Hhmm....how to begin....
China in general and Longquan, China in particular has become a center for the production of swords, Chinese and Japanese styles for the most part.
Swords are made mostly in factories and we call them production swords.
When I first started with swords, a 1930's to 1940's era gendaito or showato nihonto ran, on average, between $300usa and $500.
Indeed, re-reading some of my old literature, I saw good condition Mantetsu KoaIsshin gendaitos for sale for about $300.
Yesterday, I checked Ebay and now gendaitos run about $1,000 and up.
And a Mantetsu KoaIsshin I could have had for $300usa, back then:
Now look:
Standard model...got $3,000usa?
www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-sword- ... 462ce234bd
Fancy model (tachi style mounts)....got $18,000usa?
www.ebay.com/itm/WW2-JAPANESE-SO ... 27f1504337
Or something more simple....a WWII era gunto...got $1,800usa?
www.ebay.com/itm/JAPANESE-GENUIN ... 541295e2e1
Nice swords...if one has the money.
And new Japan-made samurai swords are also very expensive.
Having legislative restrictions that severely limit production.
Due to post-WWII laws, the Japanese have yet to free themselves of.
Happily China is able to produce swords that us mere mortals can afford and that the prices are low enough that if we scratch or ding them, we can live with that, and the sun will still come up in the morning.
Chinese-made swords come in different flavors:
1. Mono-steels, thorough hardened.
2. Mono-steels, clay tempered (differentially hardened)
3. Folded steels, thorough hardened
4. Folded steels, clay tempered
These are the most common and most reliably made blade types.
To their credit, Chinese forges do try to advance and innovate.
The SBG founding fathers can remember when 1045 was a common use steel and 1060 was cutting edge.
A more complicated, more challenging to make than mono or folded blades is the Sanmai blade.
A Sanmai blade is a "sandwich" blade...usually the "bread" is folded steel and the "meat" is mono steel.
Although there is no reason the meat could not be folded as well.
Say...bread of folded 1060 and meat of folded 1095.
Ideally, in a Sanmai blade the mono steel meat should be visible along the ha, the blade edge.
IMO, I think Sanmai blades are about the highest level of blade type that Chinese forges can reliably do.
But to their credit, Chinese forges will try to make customers happy and attempt even more difficult to make blade types. Even though blade construction failures of such happen more frequently.
For instance, I have two 1085/T10 folded swords, a katana and a wakizashi.
From the Chinese sword maker Huawei.
Nicely done.
But Huawei makes no KoaIsshin blades.
A blade type made in Japan about 1940 where a lower carbon rod was inserted into a higher carbon pipe.
Then hot forged into a blade.
The advantage being that the breakage-resistant inner steel is positioned correctly.
KoaIsshin were WWII blades and while not considered "traditional" blades by the Japanese, made very good blades and were very well regarded.
Correct positioning of the inner steel was a problem with even Japanese-made nihonto blades.
Difficult even for the old Japanese swordsmiths to get the core and skin steels all in the right place.
And it is even more difficult for more complex blade construction types such as Hon-Sanmai.
I do not think Huawei ever has made a KoaIsshin blade.
But Jacky of Huawei, has told me he is willing to try.
And if I get my Christmas wish for a new sword, I will give Jacky the green light to go ahead, and do just that...try.
Will Huawei, a top rated Chinese production sword shop, succeed?
Who knows?
If Huawei succeeds, then great!
But what if Huawei fails?
Will I dedicate my life to trashing Huawei?
To punish Huawei for trying?
To be the "Ugly American"?
A mistake Westerners too often make is to assume Western manners and Eastern manners are identical.
The Chinese, in general, know and are proud of their 6,000-year history.
They also know of historical strained relations with Westerners.
But approach them with good manners and courtesy and they tend to respond in kind.
Social etiquette tends to be more important to them than to the average Westerner.
Why do I know this?
Been to China twice.
Married in China.
Almost all our family friends and associates are from China.
Immigrants.
So I guess, over the years of contact and association, I have learned a little.
But be rude, get in their face and they do not appreciate it.
Two or three years ago, DigsFossils went to Katana1980, a smallish Longquan, China sword shop and ordered two swords.
Not mono steel.
Not folded steel.
Not even Sanmai.
Digs ordered two Japanese swords of a blade construction even more complicated and difficult to make than Sanmai.
He ordered Hon-Sanmai.
Not from a top Chinese swordsmith specializing in complex and expensive custom blades.
Not from a top rated production shop like Hanwei or Huawei or...
Digs ordered from a sword shop whose bread and butter was $200usa budget swords.
Hon-Sanmai are blades like a Sanmai but the mono meat is two part.
Two parallel strips of core steel, one high carbon to be the cutting edge.
One lower carbon to be the core steel backbone.
And these two parallel core steel strips to be between outer skin steel.
A very difficult blade type to make so that all the steel components, at the end of the forging and shaping, are in the right places.
Not quite a Soshu-den, but far, far, far harder to make than our standard mono steel blades.
Two Hon-Sanmai swords, a katana and a wakizashi...for about $450usa which also included the est. $75usa shipping. So, two complex blade construction swords for about $200usa each.
Katana1980 to its credit, tried.
But failed to meet the expectations of Digs.
Problems were loose fittings and the skin steel covered the core steel.
The core steel was not exposed along the edge as far as Digs could tell.
And as far as the particular photos/videos he has shown.
So, Katana1980 tried and failed and I have not seen it offer another Hon-Sanmai sword again.
Beyond its abilities back then.
And DigsFossil's ill manners towards “Tony” of Katana1980, helped insure Katana1980 would not again do another attempt to progress in sword making ability.
And gave Katana1980 a bad impression of us Westerners.
DigsFossils was correct that the sword did not meet his expectations.
And loose sword furniture alone, is cause for return.
So the Hon-Sanmai swords were returned.
And DigsFossils and Tony of Katana1980 made settlement to include DigsFossils letting the issue drop and moving on. And not trashing Katana1980 for its failure to meet DigsFossil's expectations.
As a guy who got into the Japanese sword scene decades ago, I would commend Katana1980 for trying to make a Hon-Sanmai.
But I would not be expecting a guaranteed success from about any Chinese sword forge.
And to expect a small budget sword shop?
My goodness!
I'm not even sure Huawei or Hanwei would want to attempt Hon-Sanmai blades.
Four separate steel slabs all ending up exactly correct?
So Katana1980 tried and failed to make a Hon-Sanmai as it should have been.
Folded steel came all the down to the cutting edge.
That should have ended things.
Swords were returned.
Katana1980 learned its lesson...successful Hon-Sanmai blades were too much for it.
DigsFossils and Katana1980 made their settlement.
Time to move on with life.
But things did not end there.
DigsFossils decided to punish Katana1980 for trying and failing.
And decided to break the settlement agreement and so started his vendetta.
The settlement right or wrong, Digs failed to keep to his agreement and further created a bad impression.
DigsFossils made a YouTube video of the two Hon-Sanmai swords.
And repeatedly called Katana1980 a fraud.
And now brings his vendetta to SBG?
Still calling Katana1980 a fraud, the swords fakes, etc.
I am truly sorry for Digs's disappointment.
But expecting two Hon-Sanmai swords, done and completed for $450usa shipped?
Really?
My goodness!
Now I bought a couple swords from Katana1980 and they are in the SBG review section here.
Actually I have gotten three swords from Katana1980.
One is a mono T10 katana and I am pleased with it.
And two were Sanmai blades.
One Sanmai sword was the Katana1980 Musashi folded 1060/mono 1095 Musashi model.
Nice blade...mono meat visible here and there along the cutting edge.
But not in all places.
Some places the skin steel came down to the edge and the core steel could not be seen.
Probably more polishing down would expose more of the core steel along the ha/cutting edge.
But there was some loose furniture, so I returned it.
A loose tsuba is no problem.
But I was not willing to accept a loose habaki.
I was courteous and polite.
Katana1980 was fine with the return.
No complaints.
And was willing to do a refund or a fix or an exchange.
Katana1980 was trying and I had to respect that.
I chose an exchange and was offered my choice of three unusual Sanmai blades.
Folded 1095 skin steel with mono T10 core steel.
I accepted.
Got the sword.
Beautiful Sanmai blade.
Particularly after I gave the blade a simple polish with Japanese finger stones to change the standard budget blade “shiny all over” mirror polish to a more features-revealing hazuya polish.
Easier to photograph with my simple digital camera.
This Katana1980 Sanmai had eye candy folded 1095 skin steel.
The mono T10 core steel was visible along the cutting edge here and there.
Except for the kissaki where the folded 1095 covered the mono T10.
Should I consider that a failure?
The sword only sold for $250usa and that included the est. $65usa shipping.
Eye candy Sanmai blade with budget furniture for under $200usa.
I should complain?
The review is here at SBG.
Does Katana1980 need a full time q.c. guy?
I think so.
Any business that produces a product needs pre-shipment inspection.
Saves time and money for all parties.
I told Katana1980 just that.
Reply?
The shop is too small and sales volume too low to afford a full time q.c. person.
But if you or I receive a flawed sword, to us, the buyer, that is unacceptable.
So we are not happy.
DigsFossils?
Made a simple, mono steel, stock removal sword.
Congrads!
I assume when he puts it up on the For Sale section, he will only ask about $100.
Simple blade, simple price.
Now go make a Hon-Sanmai katana and a Hon-Sanmai wakizashi, with furniture.
And put them up for sale for $450usa for the daisho.
Shipping included.
Should easily find a buyer.
But if you fail....well, look what a guy named Digs did to a guy named Tony...
RinC