Quote:
Originally Posted by Hatredcopter
Those so-called 'Hanzo' swords are all Chinese knockoffs. You cannot buy a real katana sword without putting down at least several hundred dollars minimum (and thats only for an Iaido-quality beginner's sword). The real cheap ones you see on a lot of sword websites are machine-made, Chinese wallhangers. Wallhanger meaning they are only fit for hanging on a wall - you don't want to swing one of those, as they can easily break free from the tsuka. If all you want is a decoration, go for it. If you want to buy a real Japanese sword, you have to do a lot of research and save up some money - they aren't cheap at all.
Awhile back I went to a trade show of sorts for Japanese sword collectors. There were people there who had swords worth several tens of thousands of dollars, all hand-folded and forged by blacksmiths in Japan. Pretty amazing stuff.
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Wow, sounds great. I too think that the Katana is the most beautiful of all swords. Are there any websites for other sword collectors? And where can you start to research a swordmaker? I would not mind having a REAL katana for my collection, I have 3 wall hangers now that look nice but a real one would be the front of my collection.