Katanas and Tantos??

Question

can you give me a site where i can find quality japanese weaponry. not that stainless steel stuff but actual folded carbon steel. and i would like to see more than just 5 or 6, a little choice.

Answer 1

ok first off, just because it is "folded" doesn't make it good.

heat treatment and differential hardening make it quality.

Here is some basic info for you:

1- on steel for japanese swords (including heat treatment):

http://swordforum.com/sfu/japanese/modern-steels.html

2- On proper tang:

http://swordforum.com/sfu/japanese/tangs.html

3- On tanto:

http://swordforum.com/sfu/japanese/americanized.html

4- More specifics on heat treatment:

http://swordforum.com/sfu/primer/heattreatment.html

Some places to search for quality are:

1- http://www.bugei.com/

(check the bugei article about "10 things to know about buying a sword" on thier site)

2- http://www.swordstore.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/04110.1.823921085236405149/apps/cart/docategory.html

The best thing to do is NOT buy a sword online. The best thing to do is to get your sword or iaito through your school. Your instructor may have a "discount" deal with certain swordsmiths. Either way, bieng able to look at work firsthand before ordering is very important.

Answer 2

The best wholesaler of katana and tanto I've come across is http://www.gungfu.com . Also, http://www.awma.com has a wide selection, but most of these are dull edged for demostration and kata only.

Answer 3

you should seriously try looking through ebay. ebay has some great stores and sellers who sell functional katanas and stuff. also, look up companies that mass produce functional katanas. Paul Chen is one of the most popular.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=paul+chen+katana&category0=
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=masahiro+katana&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=ryumon+katana&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&catref=C6&from=R10&_trksid=m37&satitle=folded+katana&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&a23718=-24&a56=-24&a44=-24&a45=-24&a26220=-24&alist=a23718%2Ca56%2Ca44%2Ca45%2Ca26220%2Ca3801&pfmode=1&reqtype=1&gcs=1574&pfid=1958&pf_query=folded+katana&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

Answer 4

Here's a site you might like.:

http://www.e-sword.jp