Happyzebra23 Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 Hello! I have always been interested in all things Nihonto; however, I have never had the money to get into collecting. I recently have been given a promotion at my job and have the disposable income to hopefully begin officially collecting! I am looking to purchase my first Nihonto katana, and hoping to spend at max $1,200. I know that most pieces are much more expensive than that, but I was hoping to someone may be looking to clean out some less desirable pieces in their collection. If anyone has a Nihonto preferably in shirasaya that is on the lower end of the desirability scale, I would be more than interested. I am located in the USA. Thanks! 1 Quote
ChrisW Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 I can put several things in front of you as a possibility. But what would you be looking for? Katana/wakizashi/tanto? Koto or newer? If you're interested, please feel free to reach out directly to me at ChrisW7290@gmail.com and I'll share some albums of things you might be interested in. Quote
Happyzebra23 Posted April 14 Author Report Posted April 14 I would mostly be looking for a katana. Thanks Chris! Quote
ChrisW Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 You might struggle to find a decent katana even in just shirasaya at that price level. Wakizashi and tanto? Yes, you'll find plenty. Katana are generally of a higher price level unless you start talking showato (Oil-quenched WWII-era blades), then you'll have a lot of options. 1 Quote
Happyzebra23 Posted April 14 Author Report Posted April 14 Chris, I totally understand. I am just very intrigued by the craftsmanship behind a hand forged blade. My hope was that someone has a very poor example that they would like to move out of their collection to make room for something new! Quote
Rayhan Posted April 23 Report Posted April 23 On 4/15/2025 at 2:44 AM, Happyzebra23 said: Chris, I totally understand. I am just very intrigued by the craftsmanship behind a hand forged blade. My hope was that someone has a very poor example that they would like to move out of their collection to make room for something new! People generally get very annoyed at me for saying this but you should ideally aim for a 5k USD budget and higher for your first sword. Even tradionally made gendaito are pushing 3500 USD these days. I think the collecting guide by Kiril puts things in good perspective. Quote
Bosco Posted April 26 Report Posted April 26 On 4/23/2025 at 8:40 PM, Rayhan said: People generally get very annoyed at me for saying this but you should ideally aim for a 5k USD budget and higher for your first sword. Even tradionally made gendaito are pushing 3500 USD these days. I think the collecting guide by Kiril puts things in good perspective. I don’t think 3500 USD can buy a tamahagane one. At least 7000 USD for decent one. 3500 is for the imitate one which is not tamahagane. Quote
Rayhan Posted April 26 Report Posted April 26 1 hour ago, Bosco said: I don’t think 3500 USD can buy a tamahagane one. At least 7000 USD for decent one. 3500 is for the imitate one which is not tamahagane. Sorry but I've seen very good ones go for 3500. 5 to 6 k USD is a good starting budget if you just want a sword to study. It gets tricky when you start to specialise though, then you're right @Bosco, it's more expensive when we spec our desired sword. Quote
Mikaveli Posted April 26 Report Posted April 26 Just browsing through some of the social media for sale groups, there's plenty of showato/ gunto for c. $1500 up. For older, traditionally made blades I think I saw one for $1600 - so his budget isn't miles away. But north of $2000 is a more common baseline, and obviously up from there. I totally understand the enthusiasm to buy something (anything) to scratch the itch. But I would recommend the OP doing a little more research, maybe buy a book or two, maybe stretch the budget a little - you can find something pretty special - that you'll get more enjoyment out of (after the novelty has worn off). 1 Quote
Bosco Posted April 26 Report Posted April 26 23 minutes ago, Rayhan said: Sorry but I've seen very good ones go for 3500. 5 to 6 k USD is a good starting budget if you just want a sword to study. It gets tricky when you start to specialise though, then you're right @Bosco, it's more expensive when we spec our desired sword. That must be a good deal, only one I found with that price is a tanto. But maybe I’m after one freshly made. Sorry for the confusion here, yes lot of them in 3500 budget already made one. Quote
Mikaveli Posted April 26 Report Posted April 26 Oh, and in collecting terms buying a wakizashi Vs katana... Nowadays there's a bit of an arbitrary (modern) distinction between them - blades over 2 shaku (approx 2ft / 60cm) are usually classified as katana. But if you find something just half an inch shorter, they'll call it a wakizashi and sometimes it'll be much cheaper 🙂 Quote
Rayhan Posted April 26 Report Posted April 26 I am only inclined to recommend swords that have (or can paper up) and these generally are higher priced. But in the end people will buy what they like and this is also ok, we cannot detract from the "itch" but I hope people will do justice to their bank accounts as well as their desires. Quote
Mikaveli Posted April 27 Report Posted April 27 Maybe so, but there's a delta between typical prices and possible prices. Just last year, I bought a sword for $1330 that papered. North of $3000, the search becomes much easier, granted. Just as north of $10k, you can be very particular indeed. Quote
Rayhan Posted April 27 Report Posted April 27 9 hours ago, Mikaveli said: Maybe so, but there's a delta between typical prices and possible prices. Just last year, I bought a sword for $1330 that papered. North of $3000, the search becomes much easier, granted. Just as north of $10k, you can be very particular indeed. Totally agree, I just prefer to limit risk and below the 5k mark the risk is greater. But, good things happen if you know what you're getting into the main issue is the polish on a sword at lower prices. Quote
Mikaveli Posted April 27 Report Posted April 27 12 minutes ago, Rayhan said: Totally agree, I just prefer to limit risk and below the 5k mark the risk is greater. But, good things happen if you know what you're getting into the main issue is the polish on a sword at lower prices. Yes, and (hopefully relevant to the OP) be aware that some less scrupulous sellers will sell a sword in poor condition, but mislead buyers into thinking serious flaws will just polish out (they won't) and downplay how much a proper traditional polish costs (thousands, unless you want to ruin any history or value). Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted April 28 Report Posted April 28 TJ Happyzebra seems to have some good ideas on how to approach this, and I can understand the desire to start with a blade in hand, almost any blade. And before even that, he/she has decided to consult here first. Owning a blade, with the responsibilities involved, certainly helps to focus the mind, and with that anchor you can then build a frame of reference around it, discovering useful sources of information concerning its various relevant aspects. Two or three blades down the road and some of these larger frames can start to interlink, creating the outlines of a Japanese sword universe inside your cranium. That first blade may suffer some indignities in the hands of a newcomer though!!! Good luck and happy hunting! 2 Quote
robinalexander Posted April 28 Report Posted April 28 TJ I also like your simple and straight forward approach ...don't aim too high, get something modest in hand and start your research and appreciation from there. Just like your first fishing rod etc. Crawl before you walk sort of thing. Whether a Katana or Wakizashi, just make sure you actually like .... not just 'a good buy'. Plenty of help here.... just keep asking (and read a little too ) 1 1 Quote
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