Studying Katana in Japan - Learning the How Japanese made Samurai Swords Part 1

Recently I spent a few weeks in Japan buying parts for Ronin's upcoming tamahagane line and studying bare blades and fully mounted katana in museums and with some of Japan's leading dealers, who often had 20-30 katana for sale and on display.

While I did not buy any katana, my focus is on dotanuki, I did purchase quite a few rare books which I was missing in my library. I was also allowed backroom access to dozens of swords, and allowed to take pictures of quite a few. So without further ado, here's some pictures of some nice historical Japanese katana. Average price - north of $10,000USD with a few over $100,000USD. Very few were under $10,000.

I have a lot more pictures, so check back for future entries into historical swords. Next up, I'll be adding some behind the scenes pictures of how samurai swords are forged in China.