Looking to buy wakizashi , katana entry level Nihonto

[Nicv99]

Hey guys new to the fairly new to the game after an entry level wakizashi preferably in the $1000 Australian dollars. Let me know if you have anything abit more expensive also . Cheers I’m from Sydney Australia 

[Mikaveli]

From my experience, you're unlikely to find a good, traditionally made nihonto for $1000.

 

At that price point, you'll usually be looking at military gunto from around the second world war. Still lots of interesting stuff to be had, though, but a slightly different area of collecting.

 

I'd recommend spending your first $100 or so on a copy of "The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords" by Nagayama.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of "bargains" are either fakes or have serious flaws (I was nearly caught out myself).

[Shuko]

Nic

 

I would recommend you buy a soft cover (paperback) copy of The Samurai Sword - A Handbook by John M Yumoto. Published by Tuttle, it is not expensive and readily available.

[Nicv99]

17 hours ago, Mikaveli said:

From my experience, you're unlikely to find a good, traditionally made nihonto for $1000.

 

At that price point, you'll usually be looking at military gunto from around the second world war. Still lots of interesting stuff to be had, though, but a slightly different area of collecting.

 

I'd recommend spending your first $100 or so on a copy of "The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords" by Nagayama.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of "bargains" are either fakes or have serious flaws (I was nearly caught out myself).

Never said anything about good , find that a lot on this forum alot of people asking for advice on entry level blades and if they are simply real and from the said era and you get a earful about value and flaws. Some people find a 500 year old sword interesting and amazing regardless of its flaws . Maybe this forum should change its name to collectors of expensive pristine nihonto. 

[rematron]

@Nicv99, you’re right. You didn’t say anything about “good”  You said “entry level.”  What does that mean to you?  Do you want a polished blade? Do you care how old it is? Most people on this forum would consider “entry level” to equal “good”;  not “great” or “amazing”.  An “entry level blade” has the connotation that you want to learn something from it and continue to collect. An entry level blade brings to mind a polished blade with well defined characteristics which which you can study and learn from. It’s not impossible but it’s not going to be especially easy to find that in your budget.   
 

My first and only Nihonto so far is a 475 year old, non-papered, out-of-polish katana in aging and untidy old Edo koshirae that I bought for $500USD. I like it a lot for your same reason of being  able to appreciate something just for its age. Also, it’s easy to take care of. However, I would not consider it an “entry level” sword in the context of Nihonto collecting and I only consider it a “good” sword in that it was made for war and would do the job and I appreciate its history. 
 

So, I think it’s just a matter of being specific of what exactly you are looking for in a sword.  NMB has a large membership with a great degree in variance of what members spend and patience is helpful here because there are a lot of Nihonto floating around the world. However, you will find that the general population here and in many other types of collecting circles will agree that “good” does not at all equate to “expensive pristine”. 

I wish you luck in your pursuit. 
 

 

[Nicv99]

22 hours ago, rematron said:

@Nicv99, you’re right. You didn’t say anything about “good”  You said “entry level.”  What does that mean to you?  Do you want a polished blade? Do you care how old it is? Most people on this forum would consider “entry level” to equal “good”;  not “great” or “amazing”.  An “entry level blade” has the connotation that you want to learn something from it and continue to collect. An entry level blade brings to mind a polished blade with well defined characteristics which which you can study and learn from. It’s not impossible but it’s not going to be especially easy to find that in your budget.   
 

My first and only Nihonto so far is a 475 year old, non-papered, out-of-polish katana in aging and untidy old Edo koshirae that I bought for $500USD. I like it a lot for your same reason of being  able to appreciate something just for its age. Also, it’s easy to take care of. However, I would not consider it an “entry level” sword in the context of Nihonto collecting and I only consider it a “good” sword in that it was made for war and would do the job and I appreciate its history. 
 

So, I think it’s just a matter of being specific of what exactly you are looking for in a sword.  NMB has a large membership with a great degree in variance of what members spend and patience is helpful here because there are a lot of Nihonto floating around the world. However, you will find that the general population here and in many other types of collecting circles will agree that “good” does not at all equate to “expensive pristine”. 

I wish you luck in your pursuit. 
 

 

That makes a lot more sense , yes what I am aiming for is exactly what your first sword is , I have noticed quite a few on eBay starting to realise who are selling straight rubbish but have noticed a lot of cheaper authentic blades in the ball park of 500usd obviously not pristine at all

[rematron]

Yup, the more you study and compare images the better you’ll get at distinguishing real from fake and you can learn a ton on the subject on NMB. And a lot of the sellers on eBay are mentioned here in NMB.  You can search  the website for their names and read posts and opinions by members over the years to get a better idea of the quality or lack thereof that they sell. That’s exactly how I bought my katana. I found it on eBay and then searched the seller name here and learned enough to realize he was the real deal.  Now I have him saved in my eBay favorites because it turned out that he has a very good reputation here and is actually quite knowledgeable and respected. 

[Mikaveli]

On 4/2/2023 at 5:12 AM, Nicv99 said:

Never said anything about good , find that a lot on this forum alot of people asking for advice on entry level blades and if they are simply real and from the said era and you get a earful about value and flaws. Some people find a 500 year old sword interesting and amazing regardless of its flaws . Maybe this forum should change its name to collectors of expensive pristine nihonto. 

Slightly unnecessary attack, considering that I was trying to assist you - and you weren't really clear about the age, condition or quality of what you were looking for.