Good choice in the cheap Japanese type?

B

BLM4L

Joined
Jan 19, 2006
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194
I have been looking for a really cheap, yet not 100% pure junk, in these two categories:
1] Short sword/dagger like a short version of a Katana
2] A cheap Katana

Has anyone recently found a good source for either of these?

Anyone bought something from VanSussen on eBay?

Was tempted to get a Ontario Blackwind.

Any thoughts appreciated.:confused:
 
Mostly for a little weed chopping, slicing through bottled water, and carrying with me on walks in the woods which where I live can have at least one rabid animal around. The rest of the time I would like to just slice the air in my apartment while practicing a few Kendo moves maybe.
 
For general screwing around get one of the Ontarios. They have a good full tang and you can improve on the handle if you want to. A good lot of the swords out there are wall hangers and not really made for cutting. If you want to spend a little more I'd recommend a Cheness blade. They have a wide variety of steels and blades. I have 2 and they are good cutters. But a traditional japanese sword is not sharpened like a regular knife, so once you dull the edge you''ll have to get another sword. They can be sharpened, but the cost is per inch and will cost more than a new sword. The Ontario on the other hand can be sharpened easily, my brother has a couple and they are great for what you are looking for.
 
ilbruche said:
For general screwing around get one of the Ontarios. They have a good full tang and you can improve on the handle if you want to. A good lot of the swords out there are wall hangers and not really made for cutting. If you want to spend a little more I'd recommend a Cheness blade. They have a wide variety of steels and blades. I have 2 and they are good cutters. But a traditional japanese sword is not sharpened like a regular knife, so once you dull the edge you''ll have to get another sword. They can be sharpened, but the cost is per inch and will cost more than a new sword. The Ontario on the other hand can be sharpened easily, my brother has a couple and they are great for what you are looking for.
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I was thinking about the Ontario but wasn't sure where a good source would be.
I didn't know the Japanese swords were so hard to sharpen. Does that apply to the Cheness blade as well? Any idea if the tanto dagger, or Wazakashi (spelling?) are hard to sharpent too?
 
BLM4L said:
I was thinking about the Ontario but wasn't sure where a good source would be.
I didn't know the Japanese swords were so hard to sharpen. Does that apply to the Cheness blade as well? Any idea if the tanto dagger, or Wazakashi (spelling?) are hard to sharpent too?
Click to expand...

I'm sure if you do a google search or check ebay you can find Ontarios easily.

The traditional shape of a Japanese sword is called an "appleseed" due to the fact that the view of the cross section looks like an appleseed. Basically the blade tapers from the spine to the point with only one bevel. Unlike most knives which have a secondary bevel at the edge which is the where the sharpening occurs.

Most tanto blades will have an edge you can sharpen easily. My Cheness blades are good for tatami mat cutting or Tameshigiri. They are relatively cheap for a traditional sword, for $100 to $150 you can get a good one. These have the traditional shape, so sharpening is not really an option.

http://www.chenessinc.com/production.htm

The Chenness site has lots of great info you should read. On the left side under "quick links" there are lots of good articles to help you.


As another note, the appleseed shape of the katana is basically a giant wedge. It isn't supposed to be razor sharp neccessarily. Once the blade hits whatever your cutting the blade shape itself cuts whatever you are hitting. I'm not sure if this is similar to a convex edge, but I believe it may be.
 
Thank you. I will read the articles. I had no idea the Japanese sword design was so different. If it is not as important to be able to sharpen the sword maybe I will consider eventually getting one like you got but for now can look for the Ontario. Looking forward to reading more on this subject.
 
http://www.nihonzashi.com/EdgeGeometry.htm

This is a good link on blade shapes.

And a quote from a maker who had been making katana for 20 years.
"Polishing is one of the most expensive operations involved in building a katana and traditional polishes can run in excess of $150 per inch of length."

I have a "Mokko" wakizashi and a chisa katana that was a limited production for a dojo. A chisa has a katana length tsuka "handle" of 11 inches but a shorter blade of 21". My wakizashi is a 18" blade. Average katana blade length is 28".
I'd like to get a "Kochou", just because I like the looks of it. I'd like to get a "shura" or "kaze" for a good cutter. Reading about the steels and construction can help you made a good choice. I've been buying a lot of knives lately, and since I use them I can justify buying them. My swords don't get as much use, so my collection grows more slowly.

Cheness is a great company to deal with. After I bought my first it went on sale for $50 off a week later. I emailed them about it and they gave me $50 off my next purchase from them. Service is great. :thumbup:

Let me know what other questions you might have. I'm not a master on the subject, but I have researched a lot on these swords and can save you some time. :D
 
The $150.00 per inch quote is breath taking. That is a lot of money. Was wondering if something like the Cheness blade would work ok for some water bottle chopping, and yet still be ok for "defensive" use should a rabid animal decide to charge me. It may sound strange depending on what part of the country you live in, but it is becoming more of a problem where I am. My Dad just about got it in his yard more than once from an animal. In our area it is not safe to shoot at something because of the population, but a sword could do a good job maybe. Depending on the wind, pepper spray is not always a good option for me.
 
BLM4L said:
Was wondering if something like the Cheness blade would work ok for some water bottle chopping, and yet still be ok for "defensive" use should a rabid animal decide to charge me.
Click to expand...

They are perfect for that. They have some videos on the site of them in action.
 
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