Low end nihonto

[jawob]

Forgive the stupid question, but why don't dealers have a section selling low end blades? Seems every week there is someone on the forum asking to buy nihonto at the $2k and under mark and buying from a trusted name would seem to insure sales. 

[lonely panet]

The same reason you dont see art deallers selling pictures from pre school kids

[Natichu]

Different dealers for different things I'd imagine. There are some dealers with more economical options. 

 

Touken Komachi has a lot of entry level options, along with the higher end:

 

https://www.toukenkomachi.com/index_ja_tachi&katana.html

 

Seiyudo has their S-Line offerings:

 

https://world-seiyudo.com/product-category/s-line/

 

Nippontou has their Reasonable Japanese Sword section:

 

https://www.nipponto.co.jp/swordlist0.htm

 

At the end of the day, lots to be had, but it all depends on what a person's expectations are. Papered katana in good polish under $2000 US? Probably not. But a shorter blade, and/or some tolerance for wear and tear, and there are options out there it seems. 

 

(Note: of the three I only have experience with Touken Komachi, who have been phenomenal to deal with.)

[jawob]

16 minutes ago, lonely panet said:

The same reason you dont see art deallers selling pictures from pre school kids

Might have to disagree with your analogy. Understandable for some who deal in masterpieces. Not sure I'd call any hand forged blade pre school

[bnacorda]

you can get decent affordable ones but you have to really be confident in being able to discern quality. Typically, the San Francisco Token Kai has the best bargain sales on the last day of the show when dealers start slashing prices. Dont but from ebay though as that is vast field of land mines for the beginner. I've purchased from Toukenkomachi albeit Shinshinto but papered for roughly 2k. I've also purchased really entry level swords for my son at the SF show for $900 and got a free tsuba to boot. Also lots of 2 for 1 deals there as well. So dont be too discouraged. However, do buy some quality books. Not as expensive as swords and you will get the eyeballs for when you're ready. I've been at this for a few years now and I'm still learning!

[Mushin]

Some dealers do try to do something like this. If you look at Seiyudo, a high end dealer in the Ginza district of Tokyo, they offer a category of quality, lower priced swords called the “S-Line.” To quote their own marketing line: “The S-line is our new brand to offer swords which are relatively inexpensive but have a high artistic value.” Pretty accurate if you ask me. At the same time, Ginza Choshuya has “Fine Swords” which boasts nice swords at a nice price. By and large, these dealers do offer decent quality blades in good condition at decent prices. Other sites have a mix of goods and many of their lower priced swords are usually of questionable quality, unlike what Seiyudo and Choshuya are trying to offer bargain-minded collectors.

[Rawa]

1 hour ago, jawob said:

Forgive the stupid question, but why don't dealers have a section selling low end blades? Seems every week there is someone on the forum asking to buy nihonto at the $2k and under mark and buying from a trusted name would seem to insure sales. 

Gendaito is a nihonto?

[Hokke]

55 minutes ago, lonely panet said:

The same reason you dont see art deallers selling pictures from pre school kids

Savage 

 

Made me spit my drink out you bastard

[jawob]

Thanks Bobby, that's exactly what I mean. Seems like a good marketing tool to include a wide range of buyers. I posted this question, not exactly for myself, but in wonder why a dealer wouldn't corner more of the market. 

[nulldevice]

$2000 is a weird price range. It’s kind of the middle ground between eBay old white paper blades with questionable attributions and getting into Hozon blades by lower ranked smiths and those with flaws. 
 

I saw a lot of these blades in Japan at the few stores I went into that were more tourist focused. Seemed like some of them dealt mainly in $3-5k and under pieces exclusively.

 

Check out the links above, as there are a few Japanese online dealers that have quite the selection of $2000ish swords and sometimes papered. 

[PNSSHOGUN]

This seller focuses on low end items, you will often see sold items on other sellers pages at inflated prices. 

 

https://tokyosword.myshopify.com/

[Lexvdjagt]

When someone looks for a Hozon papered katana at around 2K then the supply is simply on the low end. You will certainly encounter dealers in Japan selling swords for this price, often with some defects. Many of these blades will be sold between dealers or without ever going on any website. I think dealers in Europe and the US will be less tempted to deal in lower end blades because they won’t have a high profit margin. I think this particular market is extremely underrepresented by dealers, there is a lot of demand for blades in the 2-3K region sold within the EU or US. There is just a lot more to gain when you sell higher end blades, even if you wouldn’t sell them as quickly as a lower end blade. 
 

The lower end market is currently mostly populated by EBay sellers or sellers like @PNSSHOGUN listed. They offer blades for a low price, but often without papers or with defects. 
 

 

[Schneeds]

Tokyo-nihonto often deals in that price range. Nice website and photography and is a forum member.