Happyzebra23 Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 Hello! I have always been interested in all things Nihonto; however, I have never had the money to get into collecting. I recently have been given a promotion at my job and have the disposable income to hopefully begin officially collecting! I am looking to purchase my first Nihonto katana, and hoping to spend at max $1,200. I know that most pieces are much more expensive than that, but I was hoping to someone may be looking to clean out some less desirable pieces in their collection. If anyone has a Nihonto preferably in shirasaya that is on the lower end of the desirability scale, I would be more than interested. I am located in the USA. Thanks! Quote
ChrisW Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 I can put several things in front of you as a possibility. But what would you be looking for? Katana/wakizashi/tanto? Koto or newer? If you're interested, please feel free to reach out directly to me at ChrisW7290@gmail.com and I'll share some albums of things you might be interested in. Quote
Happyzebra23 Posted April 14 Author Report Posted April 14 I would mostly be looking for a katana. Thanks Chris! Quote
ChrisW Posted April 14 Report Posted April 14 You might struggle to find a decent katana even in just shirasaya at that price level. Wakizashi and tanto? Yes, you'll find plenty. Katana are generally of a higher price level unless you start talking showato (Oil-quenched WWII-era blades), then you'll have a lot of options. 1 Quote
Happyzebra23 Posted April 14 Author Report Posted April 14 Chris, I totally understand. I am just very intrigued by the craftsmanship behind a hand forged blade. My hope was that someone has a very poor example that they would like to move out of their collection to make room for something new! Quote
Rayhan Posted Wednesday at 10:40 AM Report Posted Wednesday at 10:40 AM On 4/15/2025 at 2:44 AM, Happyzebra23 said: Chris, I totally understand. I am just very intrigued by the craftsmanship behind a hand forged blade. My hope was that someone has a very poor example that they would like to move out of their collection to make room for something new! People generally get very annoyed at me for saying this but you should ideally aim for a 5k USD budget and higher for your first sword. Even tradionally made gendaito are pushing 3500 USD these days. I think the collecting guide by Kiril puts things in good perspective. Quote
Bosco Posted yesterday at 12:59 PM Report Posted yesterday at 12:59 PM On 4/23/2025 at 8:40 PM, Rayhan said: People generally get very annoyed at me for saying this but you should ideally aim for a 5k USD budget and higher for your first sword. Even tradionally made gendaito are pushing 3500 USD these days. I think the collecting guide by Kiril puts things in good perspective. I don’t think 3500 USD can buy a tamahagane one. At least 7000 USD for decent one. 3500 is for the imitate one which is not tamahagane. Quote
Rayhan Posted yesterday at 02:22 PM Report Posted yesterday at 02:22 PM 1 hour ago, Bosco said: I don’t think 3500 USD can buy a tamahagane one. At least 7000 USD for decent one. 3500 is for the imitate one which is not tamahagane. Sorry but I've seen very good ones go for 3500. 5 to 6 k USD is a good starting budget if you just want a sword to study. It gets tricky when you start to specialise though, then you're right @Bosco, it's more expensive when we spec our desired sword. Quote
Mikaveli Posted yesterday at 02:49 PM Report Posted yesterday at 02:49 PM Just browsing through some of the social media for sale groups, there's plenty of showato/ gunto for c. $1500 up. For older, traditionally made blades I think I saw one for $1600 - so his budget isn't miles away. But north of $2000 is a more common baseline, and obviously up from there. I totally understand the enthusiasm to buy something (anything) to scratch the itch. But I would recommend the OP doing a little more research, maybe buy a book or two, maybe stretch the budget a little - you can find something pretty special - that you'll get more enjoyment out of (after the novelty has worn off). Quote
Bosco Posted yesterday at 02:50 PM Report Posted yesterday at 02:50 PM 23 minutes ago, Rayhan said: Sorry but I've seen very good ones go for 3500. 5 to 6 k USD is a good starting budget if you just want a sword to study. It gets tricky when you start to specialise though, then you're right @Bosco, it's more expensive when we spec our desired sword. That must be a good deal, only one I found with that price is a tanto. But maybe I’m after one freshly made. Sorry for the confusion here, yes lot of them in 3500 budget already made one. Quote
Mikaveli Posted yesterday at 02:55 PM Report Posted yesterday at 02:55 PM Oh, and in collecting terms buying a wakizashi Vs katana... Nowadays there's a bit of an arbitrary (modern) distinction between them - blades over 2 shaku (approx 2ft / 60cm) are usually classified as katana. But if you find something just half an inch shorter, they'll call it a wakizashi and sometimes it'll be much cheaper 🙂 Quote
Rayhan Posted yesterday at 05:26 PM Report Posted yesterday at 05:26 PM I am only inclined to recommend swords that have (or can paper up) and these generally are higher priced. But in the end people will buy what they like and this is also ok, we cannot detract from the "itch" but I hope people will do justice to their bank accounts as well as their desires. Quote
Mikaveli Posted 7 hours ago Report Posted 7 hours ago Maybe so, but there's a delta between typical prices and possible prices. Just last year, I bought a sword for $1330 that papered. North of $3000, the search becomes much easier, granted. Just as north of $10k, you can be very particular indeed. Quote
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