Good Nihonto?

[4evaluv]

hi!

im new to here, and new to nihonto

i don't do martial art or such, but just really into nihonto since im young!

 

ok, hrm... i would like to get some help from you people

how to i know if the nihonto is good or not? what is the definition of good? (like, shape, made of what kinda material, and such)

 

what do i have to take notice of when buying one?

 

recently i bought one from this guy from eBay, but the sword quality is quite poor, i was expecting that since it was not that expensive. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... %3AIT&rd=1 oh well, i learnt something from buying him

 

and now i found this guy selling on eBay, http://stores.ebay.com.au/Doku-Swords-a ... esstQQtZkm anyone bought from him before? is he reliable? and about Paul Chen

 

(is he really famous or something? coz i seem to hear his name around quite a lot)

 

thanks in advance!

[Brian]

Hi.

 

I moved this to general discussion for now, as the swords you are talking about are not traditionally made Nihonto, and are not made in Japan.

 

As per the forum rules, please could you sign your posts with your name and initial..it is easier than calling you 4evaluv You can add it in your profile if you like.

 

The info you are asking about would require an entire book to even start, but basically Nihonto are only traditionally made Japanese swords, forged from tamagahane steel and tempered traditionally. The first sword in your post is a Chinese repro, and the Paul Chen swords are one of the better known Chinese companies making modern copies of Japanese swords. The Chen swords are better than most of the thousands of fake swords out there, but are not Nihonto. They are sometimes used for martial arts or cutting practice.

 

I would suggest reading some of the above links at the top of the forum. The fake swords link will give you a good background, and the other links there have some very good info. There is just too much to answer easily here.

As for what makes a good Nihonto..that is a huge topic too. It comes down to the skill of the maker, the quality of the forging, the sugata (shape), and many other aspects. Only by looking at some genuine swords can you start to see some of the finer intricacies involved in them.

 

I would recommend reading a bit through this site: http://home.earthlink.net/%7Esteinrl/nihonto.htm

Dr Stein runs one of the best sites on Nihonto on the net, and many of your questions will be answered there. Another great site is at: http://www.hi-net.zaq.ne.jp/osaru/e_index.htm

 

Before you purchase a real Nihonto...it should be after a lot of reading and purchasing of books on the subject. There are some good introductions in the suggested reading link above, and books are a good investment before you jump into an expensive purchase.

 

And remember well....99.9% of the swords on ebay out of China are fakes, and a good many of the ones out of other countries. It it seems too good to be true..it is. Rather seek advice here before you jump into an expensive purchase that might cost you dearly.

 

Regards,

Brian

[4evaluv]

oh ok, hrm.. so how do i do the initial thing?

 

and about the real Nihonto, hrm... how can i find one?

btw, at the moment, im into the newly made one (since those old one is like... too expensive for me to afford) [but the main problem is... im not even sure if they exist!]

 

EDIT#2

i think what im looking for are called Shinsakuto

 

thanks

[4evaluv]

oh, and about the Paul Chen swords, is the quality of the blade any better than the one i bought? (coz the price of those swords are much higher than the normal ones from eBay)

[David Flynn]

paul chen swords are made in china and are still not real nihonto

David

[Ted Tenold]

The answer to your questions are in two parts;

 

First, learning about the differences in Nihonto is the beginning of a lifetime of study. Your first purchases should not be swords, but rather good books on the subject. Try to attend some shows (even if it means paying some airfare) because getting in front of real Nihonto should "flip the switch" for you. Perhaps look into some of the club organizations and if you are local to one attend one of their regular meetings. There are folks available in these clubs that will be quite helpful. However, spending money on modern production swords, poor quality antiques, or fake swords will *not* educate you in the ways of Nihonto. Spending money with blind enthusiam will only hinder your progress because you won't learn anything about Nihonto and the money will be gone.

 

Second, since Paul Chen's swords are not Nihonto, they are not relevant to this forum which has the mission of discusion pertaining specifically to Nihonto and their fittings. You would get far more information about him on forums such as http://www.swordforum.com where all manner of sword gendre are discussed. For a little background info, Paul Chen's real name is Chen Chao Po, and he owns a factory in Dalian Manchuria, China called Hanwei. Most of the swords made are hand forged but the relative quality levels depend on the particular line and price catagory. Seek the other forums for the reviews and differences, but make no mistake...you cannot learn about Nihonto by purchasing modern production swords or the scores of cheapo fakes being generated on ebay.

 

Oh, and btw, http://www.swordforum.com also requires real names.

[4evaluv]

ok, cool! thanks for the advise

i'll try to start off with a book / info about nihonto first

[Brian]

Yes..Shinsakuto is the term for modern made true Nihonto.

But you should know that the limited supply, intense study and qualifications necessary to produce them..makes them fairly expensive. It is quite normal to pay anything from $10,000 up to $100,000 for a modern Shinsakuto. You can check Aoi Art's website and others in the links above to see some examples.

A reasonable older blade, out of polish, can run you from $500 up to any amount you want to spend. If you buy..then buy from a trusted dealer or collector.

As an example..there is/was a wakizashi blade in the for sale section without mounts running under $500. That is a good deal if you are just starting out.

Buy books and read as much as you can, and it will all fall into place.

 

Btw..you can click on your profile in the links above and add your name in your signature there..or just sign your posts at the bottom with a name and initial.

 

Regards,

 

Brian R.