# What's the going rate for original Japanese swords? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372 "2011-03-20T17:41:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372/1 "2011-03-20T17:41:58Z")
The _harakiri_ thread got me thinking again about Japanese swords. I used to have a signed 15th Century _wakizashi_, but being young and hard up for money I sold it to a friend and he wouldn’t sell it back. Does anyone know what a _katana_ and a _wakizashi_ c. 15th to 19th Century goes for nowadays? I’m not a ‘serious collector’ or anything, so I’d just like a nice \* daishō\* with clean, unpitted blades, and I’d prefer a signed _nakago_. _Soshu Kitae_ construction would be great, but probably hideously expensive. Not being ‘serious’, I’d go for _honsanmai_, which I understand is the most common construction. I don’t need a quick answer. But somewhere down the line I’d like to get a couple of swords. Just dipping my toe into the market. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372/2 "2011-03-20T18:00:09Z")
19th Century stuff is still pretty available and reasonable. $500-1000 should buy you one. I used to get two/year. They’re drying up now. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372/3 "2011-03-20T18:02:35Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > 19th Century stuff is still pretty available and reasonable. > > $500-1000 should buy you one. I used to get two/year. They’re drying up now. I was thinking a kilobuck would be about the price of a 19th Century one. In the right condition I’d snap one up for $500. Keep me in mind if any come in, eh? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372/4 "2011-03-20T18:19:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I was thinking a kilobuck would be about the price of a 19th Century one. In the right condition I’d snap one up for $500. Keep me in mind if any come in, eh? 😉 I will. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372/5 "2011-03-20T18:38:02Z")
I used to collect nihonto in college - gave it up when I started grad school b/c I figured I couldn’t afford the hobby anymore - only kept my first one for sentimental reasons. Age isn’t enough for a price estimate - condition and maker matter a great deal. Too much so to go into here (typing one handed with a baby in my arms). Could be anywhere between a few hundred and many thousands. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372/6 "2011-03-20T18:46:15Z")
I would think history has a lot to do with it. My wife’s family in Japan has a katana they can trace back to the Shogun relative who it belonged to. That’s got be worth quite a bit more than the modern reproductions you can find in just sbout every cheap pawn shop. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372/7 "2011-03-20T18:57:03Z")
My interest lies more in the aesthetics than the history. I like to appreciate the curve and the craftsmanship. It’s less important that it was made my a certain swordsmith or that it belonged to a certain individual or family. The reason I’d like an older one is that I do like history. I’d like a signed tang so that I can see what I can find out about the maker, and also the times in which he lived. But unlike a collector, ‘aesthetics with some history’ is more important than history by itself. I did look into modern traditional swords a year or so ago. I found some that are made using the traditional methods, and which are signed, but they are from a swordsmith in Korea. By all accounts he’s a Master Swordsmith, and the prices for his wares are reasonable. But there’s something not ‘right’ about a _katana_ and _wakizashi_ made in Korea. I’d consider a sword made using traditional methods if it were made by a Japanese swordsmith, though it wouldn’t have any history. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-going-rate-for-original-japanese-swords/575372/8 "2011-03-20T19:17:18Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > I used to collect nihonto in college - gave it up when I started grad school b/c I figured I couldn’t afford the hobby anymore - only kept my first one for sentimental reasons. > > Age isn’t enough for a price estimate - condition and maker matter a great deal. Too much so to go into here (typing one handed with a baby in my arms). Katana fanatic with a baby in his hands? Are you Ogami Ittō?