Japanese Katana Swords Japanese Samurai Sword View Cart | My Account
    Home    |    About SOTE    |    About Swords    |    Purchasing Info    |     Contact SOTE    |   SiteMap
 

 

SEARCH SWORDS

JAPANESE SWORDS

   By Forge  By Type

   By Steel   By Price

   Iaito Swords

   Katana Swords

   Kill Bill Swords

   Ninja Swords

   Samurai Swords

   Samurai Armour

   Shirasaya Blades

   Sword Care

   Sword Maintenance

   Sword Stands

   Sword Sets

   Tantos

   Tsubas

   Wakizashis

   Weapons & Arms

   Under $249

   From $250-499

   From $500-1,000

   Over $1,000

 

SWORDS BY FORGE
   Bushido
   CAS / Hanwei
   Cheness Swords
   Chris Zhou
   Cold Steel
   Damascus Steel
   Dynasty Forge
   Imperial Forge
   Masahiro Swords
   Musashi Swords
   Paul Chen
   Rittersteel
   Ryumon Swords
   Thaitsuki Nihonto
   United Cutlery


CHINESE SWORDS

   By Forge  By Type

   By Steel   By Price

   Cold Steel

   Dao Sabers

   Jian Swords

   Tai Chi Swords

   Weapons & Arms


AMERICANA SWORDS

   Civil War Swords
   Historical Bowies

ASIAN WEAPONS
   Korean Swords

 

SOTE CATEGORIES
   Online Catalog
   All Swords By Forge
   Samurai Articles
   Katana Treasures
   More Sword Info
   Resources
   Samurai History
   Samurai Site Map
   Special Offers

   Sword Care
   Sword Kits
   Top Samurai Swords
   Tsubas

 

QUICK-VIEW BY FORGE

 
   
 

 

 

   
 

Design with attitude: battle ready katana

Battle Ready Katana

Are you looking for a new design motif? Employ the martial arts to make your office or home space stand out from the crowd. An antique or new battle ready katana makes a statement when displayed on walls. With amazing attention to detail, modern swordsmiths have found a balance between brutality and beauty. A hand made katana is a must have for any Eastern weapons collector. Add a few extra details to your collection with a traditional Japanese obi, kimono or even a set of armor and the display area will be like no other.



Center your health with a hand made katana

Hand Made Katana

Are you looking for a new, fun way to stay healthy? Gendai budo, or modern Japanese martial arts, are great ways to stay in shape, and there is nothing like the excitement of learning to use a hand made katana in your practice. Samurai swords are beautifully made with as much attention to the aesthetics as the strength of the sword. Of course a strong blade is also a must have. We have katanas for sale from the best sword makers in the world. Choose from models by Cheness Cutlery, Hanwei by Paul Chen and Dynasty Forge as well as samurai swords from Thaitsuki, Masahiro, Musashi and Ryumon.

The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance; a curved, slender, single edged blade, circular or squared guard, and long grip to accommodate two hands. Historically, it has become inseparable from image of the samurai of feudal Japan, and has become renowned for its extraordinary sharpness and cutting ability. Indeed, in modern popular culture the capabilities of the katana have far exceeded its real-life limitations.

The katana originated in the Muromachi period (1392–1573), as a result of changing battle conditions requiring faster response times. The katana facilitated this by being worn with the blade facing up, which allowed the samurai to draw and cut their enemy in a single motion. Previously, the curved sword of the samurai was worn with the blade facing down. This sort of response was also increasingly useful in the daily life of the samurai.

The length of the katana'a blade varied considerably during the course of its history. In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, katana blades tended to be between 70 and 73 cm in length. During the early 16th century, average length was much closer to 60 cm, but late in the 16th century, is again approximately 73 cm

Storage and maintenence
If mishandled in its storage or maintenance, the katana may become seriously damaged. It is extremely important that the blade remain well-oiled and polished, as the natural moisture residue from the hands of the user will rapidly cause the blade to rust if allowed to remain. When stored for longer periods, it is likewise important that the katana be checked frequently and aired out if necessary to prevent rusting, or mold from forming (which would feed off the salts in the oil used to polish it).

.Shinken (真剣, Shinken?), literally meaning "real sword", is a Japanese term used to describe a Japanese sword that is sharp and used for real cutting or combat, as opposed to those that are blunted for other types of practice. Today, they are primarily used for high level iaido and/or tameshigiri (cutting) practice. Unlike an iaito or mogito (an unsharpened sword for iaido practice), a shinken has a sharpened edge. "Gendaito" are hand-made shinken by one of approximately 250 swordsmiths active in Japan at the moment, members of the Japanese Swordsmith Association. These swordsmiths are limited by Japanese law to producing no more than twenty-four swords a year each. This limit, along with highly specialised skills and the need for a great deal of manual labour, accounts for the high price that a Japanese-made shinken (Nihonto) can fetch - starting from about $6,000 (US) for the blade alone, and going many times higher for genuine antique (Mukansa or Ningen Kokuho are two famous types) blades.

The tachi was used primarily on horseback, where it was able to be drawn efficiently for cutting down enemy footsoldiers. On the ground it was still an effective weapon, but somewhat awkward to use. This is why its companion, the uchigatana (the predecessor of the katana) was developed.

It was the predecessor to the katana as the battle-blade of feudal Japan's bushi (warrior class), and as it evolved into the later design, the two were often differentiated from each other only by how they were worn and by the fittings for the blades.

It was during the Mongol invasions that it was shown there were some weaknesses in the tachi sword which led the development of the Katana.

Katanas for sale online

Finding the perfect samurai sword is hard. SwordsOfTheEast.com has made finding swords simple by creating an easy to use online catalog. Browse by price, forge or type of katanas for sale. If you are looking purely for a beautiful piece of steel consider the Musashi or Imperial katana. Do you need a blade to practice martial arts? Swords from the Cold Steel or Hanwei brands are known for durability, strength and beauty. Whatever your needs, we know you'll find a great battle ready katana here.

Hanwei By Paul Chen Dynasty Forge Thaitsuki Nihonto Cold Steel Imperial Forge Cheness Cutlery
Copyright © 2006 - Swords of the East  - All Rights Reserved - SOTE Japanese Katana Swords