Each samurai sword can be unique and offers its benefits. Some swords are great for starting your collection while others are suitable for training or use in some demonstrations. There are several things you should be on the lookout for before you decide to purchase a samurai sword. This includes material quality, construction, appearance, and practical concerns.
You should remember that buying a samurai sword is a huge investment and can be a lifetime event. Therefore, it’s a good idea to focus on buying an authentic samurai sword. You can check it out here if you intend to buy an authentic Japanese sword. This page discusses the top things worth considering before you buy a samurai sword.
The steel
The most crucial consideration you have to make when it comes to buying a samurai sword is the type of steel. After all, the Japanese swordsmith used a unique type of steel to make the samurai swords. The process involved forging and folding to take out impurities from the raw iron ore. For decades, metallurgy technology has significantly progressed to allow pure steel to be used as a starting material. For example, Swedish steel is considered to be the new steel that has the least impurities.
Choosing steel that has the most even carbon distribution can ensure that the sword has no weak areas. Starting with the cleanest steel helps you to provide a precise and controlled heat treatment regimen that leads to a fine grain structure. The fine grain can create a blade that is less prone to breakage and deflection and is strong.
Forging
This is a crucial step that defines the samurai sword. All authentic samurai swords are usually forged. Many samurai sword suppliers sell stock removal steel swords. But these swords are not forged and may not have the integrity of forged blades. Therefore, before you purchase a samurai sword, you need to determine whether or not it has a forged steel blade.
One of the benefits of forged steel blades is usually overlooked is that the blade can be unique and produced by an experienced craftsman. And, every forged sword tends to be different from others.
Forging also allows the swordsmith to figure out the level of effort each blade has to be worked on so that they can get the best results. While working on each blade, the steel is constantly folded. This process strengthens the steel’s grain pattern, making it a beautiful blade. This forging process also means that your samurai sword is unique. Therefore, no other samurai sword can be the same as yours, each folded and forged blade can be an individual expression of the fire, steel, and swordsmith.
Heat treating
An authentic samurai sword tends to have a differentially heat-treated edge. The pattern that you can view on the sharpened edge of the sword is the heat-treating signature. The name of this feature on samurai swords is popularly called Hamon. Remember that the heat treatment can change the steel’s molecular structure into a softer and more ductile body and martensite at the edge.
Also, the heat-treated Hamon can allow you to see the beauty of the steel and the differential crystalline structure. You should always look out for a differentially heat-treated Japanese sword. Some producers can try to use a chemical or polish on this look to get the appearance of the samurai sword. But this can only provide a cosmetic appearance to the sword and doesn’t achieve the aim of heat-treating the blade. The purpose of this process is to transform the steel into a different molecular structure.
The shape and design
The design and shape of a samurai sword need to be historically accurate. An authentic samurai sword follows historical tradition. You can find several shapes and designs of samurai swords out there nowadays that are different from the feudal era swords. The shape and balance of the right Samurai sword have evolved for many centuries.
And, the life of the samurai used to depend on their sword and they relied on the swordsmith to produce a sword that they could depend on in bad situations. Therefore, you must purchase a Japanese sword from suppliers that honor the tradition and have these qualities. The shape of an authentic Japanese sword can be determined by the cutting performance, balance, and strength. You need all these qualities in your Samurai sword.
The balance
Many people rarely consider the balance of their Japanese sword. But this is another crucial factor you have to consider when buying a samurai sword. Remember that balance should be regarded as functionality. The samurai warrior was a highly trained person and their sword had to work in extreme fight situations.
Most modern swords are not made with this function and cannot withstand the strains and stresses of extreme use, while practicing and training with the samurai sword, you can gain the strength to handle it properly. You should remember that it’s the balance that offers you this advantage of strength while utilizing an authentic samurai sword that is well balanced.
Polish
Polishing the steel can bring the samurai sword into its final shape. You should note that the sword’s shape can determine its success when it comes to cutting. Polishing a Japanese sword can be a tedious and long process that requires the swordsmith to refine all the surfaces of the sword and bring it into harmony with one another. They can do this while maintaining the sword’s shape that the swordsmith originally wanted for the sword.
It’s also the process that needs hand finishing. Most other swords are finished by machines, so they fail to contribute to the final beauty or efficiency of the sword. The truth is that they are usually produced to have bright and rounded lines, though they don’t have the features that go through the forging and heat treatment processes. The samurai swords are polished by hand. This process can take a couple of days or even months to complete a single samurai sword.
