|
HOW TO BUY A SWORD
Part One
by Shihan Russ Rhodes
The number one question you need to decide is, "What
do you want the sword for?" Do you want to use it for a sword art,
such as cutting or drawing, or do you want to own an antique as
an investment?
For cutting, a cheaper blade is recommended, especially
at first. "Cheaper" is of course a relative term. It is very unusual
to find and outfit a good cutting blade for less than $1000. As
with anything else, while we are learning, we tend to make mistakes
so we don't want to lose too much of our investment if we mishandle
the blade. I'm speaking as someone who has been through the learning
process. After we reach proficiency in drawing and cutting, then
we can upgrade to a more expensive sword.
 Places
to get a sword: eBay, gunshows, private dealers, antique and pawn
shops, garage sales (very seldom), flea markets, public sword websites,
antique dealers' private auctions, sometimes heirlooms of friends
and family.
A little about eBay: There are very few great
bargains on eBay. The price is set for the seller to make money;
that's what eBay is for. Beware of swords from China, Shanghai,
or Hong Kong, and even Australia. There are a lot of reproduction
knock-offs for sale and that goes as well for sword furniture.
If the seller is not reputable, there is no way to get your money
back. To play it safe, it is best to buy only within the U.S. Other
safe sources are Japan, Canada, and Europe. There are a number
of fraudulent practices in online auctions. Always check the feedback
on the seller. References are very important. Make sure there are
a lot of positive entries in the feedback and check out any negatives.
On negative feedbacks, it is a good idea to email the reviewer
and get their side of the story. If you see a blade you like, engage
the seller in email correspondence. Ask lots of questions and get
accurate information on all the details. On major investments,
work out an inspection period with the seller.
Now let's talk about good deals. How do you spot
a good deal? Good deals come when people are naïve about what they
have. A blade that is osuriage (shortened) and mumei (without signature)
may be valuable but it takes an expert to recognize it. For example,
I once bought a nagamaki naoshi for $660 (a nagamaki was a sword-like
weapon attached to a staff about 4 feet long) that was sold as
a wakizashi (sidearm short sword). The blade was osuriage and the
signature of the swordsmith was lost due to the shortening of the
blade. The sword turned out to be a 650 year old koto blade of
a well respected smith and is now one of the best blades in my
collection. Just because a blade is shortened, doesn't mean it
is low quality. On the other hand, if a blade is signed, it doesn't
always mean it is a good quality blade. 70% of the highranking
swordsmiths' signatures are forgeries.
Another way to spot a good piece: a sword that
way to spot a good piece: a sword that is having a lot of bids
and the people bidding are reputable buyers. You can take advantage
of the fact that they have done their research. The down side is
that they can be very difficult to outbid. If it's a good piece,
there is no amount of money that a collector will not spend. In
general, beware of swords that no one bids on, or the people who
bid are low-end bidders. Another way to find value is in the furniture
(fittings) on the sword. The furniture can be worth more than the
blade. Many times, people buy beat-up swords to get the furniture.
Complete furniture sets are called godoka, and can be very valuable
if they are in good condition. A complete set consists of fuchi,
kashira, 2 menuki, and tsuba.
If you want to invest in an antique, a traditional
Samurai sword is a wonderful piece of history. The price of these
blades fluctuates, like any market. Right now, the market is pretty
low and there are some valuable swords being sold at very reasonable
prices. The better quality the sword, the better the investment.
So it is important to know something  about
Japanese swords. Before you buy a sword, you have to do a lot of
research. Japanese sword study is a very large field and you have
to understand a lot of elements. Even so, it is a good idea not
to rely on your own research. It is critically important to get
expert advice before investing in an expensive sword. Sometimes
the smallest detail can make a big difference in the value of a
blade. We will go into that in How to Buy a Sword Part
Two. By
Shihan Russ Rhodes
|
