[HunterM]

Hello all. New to posting on forum, though I have read some of the threads here and have a general interest in Kendo, stemming from my hobby of studying Japanese medieval history.

I am getting married in seven months, and as a wedding gift my fiance (knowing of my interest in Japanese history and near obsession with all things Samurai) has expressed interest in getting me a katana.

I want to ask you for your advice on a good source for high quality samurai swords/katana. It should go without saying that this is nothing I will ever be using on any living thing, but I still want to direct her to a place that will sell her something functional and traditionally made, rather than a crappy "wall hanger." I'm thinking of something in the $800 to $1300 range, and want the best possible quality/functionality for the money. I have liked what I've seen on bugei trading company's website, but I wanted some "expert" advice before I gave my wife-to-be any "hints."

Any help you can provide will be much appreciated!

[QEoMi752]

You might want to try Cold Steel. You can request a catalog or look online at www.coldsteel.com. They offer fully functional swords that are durable and well made for a low price. Good luck.

[Nupbeaupeteew]

Hello all. New to posting on forum, though I have read some of the threads here and have a general interest in Kendo, stemming from my hobby of studying Japanese medieval history.

I am getting married in seven months, and as a wedding gift my fiance (knowing of my interest in Japanese history and near obsession with all things Samurai) has expressed interest in getting me a katana.

I want to ask you for your advice on a good source for high quality samurai swords/katana. It should go without saying that this is nothing I will ever be using on any living thing, but I still want to direct her to a place that will sell her something functional and traditionally made, rather than a crappy "wall hanger." I'm thinking of something in the $800 to $1300 range, and want the best possible quality/functionality for the money. I have liked what I've seen on bugei trading company's website, but I wanted some "expert" advice before I gave my wife-to-be any "hints."

Any help you can provide will be much appreciated!

Hi!

Welcome!

I noticed you said "functional." You aren't planning on USING that sword are you?

Have you had any training?

If you have not ever had any training, and have not trained for at least 5-6 years, you have no business using a live(sharp) blade. Even Iaito(blunt edged) swords can be dangerous if one is not trained, since the tip is very sharp.

A person will typically train for at least 5-6 years in a dojo(Not Kendo. We don't use live blades. Just bokken for kata and shinai for shinai Kendo. Iaido and Kenjutsu uses bokken, Iaito and live blades.) under the watchful eye of a qualified sensei before they are even allowed to use a live blade in class.

If you just plan to hang it and show it off, that's fine to have it. Otherwise, no sword for you! Ok?

I am just saying this for your safety. I want you to keep all your fingers and limbs. (Just look at my sig... It may be joke, but it has a lot of truth in it.)

Enjoy your new sword when you get it, if you just wish to look at it. And, congratulations on getting married! I hope you have a good life together.

Kaoru

[legal-advicer]

try http://www.sdksupplies.com

....can you post some pictures/links of what you were considering to buy before posting?

edit- Congradulations on getting married.

[Corryikilelet]

Not Kendo. We don't use live blades. Just bokken for kata and shinai for shinai Kendo. Wrong. The kata for the hachidan examination is to be executed with shinken. And I have seen sensei show kata with shinken.

[PheliarearY]

Wrong. The kata for the hachidan examination is to be executed with shinken. And I have seen sensei show kata with shinken.

They're not shinken.

[Nypbscao]

They're not shinken.

I looked it up. The (swedish) grading rules now say "sword", which could mean kata-sword, but I am quite certain that it said shinken before. Couldn't find anything on the IKF website though
The sensei I saw did it in a video, which was however filmed by one of my clubmates, who said they were indeed doing it with shinken. The lowergraded (somewhere in the range of 5-7 dan) motodachi looked a bit too nervous for it to have been anything else but a sharp blade.

[oranowdenda]

In some cultures, it is very bad luck to give swords as gifts. But that sounds neat.

Just for the whole safety issue, I would look for where you would buy a quality iaito. It is a REAL sword, it just doesn't have a sharpened blade. It's not a wall hanger, you can comfortably do suburi with it and use it without the fear of the blade snapping off on you like a wall hanger would, and it has less chances of killing someone if there are any accidents. The only real need for a shinken is if you plan on doing tameshigiri, the bamboo mat cutting, (or killing someone, not recommended) and if not, then why go through the extra risks of having a real blade. Think of the future when the little pitter patter of tiny feet fill your house. Then you are going to think quite differently about having that shinken around.

I can't speak for the quality but look at the bogu suppliers like bogubag.com or e-bogu. They often sell iaito.

[ashleyjoseph]

Hi again. I guess what I'm looking for is something along these lines:

http://bugei.com/subcategory_6.htm

This company seems to take a very traditional approach to blade crafting (http://bugei.com/forging.html), which is really what I'm looking for. My interest is really in the history and the authenticity of the sword. I'm not every planning on using it, but I still want something that isn't hokey or fake. I guess when I said "functional" in my earlier post, I only meant to imply "authentic."

Incidentally, has any checked out this site? (Ikkyudo) It is a seller of antique japanese swords from various historical periods. Very expensive, though! If I had the money, this is what it'd like to get...

Thank you to everyone so far for their advice and well-wishes!

[fajerdoksdsaaker]

Authentic is out of your snack bracket - they start at around $US6000. The Bugei swords you mention and most others in that price range use blades sourced from China. If what you want is a good quality blade in the traditional style with high quality fittings, see Swordstore and check out their Steel Iaito. The in-stock ones are in your price range, custom is also available for more money and a wait. Swordstore also sells traditionally-made nihonto, so you can check that out.

[Rounteetepehryn]

Check out http://japanesesword.net/eng/index.html

[CHEAPCIALISFORYOU]

I noticed you said "functional." You aren't planning on USING that sword are you?

Maybe he's got nunchaku skills, bow hunting skills, computer skills.

[wmcelesta]

have a look in the iai section on these forums, theres a few links there.

tozando, nine circles and swordstore are the main ones