy steel that contains Chromium and Silicone which makes the blade more rust resistance and harder. The little silicone part adds Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
Don’t forget : you are still holding a weapon that can hurt somebody else very badly !
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more toughness to it. In the Raptor Series you will find : •
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Shobu Zukuri Katana (can take harder targets) Moroha Katana (normal stuff) Unokubi Katana (normal stuff) In the Practical serie you can also draw a line between the standard and the performance serie. The performance serie has these swords in that category : •
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Practical XL Light Practical Plus Elite Practical Plus XL Light And these swords are especially designed for cutting exercises. They have a stronger blade (blade is a little wider and a little thicker than its traditional counterparts) which allow you to cut more easily and it doesn’t get damaged as easy when you happen to perform a bad cut. If you just want to cut some water bottles or beach mats every now and than, you will be fine with one of these here. They are not as strong as the one’s I’ve mentioned here above but they are still for those light targets : •
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Practical Katana Practical Plus katana Practical Pro Katana Ninjato The Zhui Feng Swords we offer are still within the low budget class and ideal cutters. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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So where’s the difference between the Paul Chen and the Zhui Feng katanas ? The biggest difference is that we have full control over the production process of the Zhui Feng Swords where we have absolutely none with Paul Chen. So we listen very closely to the feedback we get and adjust where necessary in order to get every little detail right. A few differences that come to my mind right now : •
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Unique design Different lengths of blades Nicely shaped (Rikko) and strong tsuka High quality fittings , ito and sageo Real yokote The feedback we got up to know from practitioners, every single one of them placed to Zhui Feng’s above the Paul Chen katanas. If you can afford something more… You better spend it on something else than a sword if it’s just for having some cutting fun ! I’m a very bad salesman as you can see but I don’t think you want to spend a ton of money just to have some fun in your garden. But in case you want to have cutting fun AND a nice collector piece in your home, you can consider the pieces I mention in the practitioners guide, being : •
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Tea Culture Katana (hi) Tsunami Katana (no hi, good for more heavy tagrets) Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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Wind & Thunder Katana (no hi, good for more heavy tagrets) Miyamoto Musashi katana (hi and long tsuka) Golden Oriole katana (hi and medium tsuka) Shinto Katana (hi and very very light) 3 Monkey Katana (hi and very very light) If you’re crazy about folded blades I need to say that they are not stronger or better in terms of quality and cutting ability if we compare them with the monosteel swords but of course they are better looking and an important factor if you like to display it somewhere in your house and or you just love a katana with a hada (pattern in steel). These here are the one’s I would recommend or at least take a look at : •
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Ronin katana Bushido Katana Tiger katana Orchid Katana Kami Katana Praying Mantis Katana Zhui Feng with stone polish A custom made katana Of course we can also offer you a custom made katana where you can compose one by choosing only the components that you really want/need. Just keep in mind that you will need to have some patience there..the delivery time is usually around 8‐10 weeks. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
Folded blades are not stronger or better in terms of quality and cutting ability 17
Or..we can also change a standard model for you over here, which goes much faster of course. Usually we can fix that within 1 week and we can : •
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Change the fittings (fuchi‐kashira‐menuki‐tsuba) Change the color of rayskin (samé) Rewrap the tsuka with the color of ito (cotton/silk) you like Change the sageo I’m new to this… just like to own a katana!
Well then, welcome to the wild but awesome world of Japanese swords! First thing you should know is that you are bringing in a sharp (and definitely deadly) weapon into your house. A katana is not something to fool around with so don’t just leave it in places where kids can get a hold of them. So after you decided how much bones you like to spend on your first katana it’s time to ask a second question : Will I ever use the sword or is it only to display and give it a nice place in my home ? If you like to use, do your homework first before getting one of these sharp swords and start off with the bokken (wooden sword) while getting yourself familiar with the real thing. I have included some really useful information about the katana in this guide so just read along.
You can practice with a bokken to start with, as it is a much safer substitute if you have never handled a katana before. I’ve seen some videos in Youtube of people who must have gone crazy with their katana or who were simply not aware of how dangerous this sword can be. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
Some people are not aware of how dangerous a sword can 18
In case you already have a katana and would like to test its real cutting power, then use appropriate targets! Don’t ever try to cut a tree with your katana (we have axes for that), aim for that metal bin, or even hunt down your neighbor’s cat! And one more thing, make sure that there is no one around you when you’re trying to practice since they surely won’t take it lightly when the katana suddenly slips off your hand or breaks and a sharp piece of your sword flies right through their arms or legs or any other part of their bodies!
The message is loud and clear: BE RESPONSIBLE! In case you just need it for decoration or starting a collection, scroll back to the sword collector part . If you are a collector and want to use it from time to time because you just don’t want to keep it as a wallhanger, we spoke about that in the ‘I want to practice at home’ section. If you are still not clear or it’s hard to make up your mind, just send me a mail or ring me at 0032 477 90 36 12 (yeah I do speak English:o) Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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What should I look for when buying a katana?
Good question! When doing online shopping, one of the most difficult tasks would be product inspection. Things can look the same onscreen making it hard for a buyer to determine the difference of a certain product with another or distinguish any flaw it might have. That is why we are making detailed and high resolution photos of all the swords we have in stock. Most of the other sword shops use the stock images they receive from the sword manufacturers. These photos do not show each sword part in detail and there is no way to tell if it is indeed what you are looking for. 1. The steel & construction that has been used.
There are primarily three major categories of steel & constructions used for the sword’s blade: the mono steel, the folded and the laminated blades.
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Mono steel blades are blades where a single piece of metal has been used for manufacturing. The most popular pieces of steel used today are : 10xx series ( 1045,1060 , 1070, 1095,etc) T10 steel 9260 steel L6 steel Swedish Powder Steel (ASSAB‐K120C) •
Folded steel blades are blades where two or more different types of steel are being folded to create the blade. Most production blades out there are a combination of 1045 & 1095 or something similar. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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When looking at a folded blade, you can see the hada (the steel pattern produced by the folding process) very clear. There are some forges up to this time, , who are still using the real traditional forging method just as the few Japanese sword smiths still do today . They make their own steel (called Tamahagane) in order to produce their folded blades.
They do start from scratch with only iron sand in their hands while steel bars are being used with the regular folded blades. Since the traditional forging process takes considerable time and requires greater effort, then expect that these swords would to be much more expensive than the standard folded swords. •
Laminated steel blades are blades where 2 or more different types of steel are being used to produce the blade but the blades themselves are not necessary folded. You can either have mono steel laminations or folded steel laminations.
Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
Picture on top is a Folded blade (forged by the Zhui Feng forge) with traditional stonepolish
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The following shows the most frequently used lamination methods:
2. Differentially or Through Hardened Blades
One of the most striking parts of the katana is undoubtedly the hamonline, the end result of the differential hardening process. The process starts with the sword smith creating a clay mixture of ash, water, clay and a few other materials. Then this mixture is applied thickly over the spine of the blade while only a thin layer is spread along the edges. This particular method is very important in creating a very strong yet resilient sword. After applying the clay mixture, the sword blade is heated over red‐hot coals during which the crystalline structure of the blade’s metal undergoes modification producing a milk‐white pattern. Once the appropriate temperature is reached (determined through visual inspection), the sword blade is removed from the heat source and immediately immersed in a trough of water. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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This is precisely what causes the changes in the composition of the metal. The metal beneath the sword spine where the mixture is thickest cools more slowly and results in a composition that is softer and more flexible. Meanwhile, the sword’s edge, cools very quickly which results in a very hard composition.
Most of the time, you will find an indication like this :
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HRC 40 on the back of the sword HRC 58‐60 on the edge of the sword While not many swords will actually have these numbers, they are used very often and almost a standard thing to mention :o
Alternatively, there are also Through hardened blades which does not make use of the clay layering method and the HRC (measurement of the metal’s hardness) of the blade is equal all throughout. You might be wondering if this type of blade is better or worse than the differential hardened blades. The answer is, NO. Some of these blades even prove to be much stronger than the differential hardened blades when subjected to a cutting test. However, when something goes wrong while cutting some hard objects and a lot of pressure is applied on the blade, the through hardened blade would normally break while the differential hardened blade can bend and absorb the shock. Another difference would be the presence of a real hamonline. Through hardened blades can’t have a real hamonline unlike the differential hardened blades. For this reason, some manufacturers would use a fake/etched hamon on the through hardened blades just to make them look better. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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There’s really nothing wrong with that although you have to bear in mind that these are not real. Two examples of a fake hamon : 3. What’s up with the polish ? The polish is without a doubt one of the prime factors that influence a sword’s selling price. Since the traditional polishing process is very exhaustive and can take weeks to arrive at the final stage, a price tag of $1500 / €1200 or more for a blade is not unusual. Since through hardened blades are not differentionally hardened, they can never have a real hamon line On the other hand, a katana that costs around $300 / €250 will most likely don’t have a traditional polish. These Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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production katanas are polished by machine or by a combination of machine and hand polish, the latter being done at the final stages of the polishing process. Although the differential hardened blade does have a real hamon, most of the manufacturers use some kind of acid to further emphasize the hamon since they don’t have the resources which are necessary to produce the white/ milk effect. Now your choice of polish would depend on how you plan to use your katana. If you are a sword collector and would just like to display the katana, then you might want to have a well‐ polished blade. But if you are a Tameshigiri practitioner who does a lot of cutting, then a traditionally polished blade isn’t for you. It would be a shame to leave some marks and scratches on these mirror shiny blades and eventually ruin your very expensive polish… Here are a few different kinds of polish : Monosteel blade with standard polish. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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Monosteel blades with standard polish. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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On top : monosteel blades with traditional polish. Folded blades with standard polish Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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Folded blades with traditional polish Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
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4. The fittings & other parts of a katana I’m not going to go through all the different parts of the katana so if you don’t understand a particular word or name, then just scroll down and you’ll find a diagram of a katana that shows its different parts. Fuchi & kashira & menuki The cheaper swords frequently use (red) copper and most of the time, they are not very clear and the lines are not that crisp. Copper fittings were also utilized in ancient Japan but this required greater time and effort. •
On the other hand, the more expensive end fittings are made of iron or silver. One example is Paul Chen’s swords which use iron fittings and those of Zhui Feng’s which are imported from Japan. Taken side by side, it’s easy to see the difference in quality among these swords. Copyright © 2010 www.samurai-sword-shop.com
Left pic : Quality Fuchi & kashira set Right pic : Set of menuki 29
Tsuba Similarly, the cheapest tsuba are made of copper (easy to copy & cast) while the higher end ones are made of steel. More and more manufacturers are switching from copper to steel tsuba but unfortunately, only few are able to produce some really nice works of art. World renowned Paul Chen is recognized for his excellent fittings which are further attested by the final price of his katanas. •
Ito & Samekawa Let’s start off with the quality of the ito. Nowadays, there are only a handful of manufacturers who use high quality cotton ito on their tsuka. As a matter of fact, the only ones I’ve known to have truly exceptional ito are Paul Chen and Zhui Feng. Chen makes his own ito while Zhui Feng imports his from Japan. •
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Aside from the quality of the ito, it is also important to note the quality of the wrap itself. A very tight wrap is definitely a requirement if you are a martial artist. I’m sure you don’t like to feel the ito moving in your hands while drawing your sword! But if you are a collector or if you’re not planning to use your sword very often, then the ito’s tightness would not matter that much. Then you also have the hishigami which is rarely used in the cheaper swords as it is time consuming. Hishigami are the small paper triangles which hold the ito in its diamond folded shapes and basically locks it in place. • Ito & Samekawa Another thing to consider is the quality of the ray skin (same‐kawa or same gawa). There are a lot of imitations out in the market but a good look at the size of the nods and patterns will help you determine a good quality ray skin. You should look for those with a nice big “emperor node” as shown in the picture below. These types of ray skin would usually cost over $100 / €100 so don’t expect to see some good quality ray skin in the range of $200‐300 swords. Keep in mind – you always get what you pay for! •
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The Tsuka (handle) A very important part of the sword that very often is overlooked. But we all know if the piece of wood that you are holding in your hands and where your (sharp) blade is attached to doesn’t do it’s job very well you have a BIG problem. So before you start to practice with your katana, doesn’t matter if only for kata and or cutting exercises, remove the bamboo pin(s) from the tsuka so you can take it apart and inspect the quality of it. During the last years, Chinese forges improved the quality of their blades but are often paying very little attention to the tsuka. Final Word I’ve said it before and I will repeat it again here, no matter why you want to buy a katana, always keep in mind that it is still a weapon so use your brains !
This is the First version of the guide and there are
some more chapters i like to add in the feature . So I would appreciate your feedback ! Let me know here
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