I posted a thread recently about a sword that was shipped to me from Japan, and several people asked me how/where I bought it, and how much I paid.  I am starting this thread to explain some of the things I've learned over the years in terms of how to buy Japanese swords.  (Note, when I say "Japanese swords" I mean collectible original Japanese blades, made with traditional swordsmithing techniques.  Mostly these would be blades from the 1200s to 1800s, but there are some really desirable blades made in the traditional manner from the World War 2 era, and there obviously are a small number of smiths in Japan who still make blades using the traditional methods).

I first started collecting Japanese swords about 15 years ago.  Over the years I have bought about 20 different swords, and have sold a few (although generally when I buy, it's because I intend to keep them).  I currently have 14.  My personal interest is in blades from around 1500 to 1700.  I think this is where the most interesting and beautiful blades live.  That said, I have a blade as early as the 1300s, and I have a WW2 blade from the 1940s.

What may be of particular interest to some of you here is that I am always looking for the DEAL .  I am way too cheap to spend 10k or more on a blade, so I am looking for the really nice blade that is also affordable and a great bargain.  Part of my reason for starting this thread is that many people seem to think that it is impossible to buy an original Japanese sword, in good condition and of high quality, for less than $10K.  That is completely incorrect.  As an illustration, below are a few photos from the other thread.  This is the sword I just received.  It is wakizashi (short sword) that was made by a smith called Kanetane, who worked in Echizen province, and was part of the Kanenori group of swordsmiths.  The sword was made around 1680, and is in beautiful condition.  The temper pattern on the blade is spectacular, the polish is great, and the furniture is in fantastic condition and of high quality.  In addition to the furniture, it comes with a separate storage "resting" sheath for the blade itself, and official paperwork from the NBTHK which certifies the authenticity, quality and who made it.




For that, I paid $1350 dollars, shipped from Japan to my door.  I believe it is a really good deal.  (I actually tried to talk another arfcommer into buying it, and when he wouldn't I couldn't resist the deal, and bought it myself)

Some of the general rules of sword value are below:
- better smiths are obviously going to be more expensive than inferior ones
- swords in great condition (with a nice polish) are going to be more expensive
- katana blade (the long sword) are going to be more expensive than wakizahi (short sword) or tanto (dagger) blades
- swords with official paperwork (NBTHK/NTHK) are typically going to be more expensive than those without
- older swords are going to be more expensive than younger swords.  One of the cut-offs is Koto vs Shinto blades.  Koto are blades made before 1597, and shinto are those made after.  Koto is generally more desirable.  On the other hand, Shinto swords can be of higher quality.

Personally, I am not really interested in buying poor quality or poor condition swords.  Partly it's because I want swords that are beautiful and that I can enjoy looking at.  Partly it's because that it will cost more to restore a poor condition sword than you could have bought a nice condition sword for.  Partly, it's because you can already get a lot for your money if you know what you are doing.

1) So, WHERE do you look?

I have bought from a number of dealers, most of whom are in Japan.

A very reputable and reliable dealer in Japan is https://www.aoijapan.com/  This is the shop of Kazushige Tsuruta in Tokyo.  I have bought several blades from him, and have referred several other people to him.  He and his staff are very knowledgeable, and friendly.  I sometimes ask him questions about blades I got from someone else, and he is always ready to help.  One time, I bought a blade from him, and then send it back to him so he could submit it for official paperwork (shinsa) - and when it was rejected, he refunded me all the money i originally paid for the blade, plus the fees for the shinsa.  I would have no hesitation buying anything from him.  All of his stuff is high quality, and most of it has official NBTHK paperwork.

I have bought from a number of other dealers, who actually do post some of their blades on eBay.  However, you need to be VERY CAREFUL on eBay, because if you don't know what you are doing, you WILL get ripped off.  So here are the ones I like and have purchased blades from.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/katana-maeda  Everything this guy sells is of high quality.  His name is Koyo Maeda, and his shop is in Osaka. You cannot go wrong buying from him.  His prices are typically really good, and for some reason, people seem to not bid that much on some of his stuff.  I have bought four or five blades from him (including the one pictured above).  He is my favorite dealer.

https://www.ebay.com/str/showa22 This is a dealer in Sacramento, CA (called Maruyama Antiques).  He often has WW-2 era blades, which are tricky to collect.  You REALLY need to know what you are doing, because WW2 blades range from worthless garbage to really amazing quality stuff.  However, he also often has 1500-1800s blades.  Most of what he sells does NOT have official paperwork, so you have to be knowledgeable to buy from him.  Sometimes, you can find REALLY good deals on his stuff.  If you are looking for sometimes nice, but not super fancy, without paying a lot - you can find something from him.

https://www.ebay.com/str/worldarmorantiquedaimyou  I have bought at least two blade from this guy - including my first (and still most favorite) sword.  He sells the entire range of stuff - from crap in shitty condition, to really nice blades.  So if you are looking for something really cheap, you can find it from this guy - but you'll probably be disappointed.  So buyer beware.  It is a good place to browse his selection, and develop your sense for what is good and what is crap.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/hitendo  I have bought at least one blade from this guy (Yasukazu Onishi).  He typically doesn't post a lot of blades in his inventory, but his stuff is usually pretty nice.  The one blade i bought from him (that springs to mind immediately) is VERY nice, and is also one of my favorites - a long wakizashi with spectacular temper pattern.  In perfect condition, with great furniture and official NBTHK papers - for under $2000.

Another one I have bought from in the past is this guy: https://www.ebay.com/str/koushuya  His inventory can vary a lot, but he sometimes has really nice stuff.


2) So, HOW do you buy?

If you are going to buy a collectible Japanese sword, you should first be prepared to TAKE YOUR TIME.  

Think about what you want.  

Do you want a long sword (katana), or would you be happy with a shorter sword?  The shorter swords are substantially cheaper - in fact, I' say the best deal in Japanese swords right now are wakizashi from the 1600s (as demonstrated by my most recent purchase).  If you want a long sword, how long?  The longer they are, the more expensive.  Over 70 cm starts to get very expensive.

Do you want a sword with furniture (called koshirae), or are you mostly interested in the blade?  Many swords are sold in what is called "shirasaya" the storage/resting sheath.  Whenever a sword is re polished, the old furniture is generally thrown away.  If you only care about the blade, the selection available to you is substantially larger.  If you care about the furniture, then that obviously adds a dimension to your search.

Do you care about age?  Do you want a Koto blade?  The famous "warring states" period in Japan was from around 1460 to around 1600.  So you might think that is cooler or more badass .  If you want a blade from that period, it will typically be a little more expensive.  If you look for a blade from the 1600s (the beginning of the Shinto period), it will be cheaper - and sometimes better made, because smiths no longer had to crank out blades for war, but could take a little more time and care in the making of the blades (preparing for the next war).

Do you want official paperwork?  The main organization that certifies blades is the NBTHK (Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai), which will issue paperwork for swords of high quality and historical significance.  They will issue four levels of paperwork, depending on how great the blade is.  Hozen, Tokubetsu Hozon, Juyo Token and Tokubetsu Juyo.  I pretty much only look at Hozon blades, because the higher levels get too expensive.  The other reputable organization that issues paperwork for blades is NTHK (Nihon Token Hozon Kai), and they also have a four-tier rating system.  In general, you are much more likely to see NBTHK paperwork.  If you are a beginner, having paperwork for a blade is very reassuring, because you know that the blade is what you think it is.  There definitely are blades out there with fake signature engraved into the tang, and so paperwork gives you peace of mind.

This raises another question.  Do you care about the blade being signed?  Most blades will be signed by the smith when they are made.  Over the years, however, because of changes in tactics (and in style) the trend went to slightly shorter blades, and as a result, many blades were shortened - from the tang end.  So a blade that was signed when it was made in the 1400s, for example, may no longer have the signature, because someone shortened the blade at some point in history after it was made.  So the secondary question that raises is whether or not you care is the tang is uncut/unshortened?  The uncut tang is called "ubu"  - many katanas will have been shortened, but most wakizashi are intact.  So if you care a lot about a signature, then a wakizashi is more likely to have one.  (Also, occasionally blades were made without signatures, just to add another wrinkle).

How much do you care about condition?  Swords that are freshly polished (or have a really well preserved polish) are beautiful, and have a mirror-like surface, allowing you to see the temper line (hamon) and grain (hada) really well.  But blades that have an old or faded polish are obviously going to be cheaper.  I highly recommend getting only blades with a good polish.  It will eventually bother you, and THEN you will realize how insanely expensive a new polish is, and regret your purchase.  .  The question of polish is also important because whenever a sword is polished, surface metal is removed.  So a blade only has so many (three or four, maybe five?) polishes in it, because core metal is exposed, and the sword is worthless.  So sometimes you see swords that would normally be very collectible, but they are "tired" because they cannot stand another polish, and are close to being used up.

How much do you care about a small flaw or two?  Most Japanese blades will have some small flaws.  The most typical are "ware" - which are small lines, cause by tiny openings between layers that happen during the forging.  These are not structural, only cosmetic.  If you have to have a blade that is absolutely perfect, then you are going to pay more.  If you are willing to accept the occasional small flaw, you can get a much better deal.  One of my blades is from a highly collectible smith, who is very famous.  I found a beautiful wakizashi made by him for about $3500, because it had a visible ware that is maybe an inch long. Without it, the blade would have been at least twice the price.  You can only really see it if you look for it.

Once you answer all of these question, you can basically put together a list of your criteria/wants, and then spend a few months (or years) looking at these dealers' inventories, and getting an idea of (a) how much is this going to cost?, and (b) how much can I save if I relax one or two of these wants?

Here is an example of a blade I purchased.





This is a katana-length sword, with furniture (koshirae).

It was made around 1660, by a smith called Munemichi.  He worked in Echizen province, as part of the Shimosaka group of smiths.  The blade is just under 68cm long, so it is a good katana length.  The shape is a typical Kanbun (the period it was made in) shape, which is a blade without a lot of curvature (sori)

I could ramble on about Munemichi, and his various ratings, and the Shimosaka school, etc. - but I'll leave this relatively straightforward.

It does not have a signature, because it was shortened at some point.  When it was made, it was probably around 72 cm long.  So when it was shortened, the original signature was lost.

The temper pattern on the blade is very distinct, with a very "wild pattern" (as can be seen in the second photo).  I bought the blade because I love the temper pattern.

The blade does have NBTHK paperwork, identifying the smith and time-period.  Fortunately, there is only ONE Munemichi, so you do not get into the difficulty of trying to figure out which generation made the blade.

It is in beautiful condition, with a really good polish, showing the hamon and the hada very clearly.

The furniture is beautiful, probably made in the 1800s.  Based on the tang, this blade has at least three different sets of furniture throughout history, maybe more.  This last one is gorgeous, and the guard (tsuba) is particularly nice.

I paid $3200 for this sword around 2004.

I have been waiting for this thread for a long time.

If I were to buy nihonto, you would be the first person I'd call.  You would probably then be able to put me in touch with a real SME, and save me money at the same time, in exchange for a case of Tuborg.

Because you are intelligent and astute.

Thank you for the schooling. Those are beautiful. Now I know what my next Kindle books will be about.

Here is another example:









This was a blade that I purchased in 2010 for $750 (after some haggling ).  I bought it because I absolutely LOVE the wild hamon (temper pattern).

I originally figured (after consulting with folks smarter than me) that this blade was probably made by Sadahiro, in the later 1600s, but it turns out that it was made by Kiyomitsu in the late 1500s.

Here's the entry in my database:

It is also interesting because it has an original (un-cut) tang, but has no signature.

A generous arfcommer actually helped me with this blade.    The japanese rating organizations (NBTHK and NTHK) usually only hold their shinsa (meetings) in Japan, but the NTHK occasionally has one in the U.S.  So in 2012, they had one in Tampa, FL, and he allowed me to register him as my agent, so I sent him the blade and he took the time to submit it, and it received Kanteisho paperwork.  

ETA:  Think about that.  Some skilled swordsmith in Japan made this blade in the 1500s - and I was able to buy it for under $1000 dollars!!!  That blows my mind.

Once you start, it becomes an insane addiction.

If you ask my wife how many times I have said "Okay, I am done buying swords" she will laugh hysterically.

Honestly, it is entirely selfish, but in a completely different way.

My wife and I recently decided where and when we are going to retire, and are focusing our income and investments on that goal.  As such, it makes no sense for me to still occasionally buy Japanese swords.  But, because it is an addiction, I just cannot stop surfing the various dealers, and looking for "the deal" .  This way, when I see a good deal, I can post it in this thread, and hopefully an arfcommer will say "Hey, I want to buy that" - and then I would be obligated to NOT try to buy it for myself.

Win - win.  

These are damn good questions.

I feel like some sort of large Federal Grant would be need to really dig into this important issue!  

ETA: Also, "Joe SakiPack"?    I love you!

Since you're done buying swords, now you should start buying drawings of swords.

Maybe some historical themed ones...maybe some more modern takes.

I know an artist that could do these.

(I am heir to a 1600s blade, but I have not had my hands on it in probably 20 years - come to think of it, I'm not entirely sure how I will get it when the owner does eventually pass, now that I live over here)

Would you recommend 000 or 0000 steel wool when cleaning the blade?

Belt sander or orbital?

Good point.

Needle-gun it is then.