What is the difference between cheap samurai swords and expensive ones?
Of course, old samurai swords in good condition – and from the right periods and from particular smiths – tend to be the most expensive because they have history and age, much the same as an old piece of well preserved furniture. New samurai swords can also be very expensive, if they are forged. What makes a samurai sword expensive is the process by which it is made. Cheap samurai swords tend to be cast and made by machinery. Real samurai swords – even today – are hand made by qualified smiths, and are made from folded steel, hammered, shaped, sharpened and decorated entirely by hand. Real samurai swords today are made to the exact same standard as swords of old. In that respect, cheap samurai swords aren’t comparable. Forged samurai swords also have other qualities noticeable and appreciable by serious collectors such as the color of the steel, the pattern of the edge. Such details are where the beauty and value lie, so for serious collectors only the real deal will pass muster. Price
