Looking to buy a shinsakuto tanto

[David E]

I am looking for a shinsakuto tanto in good condition

My budget is set at around $1000 USD

I am looking for a blade that fits my tastes, ideally gunome hamon, small to no sori, and itame hada
I understand that this price range is optimistic, and I am open to any and all advice

 

[Scogg]

Hi @David E,

 

I’m going to relocate this to the ‘wanted to buy’ section.Best of luck with your search for a tanto. 
 

Best,

-Sam 

[David E]

Just now, Scogg said:

Hi @David E,

 

I’m going to relocate this to the ‘wanted to buy’ section.Best of luck with your search for a tanto. 
 

Best,

-Sam 

Thank you

[eternal_newbie]

5 hours ago, David E said:

I understand that this price range is optimistic, and I am open to any and all advice

 

It's possible within that price range, but you'll likely have to contend with condition issues (e.g. this tanto on Touken Komachi: https://www.samuraishokai.jp/sword/24615.html), unless someone on here is willing to give you a really good deal.

 

However, at around the 250,000 JPY (~$1500 USD) range, your options on the open market increase considerably, such as this tanto on Aoi: https://www.aoijapan.com/tanto-inaba-toko-tenryuji-hidetoshi-heisei-gan-nen-10-gatsu-hioct-1989/ 

 

Or the tanto blades in the "Newly producing swords" section at Usagiya (you'll need to scroll down close to the end): http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/catalogue.html

[David E]

Thank you for the suggestions

do you have any idea if Tantō in shirasaya only would be cheaper?
koshirae is not super important to me, and I want the best blade I can get for my money 

[eternal_newbie]

1 hour ago, David E said:

do you have any idea if Tantō in shirasaya only would be cheaper?

 

In general, yes. However at the price range you're looking at, assuming the blade is in good condition, any assembled koshirae you're getting won't be worth much more (and in many cases, worth less) than a decent quality shirasaya.

 

If I may take another direction - why shinsakuto in particular? I ask because it is possible to find tanto in reasonable condition around the US$1000 mark from earlier periods.

[David E]

Mostly because I want a ‘perfect’ blade with no scratches or defects, also, it doesn’t hurt that gimei shinsakuto are pretty much nonexistent

If I had to sum it up, there is a sense of ‘completeness’ you just can’t get with earlier swords in most circumstances

 

[eternal_newbie]

Fair enough. Unfortunately, paying for a pristine gunome-itame (i.e. Soshu-den or Mino-den) shinsakuto with a sense of completeness will likely require a higher investment than you currently have, unless you get lucky on eBay or an estate sale. To give you an idea of the market, here are some of the closest I could find:

 

A little under $1000 USD, but not gunome: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/53862-special-order-modern-tanto/
A little under $1000 USD, but the tip has been reshaped slightly: https://shop.nihontou.jp/products/detail/31853
$1250 USD: https://www.samuraishokai.jp/sword/23611.html

 

And that's about all I could come up with on my own. Good luck, and happy hunting!

[David E]

Thank you, you have been very helpful 

[Brian]

Whilst way above your budget, this is a steal for what you are getting.

 

[David E]

Beautiful tanto

one great thing about the internet is I get to see blades well above my budget for free