Yeah, I'm the same way. I have one gun that stays by my bed incase, but I love my knives. There are a lot more that I want also. Anyway, keep up the good work, you really have a good talent.

 

Thanks Giovanni! That did help. So, I would assume that folded steel is more expensive, right? Which of the three (kendo, kenjutsu or iaido) be easier to begin for someone not in shape (I'm not obese or anything, just out of shape)?

 

No problem bro glad to help.
Yes, forge folded/welded blades are more costly. Average cost of a custom monosteel blade is around $2000-$2400 for just the blade unpolished. Average cost of a folded blade is around $3200-$3500 for unpolished blade. It depends on the smith forging them, but that gives you a rough idea.
However, I dont want you to get discouraged, because thus far I have been talking about custom blades, but, there are other options out there for a beginner. There are some retailers out there that offer high quality production blades that are significatly cheaper than custom. These blades are what I call working blades because they are good sturdy blades that can be trained with and will last for a long time but because they are production made will never be collectable. Companies with good product include the following:

http://dynastyforge.com/
http://www.bugei.com/
http://lastlegend.com/
http://kriscutlery.com/

For a description of each and how they compare go to:
http://forums.swordforum.com/showthr...threadid=41155

As for which one to start with, well, whichever one is closest to you. Check out this site http://www.e-budo.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=124

Let me know what you think.

 

Thanks again, Giovanni! Time to study up on swords and sword martial arts. I'll let you know when I read up on all the info! So far the production blades looking promising.
Now how to sneek the money for the sword past my fiance.

 

You're on your own with that one bro. Thats why I trained martial arts BEFORE I got engaged
I said "look here woman, dont make me get crazy on you......I'm gonna buy this blade whether you like it or not!!" Then she came into the room and I ran like hell

Good luck!

 

What up Gio,

I wanted to know what your opinion is on the Paul Chen Katanas. I see a lot of mixed opinions, actually, on all production swords in general. I was looking around and the Paul Chen Tsunami caught my eye.

 

Ok, thats a good question and very common within this hobby. First of all it should be noted that Paul Chen does not forge any blades. He has a factory in Dalian China called Hanwei.
Now with that out of the way, the tsunami is a good mid-range blade suitable for light to medium cutting. It will cost you in the neighborhood of $500.00 and is a decent blade. Hanwei blades are production blades that have been known to have poor quality control at times. Places like bugei.com who have their own line of blades with Hanwei charge a premium price for their blades but have far better quality control, but every now and then a sub par blade slides by. The most important thing to do if find a retailer that has a good exchange policy for defects. I have had good dealings with www.888knivesrus as he is based in Jacksonville FL where I frequently visit.
The other thing I want to cover is your intentions. If you intend to get formal training I urge you to hold off on the purchase of a blade as your instructor will be key in you ultimate choice of blade. If you intent to make a purchase for collection or self training, which I dont reccomend but its common, then I suggest you find a retailer near you with blades in stock for you to feel. Some blades will feel better in your hand as weights and POB (point of balance) vary from sword to sword.
My suggestion is to first determine your budget and then find every possible blade that fits your price range, and go from there.

Keep me updated

Giovanni

 

I have read similar advise in regards to training. I will hold off on buying a sword until I figure out if I will become serious about training or if I will just be collecting. I will take your advise to regards to training if that is what I do. And I think I will stay away from the Hanwei swords. Thanks!

 

Know where i can get one in a bambo stick?

 

Ummm.....can you be a bit more specific? Are you looking for something to hang on your wall or something you can actually handle or practice with?
If you are looking for a wall hanger then try e-bay under bamboo sword, should be a bunch of them for pretty cheap, but then, the sword quality is reflected by the price.

If you are looking for something decently made, off hand I only know of the bamboo stick katana by Hanwei - paul chen factory, and will cost you around $400.00. Here is an example:
http://888knivesrus.zoovy.com/product/PC1002GT

It should be nothed that the hanwei version is not real bamboo, but rather wood cut and laqured to simulate bamboo. This is because bamboo makes a poor material for koshirae because it is technically a grass and thus not dense enough. Nevertheless, overall it is a nice looking piece.

Good luck

 

After posting this thread I got a lot of hits on my site.

So I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to check it out.

 

Here is another video for those interested. The guy performing the cuts is James Williams from Bugei Trading Company in CA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwUn0...elated&search=

 

One more

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFGcZ...elated&search=

 

of the three, iaido would be the easiest way to begin for someone out of shape, imo, because it is purely the 'art of drawing the sword'.

kenjutsu would be the most physically demanding, because 'jutsu' indicates practice of the raw technique. the 'do' in kendo indicates a more artful interpretation of 'ken', the sword, or in this usage, swordsmanship.

I'm sure that the physical demand of any style would depend on the teacher, and that any of the three listed would be very challenging at higher levels. The beauty of these systems is that it is usually understood that a beginner will come to the first practice with many ideas as to what will happen, and it is necessary to take ample time to convince the beginner that they are truly beginners. This means that whatever you were to choose, provided you find the right teacher, your practice will increase in difficulty as you become more fit.

that being said, I would recommend you add aikido to your list of styles to investigate. The sword is at the heart of nearly every movement in aikido, and it is a very graceful, gentle art that is very receptive to newcomers. I would hazard a guess that most people walking into a kendo, kenjutsu, or (especially) iaido dojo have a martial arts background of some sort.

If you wanted to PM me, and tell me where you live, I would give you a list of good teachers in your area.

 

You might also want to hold off on a live (sharpened) blade untill you get actual practice. Look for a decent/beginners Iaido so you won't accidentaly hurt yourself or a onlooker.

 

Yep, you make a good point however it should be noted that iaido is the type of training, what you were refering to was an iaito, which is the actual unsharpened blade used in iaido. Also, it depends on the type of JSA style he wishes to study as some do not require iaito but rather a bokken. If my memory serves, styles such as nami ryu use live blades for training, so the purchase of iaito would be a waste. And since we are on the subject of iaito, it is important to point out that while the person training runs a far less risk of cutting him or herself with an iaito, they are by all means still a dangerous weapon. iaito can still be thrust through an arm during noto or even worse, fracture from long term stress during a kata, sending a nice shard of alloy flying across the room. Now, is it common for an iaito to break, not at all, but is has been known to happen on rare occasion.

 

You say Iaito I say Iaido....at least from a beginners stand point it can be confusing.

I practice Kum-do (Kendo (kenjutsu sorta), but my instructor is Korean). So I use 'sticks' and 'Mokum' instead of Shinai and Bokken. I have a friend that practices Iaido, with Iaito...and then a new friend that trains in Germanic broadsword...

Freaking termanology...

 

I agree my friend terminology can be quite frustrating. I am fimiliar with the style you pratice although I know it as gumdo. I was instructed the korean sword to be referred to as gum or geom. These blades have a lot in common with katana but as with anything there are subtle differences. Gumdo is a facinating style and far more energetic than any ryu I am familiar with. So, props to you and good luck with your future training.

 

Funny that I just got back from spending a few hours with a co-worker at his armor teacher's house. They all do kenjetsu and I saw them practicing just a little for some demo they're doing in a couple of days. And I got to see the shop were they make armor and some weapons. There were swords here and there all over the house, mostly medival type stuff. It was awesome.

 

Were they doing a demo with medival weapons and armor? If so, I am thinking it probably wasn't a form of kenjutsu. Was the armour solid steel plate or a framework of mutiple plates layered, bound by silk and leather?