Important information about buying Katana
Would you like to buy a katana? A noble decision, because the sword embodies the values of the samurai and dealing with the subject usually brings added value to your own life. Due to the wide range of products available on the Internet, we would like to provide you with some information beforehand to help you buy a katana.
Original Katana and replica - a big difference when buying a Katana
Most of the katana offered on the internet are replicas from China. You can buy such Buy Replica Katanasome at extremely favourable prices because the manufacturing costs are low. With the Buy Katana in our online shop but you can buy the real katana from Japan. This is a huge difference that you should be aware of before buying a katana.
At first glance, you will immediately notice that there is a significant price difference between these originals and replicas, which are also often offered as genuine Japanese swords. We have already provided more detailed information on this in our Amount about "buy genuine Japanese swords" explains, this amount can also help considerably when buying a katana.
In a nutshell, swords are still made in Japan using methods similar to those used 500 years ago, but outside Japan these methods have been replaced by modern production methods. This is of course only a very simplified explanation, but it should suffice to give you an understanding of the price differences before you buy a katana.
Replicas often have one or more features that resemble a sword from Japan, such as blades made of tamahagane or folded steel. However, this does not make replicas from China a genuine Japanese sword! You should definitely keep this in mind when buying a katana.
There are things that are not usually mentioned in offers of genuine Japanese katana and therefore you will not encounter them in descriptions when you buy a genuine katana. These include:
Steel grades for Katana
Genuine katana from Japan are made from Tamahagane steel. For this reason, the description of swords from Japan does not usually include a more detailed explanation of the type of steel used. If it is specifically stated when buying a katana that it is a sword made from genuine Tamahagane steel, it is most likely a replica.
Blade structure
The blade construction (e.g. Kobuse) was used on real swords to compensate for weaknesses in the steel used. The aim was not to construct a particularly complicated blade.
The blade construction is therefore never actually mentioned when real swords from Japan are offered for sale.
Number of folds
The number of folds was mainly used to bring the carbon content in the blade to the desired level. Whether the blade had to be folded 11 or 12 times was decided by the blacksmith. Blades with 12 folds are by no means automatically better than blades with 11 folds.
This is why the number of folds is usually not mentioned in authentic katana and is usually not known because it is not relevant. As with Tamahagane steel, the same applies here: If the number of times the steel has been folded is specifically mentioned when buying a katana, it is most likely a replica.
Katana existed in different eras
As a basic knowledge for buying katana, it is useful to know at least the different eras of Japanese swords. The swords from these eras differ considerably. Before buying a katana, it therefore always makes sense to take a closer look at the sword eras.
Koto - Ancient swords from Japan
The swords from the first era of samurai swords are summarised under the term koto. These swords were usually tachi. Tachi are swords with long blades and a relatively large curvature, which were designed to be used by horsemen. If a katana from this period is to be purchased, it is usually a blade shortened to katana length, i.e. suriage. These were originally longer blades that were shortened in the course of history.
If you are looking for a particularly old sword when buying a katana, Koto blades are the right choice.
Shinto Katana
From the 17th century onwards, katana are referred to as Shinto. Historically, we are already in the Edo period, the golden age of the samurai.
Here, after changes in warfare, katana were already the standard sword of the samurai. These were carried together with a wakizashi as a daisho.
If you are looking for an antique sword when buying a katana, you will find the widest range in the Shinto area and the Shinshinto area that follows.
These date from a time of peace and therefore many well-preserved examples still exist.
Shinshinto Katana
Shinshinto fell at the end of the Edo period. Wars and battles were a thing of the past after a long period of peace. It is a kind of renaissance phase for katana and the older models were imitated in combination with modern elements. When buying katana, these can be particularly interesting because they are often still in very good condition.
Buy Gendaito Katana
Gendaito are the swords of the present, dating from the time after the shogunate and the samurai were abolished.
A typical characteristic of this katana is that the steel used is relatively hard compared to older swords, but also less multi-faceted.
These swords are also frequently used in martial arts training. If you would like to buy such a katana, you will always find a wide range in our online shop.
Buy Katana - What caused the price differences
When you buy a katana in our online shop, you will find a wide range of products at different prices.
Roughly speaking, it can be said that the price is determined by 2 main factors. The Blade quality plays an important role in the price of the Katana. The second major factor is the Condition of the blade.
Different qualities and conditions result in very different prices in our Katana range.
The quality can usually be roughly deduced from the period from which a katana originates and to which smith/school it belongs.
The condition of Katana can of course vary greatly.
In the article descriptions in our online shop for swords such as katana, we always try to formulate as accurate a description as possible for the sword on offer.
Nevertheless, we always recommend that interested buyers take a close look at the pictures, as we may focus on certain aspects of the sword in the description.
Buy Katana - our conclusion and recommendation
Especially if your plan is to buy a high-quality katana, it is time well spent to delve a little deeper into the whole subject. The superficial knowledge about whether the sword offered for sale is really an original katana from Japan or a replica from another country can usually be acquired within a few hours before buying a katana.
When buying an original katana, the era, quality and condition of the blade play an important role.
The era can help you find the style of sword that you prefer.
When it comes to quality and condition, you may be able to save a considerable amount of money when buying a katana. This is because there are certain trends which sword schools are currently considered to be the most highly regarded. If your own taste deviates from these trends, the right swords are usually available at a slightly lower price than if you follow the current trends.
In terms of condition, most antique swords have details that have developed over time in the form of flaws in the blade. In some cases, these can result in a considerable reduction in value. Whether they bother the collector to the same extent is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. Here too, considerable sums can be saved when buying a katana if personal taste differs from general opinion.
