Trueswords.com?

Shinken typically refers to a traditionally made Japanese sword.
A generic 'sword' would be refered to simply as katana, meaning a sword with that particular shape.

 

Interesting. I thought that all nihonto were traditionally made blades. However, I had not given thought to the mass produced WWII ones which would still fall under the "Japanese made sword."

I appreciate you explaining further, learned something new. I just hadn't seen the terminology used that way before.

 

This used to be strictly true, it's not so much anymore. If you talk to a Japanese sword collector, a shinken is still a sword traditionally made in Japan. If you talk to a practitioner, a shinken is a sharp sword as opposed to an iaito, which is generally taken to mean a non-sharp practice sword.

 

Yes, 1060 Musashi brand swords are commonly thought of as "beaters" -- fine for cutting plastic bottles/jugs, pool noodles, the box it came in, etc. Maybe would do okay with one roll tatami. The blades are generally fine, the reason they are so inexpensive is because they have cheap fittings, poor tsuka wraps, etc. They are fine for "backyard" cutting. (I wouldn't go cutting a tree branch though, leave that job to a machete lol.)

Personally, my "dojo cutter" is a Cheness Kaze. It's not the best sword you can get or anything, but it's very functional and didn't break my bank. It's made of 9260 spring steel, and I have put it through double-rolls of tatami on more than one occasion. Mind you, the first several times I cut with a sword it was under the supervision of my teacher.

There's a website called sword buyer's guide that has a bunch of reviews and videos you should go check it out. Judging by the reviews, some of the more popular swords are CAS Hanwei, Cheness, and Ronin Katana, but there are dozens of options available for entry-level blades for under $500, you just need to be smart and figure out who is offering crap and who isn't.

 

Nice! Thanks, I think that's the route I'm going to be taking.