What sort of swords do you guys like to collect?

K

Kmark

Joined
Mar 21, 2000
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I'm very partial to katana, rapiers, longswords, and cut-and-thrust swords (like the Atrim Riding Sword). Roman gladii and celtic leaf blades also have my favor.

Stuff like vikings, spatha, great swords, zweihanders, and overly long single-hand swords don't hold my interest as much as the aforementioned.

Which styles of swords hold your interest? It'd be interesting to see how many people DON'T like katana...
 
I prefer Japanese-style here.

But, I'm wondering...why are you curious who doesn't like katana?

I find that the majority of people I know tend to like other swords more, and it's been accompanied up by lots of anti-katana and anti-samurai comments in recent history. I recall posting a while ago about how sickening it was to see people trying to tear down the kat and samurai like it's some sort of revenge for the popularity of the icons in the past. People tend to know more than they are given credit for and the majority of people I know don't like Japanese swords that much. A fair share of these people even act as if the Japanese-style fans are all ignorant and stupid, and need to be brought down from their high horse with comments about how "they aren't that good" and "other weapons are just as good, if not better." The attitudes these people have are no better than the dinks who propagated misconceptions of Japanese-style swords in the first place.

Now, I'm not saying you're trying to accomplish the same goal or anything, I'm just going on a little venting rant. Good to see ya drop by from SFI, you're welcome here.

Shinryû.

PS: I have a fond appreciation for Chinese swords and European stuff from 14th to 17th centuries, and I'm glad to hear someone else use "katana" with proper plural
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[This message has been edited by Robert Marotz (edited 02-17-2001).]
 
Within budget limitations, I seem to be collecting one of each.

Katana probably sparked my entry into long edge collecting but will probably be the last on the list of purchases. I can't really say why except that a case of rapiers from Darkwood and something from A&A seem to be next in line.

Dumb katana question here. How come so many tsuba have the piercings for small knives and lancets; and so few saya have these "by-knives" I know that in many repros that tsuba may just be an after thought but I see many earlier originals that have these tsuba without,
apparently, the original saya with extra equipment. Wassup with that? Tsuba passed down through the years without the original "kit"?

Anyway, I don't dislike kats, just don't own one.

[This message has been edited by horseclover (edited 02-17-2001).]

[This message has been edited by horseclover (edited 02-17-2001).]
 
I can't answer the question definitively, but there's a few likely reasons...

Saya are relatively easy to damage if struck and they can and will warp over time as wood tends to do. In addition, If a sword was to get damaged beyond repair or the mountings were destroyed, the tsuba is a reusable fitting. Just adjust the size of the nakago ana to a new sword, and if the kogai- and kozuka-hitsu ana were there on the tsuba, the utensils are an option.

Often times the person who made the tsuba was not the one who made the saya...and the tsuba comes first in the construction process. There are other reasons too I'm sure, but these are some of the more fundamental "why not" reasons I can think of.

Shinryû.
 
Well, I wouldn't really call myself a collector, because most of my swords get used, and that's what they're bought for.
Right now I've got 3 rapiers, 2 main gauche, and two katanas.

I kind of miss the point on a lot of the "Western versus Katana" argument. I firmly believe and have "proved" on a couple occasions that a well wielded katana will beat the pants off of a rapier and gauch.
My only problem lies with the people (of both sides) who say "XXXX is the end all and be all of swords and is better than any other sword for any purpose."

Usually IMHO, these people are the ones who know the least, and learned what they DO know from the movies.
IOW, most of them have seen too many Hollywood ninja flicks.



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Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
 
For looks and cutting performance, it is very, very hard to top a finely made katana. You'd know what I mean if you have ever seen that Bugei mini-movie of James cutting through wara like they weren't there, and that's just a production katana. A top quality modern sword will do better.

Does this mean I favor katana above all other swords? Yes, in fact I do. My Cicada Forge katana is my most prized sword, and for many reasons.

Lest some people start wondering if I'm a rabid katana fan, let it be known that I've developed a full-blown appreciation for European swords as well. I'm now awaiting a Lutel 14003 Rapier and an ATCF-LS002 longsword, and I'm also planning to get a Lutel Katzbalger. I already have an Atrim Riding Sword, and I'm very well pleased with it.

So what is the point of my rambling? The point is, you can develop a marked preference for one type of sword over another, and for various reasons, but that does not and should not exclude you from appreciating the value and beauty of other types of blades.

The main thing that some people don't seem to grasp is that different swords were made for different purposes.

For that reason, I do not value my blades SOLELY on how well they stack up against other styles of swords. I may demand performance and quality from my blades but I do not demand that they perform beyond their expectations.

For example, well constructed katana can cut superbly, but they cannot beat a rapier in a fight involving only thrusts. Well constructed rapiers can thrust superbly, but they cannot dismember limbs or split a person in half with one stroke like katana can.

Either sword is equally as deadly.

And, of course, a polearm will clean house against just about any sword (but then again, polearms are not usually civilian weapons because of their length).
 
Gentlemen,

I tend to agree with the points above. There are great swords out there, each of different sorts, each with its own niche and area of specialization.

I'm personally partial to long blades, myself, regardless of which part of the world they were originally designed in. I don't own many swords (yet), but I've got a nice hand and a half sword (Samson/Atrim), a great feeling viking (Chen), and I'm currently working on putting together my own "working" sword from a Chen katana blade (the tsuba I cut and engraved is in the other room etching as I write this). I'm currently saving up for a Bugei Wave katana (they'll make one with a 31 inch nagasa and a 16 inch tsuka - perfect). Of course, by the time I get the money together, James will have retired and Bugei will have folded
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After that, a full-sized two hander will be on the menu. Which one and where from is still unclear. I'd like one similar in size and shape to the ones my ancestors weilded (Norman British). Or, if I could find one, I saw a very old black and white picture in a history book depicting a samurai weilding a sword as long as he was tall. If I could find one of those, I would be a very happy man.

Would any of you happen to know what those Japanese very long two-handers were called? (Not tachi, the blade was straighter and longer, and I'm still kicking myself for not writing down the name or photocopying the page.)

Now if I just had the income to satisfy my wish list . . .

Matt

P.S. Kmark, I'm still jealous of that Cicada forge katana. I've got a picture of it saved to my desktop.

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Waxes Eloquent, Leader of the Terrible Ironic Horde and Mighty Brain Spewer
Waxy's Custom Concealex Page
 
I believe they were called 'nodachi'...unfortunately I don't know of any production pieces.

As for the pic you have saved to the desktop, which one is it?
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The great field swords were called Nodachi, and Seioi Tachi were shouldering swords...pretty similar in dimensions...blades could easily exceed 4 shaku/feet in some instances. These swords weren't very common, many of them were later cut down to more reasonable lengths, and most surviving swords of the style are rather mediocre quality. Imagine trying to heat treat the damn thing evenly! or to hell with the heat treat, folding the billet! Geez.

PS: Curvature really isn't an issue in the cases of many sword styles. From various time periods and schools and stuff, there would be a fair amount of variety in shape and curvature of all styles. It's not really a "defining" factor. Just clarifying.

[This message has been edited by Robert Marotz (edited 02-18-2001).]
 
Ok since everyone is speaking of either western swords or katanas Ill pipe up as a collector of moro weapons. My collection isnt very big, and I only got two barongs that are anywhere near decent. However, I would like to have one of each kinda weapon (hehehe I guess who really wouldnt
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), but for me my all out favourites are moro swords, specifically kris and barongs.
 
Personally, I haven't found many sword styles that I don't like. From katana to katar to broadsword to jian to rapier. They all have their purpose. It seems to depend mostly on the mood I'm in. One of the reasons I hope to start smithing one day is because it is so hard to find quality pieces in the less common styles. I want to fix that.

My own collection is extremely limited. What can I say, I'm a college student. Funds are scarce. The only blade of ANY quality I own is a WWII officer's tachi, which, as Robert will tell you, is pretty low quality on the Japanese scale.
 
I enjoy 19th century short swords. Never has so much energy and creativity been focused on so useless an item. Intended as sidearms, for artillery units and pioneer troops, you can find almost any blade shape in these things. There are straight double edge swords, single edge swords, recurves, bolos, yatagans, cutlass, T-back reinforced stabbing swords (khybers), and even those all time favorites of the impractical, sawbacks.

 
i prefer japanese swords[katanas and wakizachis]how ever lately grew found of some european type swords mainly rapiers,
but can not afford to start collecting too many types since i already heavly invested in the japanese swords.
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scorpio.
 
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