[Wolfgang Armbruster]

Hello Everybody,
I'm looking for a good-quality Katana. Which maker / company is offering such a thing?
I'm not looking for cheap props since the sword will most likely will be put to use in a tv-feature dealing with weapon-myths.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance.


kind regards,

Wolfgang

[Michal Plezia]

Try here:

http://sbg-sword-store.sword-buyers-guide.com

[Gabriel Lebec]

Hello Wolfgang,

I moved your post to the Historical Arms Talk forum. For the sake of general knowledge I'm going to quote the Marketplace guidelines here:

[Gabriel Lebec]

I'm back. Wolfgang, what kind of sword were you looking for? Chinese production blade? Custom Japanese-style? Authentic antique? Newly-made traditional nihonto? There's a wide variety of options and price levels to consider.

For Chinese-made production Japanese-style swords, which can be good swords though not fine art grade or 100% traditional relative to nihonto, there are a variety of makers (not all of which I am familiar with). Bugei Trading Co. has perhaps the most well-regarded name in this business; they're essentially higher-end items of Hanwei manufacture. Then there are other Chinese makers such as Cheness Cutlery, Kris Cutlery, Masahiro / Ryumon, Last Legend, etc. You'll have to do your own research as I stopped paying attention to this market a while ago.

For custom Japanese-style, you can get some extremely nice swords of very fine quality, but which are still not 100% traditional. Some of the better known smiths in this category are Howard Clark, Rick Barrett, Anthony DiCristofano, Randal Graham, and others. Many times these will require waiting lists and/or hunting around resellers such as Tosho Arts or polishing sites like those of Keith Larman or Ted Tenold.

Antiques range from poor condition & mediocre workmanship to perfect condition masterpieces. Aoi Art sells a variety of levels, many budget oriented but some extremely fine pieces. They have a dedicated section for Iaido swords, antique or gendai swords that are fine for martial arts use but don't quite make the grade as fine art objects. These are relatively inexpensive for a genuine antique in full mounts. A random selection of other websites that sell genuine nihonto could be Fred W.'s NihonTo, Andy Quirt's Nihonto.US, Bob Benson's Bushido: Japanese Swords, and Moses B.'s Nihonto Antiques.

For some very comprehensive link lists of websites that sell nihonto, please check out Dr. R. Stein's Japanese Sword Guide (link to commercial sites here) and the Nihonto Message Board (link to commercial sites here). Most nihonto sites also sell contemporary traditional blades, but one that specializes in such swords is Modern Tosho.

The field is vast, so perhaps if you gave some more information on what specifically you need and what you'll be using the sword for, I could offer a more specific suggestion.

[Pekka Pasanen]

Since you are from Germany, check this site out. I have a couple of their swords and I like them:

www.wkc-sports.com

[Wolfgang Armbruster]

Hello,
First of all: sorry for posting this thread in the wrong forum. I didn't do it on purpose. I'll keep that in mind for the future

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'm sure I'll find something suitable in this listing.


kind regards

Wolfgang

[Sam N.]

If you need a katana for testing myths, wouldn't it be best to get a traditionally made style Katana? (i.e. out of tamagahane) After all, that would hold greater influence if tested rather than say, a modern high quality springsteel or monosteel Katana.