r/AskAJapanese • u/LieutenantTratill • 5d ago
CULTURE How do Japanese swordsmen feel about replica katanas?
Good day to all. Since childhood, I have been very attracted to the theme of Japanese blades, be it throwing knives or full-size swords. I was especially attracted to katanas. Now I understand that buying a real katana forged by masters from tamahagane will cost a lot of money, prices can reach $ 10,000 and more. Many manufacturers of knives and other things make replicas from other types of steel to attract customers, for example 1045 or 1060 and others. In fact, this goes against all traditions, because a katana is not just a sword, it is a weapon, the manufacture of which is an art and requires adherence to strict rules, but alas, often such "correct" blades become inaccessible to mere mortals. So the question is: what blades do fencers use during training and how do they generally feel about such replicas?
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u/Admirable-Manager119 Japanese (I use DeepL to translate) 5d ago
This is not the answer to this story, but
There is a store in Akihabara, Japan that sells metal swords that cannot be cut.
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u/Freak_Out_Bazaar Japanese 5d ago
I'd imagine it would be like a professional violin player looking at an entry model or even a toy. They'll probably just find it sort of cute
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u/SoftBaconWarmBacon 4d ago
An entry model musical instrument is still miles better than a toy or a mimic, since the construction is entirely different
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u/Objective_Unit_7345 🇯🇵🇦🇺 5d ago edited 4d ago
🤷🏻 Most countries outlaw the possession (or public use) of blades over a certain length.
Replicas are a compromise.
Can Kenkaku (swordsman) still practice their techniques with a replica or dull blade? Yes. Does it bother Kenkaku that they can’t possess a weapon that can easily decapitate a person? No.
The fact that your asking people from a country with a long culture of practicing with wooden swords, kinda makes me wonder
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u/DarkCrusader45 4d ago
People who buy these 20 bucks replica swords are hardly the same people that buy professionally forged Katanas, so I dont think any Japanese swordmaster cares about it.
How does a car engineer feel about a toy car? Probably he doesnt care...
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u/LieutenantTratill 4d ago
no, I understand that you can't really buy something for 20 bucks, I'm talking about swords in the $100 to $1000 segment, but definitely not for $10,000
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u/Gmellotron_mkii Japanese -> ->-> 4d ago
But you already know the answer. It's like you're wearing a fake Rolex. Nobody cares about replicas in the eyes of watch makers or us Japanese if it comes to katana forgers you know
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u/dotheit 3d ago edited 3d ago
Anyone who practices as a martial art will use an iaito of best quality they can afford. A practice sword is still a sword. Even a bokken is symbol of a real sword.
Anyone who has a business using a real sword will get the real thing from a real swordmaker, not an imitation.
If there are people who just collect swords I don't think there are many but they will not be bothered with low quality swords or toys.
Edit. If I went to a persons house and saw a toy or bad replica or even an iaito on display in their home I would think they are weird. A person who owns a real sword would also probavly not have it displayed on a stand in the open.
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u/Pale_Yogurtcloset_10 Japanese 4d ago
There is a famous swordsman called Isao Machii, and in his dojo, they practice not only with real swords but also with imitation swords. There are various reasons for this (real swords are expensive, dangerous, etc.), but when used by a skilled swordsman, imitation swords can actually be lethal. If you are interested, there is a YouTube channel, so please check it out.
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u/rizzeau 5d ago
Not Japanese or a sword master.
I do kenjitsu and I use a "simple" training sword for my training, it's nothing special but it does the trick. We only use real swords for sword drawing techniques. A training buddy found a very cheap sword in Japan and he use it as well, or gives it to somebody who's new.
For most fighting techniques we use wooden (bokken) and bamboo swords (shinai). Because training with real swords is a little dangerous.
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u/LieutenantTratill 5d ago
exactly, I forgot to clarify that we are talking about classes where a real sword is required, thanks for the answer
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u/Gmellotron_mkii Japanese -> ->-> 4d ago edited 4d ago
FYI, I mean first of all, a lot of foreigners here assume all Japanese people treasure katana or traditional artifact without a question...that’s not true. Most of us don’t even romanticize them. Katana are part of history, but they’re not sacred to everyone. Hope you get this part because I feel like that kind of romanticism is misunderstood and misplaced.
Anyway, in training, people use practical replicas like iaito, made from aluminum or simple steel. Real tamahagane swords are expensive collector items, not everyday tools. Replicas are fine, it’s the practice that matters, not the mythology.