The Best Japanese Sword for under $400 is MONOTEMPERED...

The best Japanese sword for a beginner would have to be both:

relatively inexpensive (ideally sub $300 but $400 tops)
and able to take 'a beating' (in other words, be able to sustain use levels well above historical Japanese swords did on the battlefield).

Luckily, in recent years sword makers have taken the Katana to whole new levels of durability that no historical original could ever dream of - simply by "Monotempering" them - i.e. they have no hamon temper line (at least not a real one), but are the same hardness all the way through.

And these swords have gained tremendous popularity, both in the dojo and the backyard for simply being TOUGH..

And affordable - as almost no standard length model is over $400 US (though some of the oversized O-Katana, Nagimaki, etc can be just a little over $400, but for the most part - you can pick up some of the toughest Katana in the world for less than $300!)

Sharpened Crowbars?

When they first hit the market in early 2000 or so, most were laughed off by traditionalists as merely sharpened Katana shaped crowbars at best. And to be fair, some were (and still are) poorly designed or balanced.

But at many more progressive dojos started to see the benefits of a tough 'beginner friendly' dojo grade sword, Monotempeted swords began to gain acceptance, started to evolve - and now are in a league of their own (in terms of raw toughness and durability, when properly monotempered, nothing more than three or four hundred dollars is all you need to pick out a sword that is stronger than any traditional sword could ever hope to be!).

The first swords to hit the market using this progressive design concept came from a forge in China called the "Huano" forge owned by Fred Chen, and his forge made the first through hardened blades for Cold Steel and Dynasty Forge from Monotempered 1060 Carbon Steel..

One of the first models of monotempered swords, the Musha series by Dynasty Forge

Dynasty Forge isn't really around much these days (indeed, it's really uncertain at this point whether they are around at all), and their swords while still good value are now above the $300 price point we aim for and availability is sporadic at best - but you can read the original review which is archived now HERE to get an idea of what once was the pinnacle..

On the other hand. the Cold Steel Warrior Series certainly is still quite widely available, and while many would balk at calling them the best Japanese sword in this category, the old adage that they "handle like a crowbar, cut like a lightsaber" certainly appeals to enough people to have kept them in production all these years.. But again, they are priced just ABOVE $300 (actually they are priced a lot more than that usually, but we are talking about the best Japanese sword prices around, not the MSRP)

FULL REVIEW

Cold Steel O-Katana

It's big and it's bad. In a good way.. Tough as nails, but a little too heavy and now much more expensive than ever before. $641.95

FULL REVIEW

Cold Steel Warrior Katana

"Handles like a crowbar, cuts like a light saber.." A sword that you either love or you hate.. $305.95

For a while, they had the "Monotempered Beater" market to themselves. But all of this changed in 2005 when Cheness Cutlery decided to try and make some Japanese swords for serious JSA (Japanese Sword Art) Practitioners on a budget - and were followed a few years later by Hanwei's dramatic entrance with the Raptor series..

While Cheness Cutlery fell victim to supply chain issues during the early 2020's and closed their business in late 2021, Hanwei's Raptor series is still going strong.

Hanwei's Raptor Series

Developed by Shihan James Williams from the Bugei Trading company, the Raptor series are a range of tough, no nonsense 5160 spring steel blades that represent 5 of the main types of Japanese sword geometries.

A little to stylized for some, but the blades are about as good as they can possibly be.

FULL REVIEW

Hanwei Raptor Nanbokucho

Designed by Shihan James Williams from the Bugei company, these are excellent blades but not without a few issues. $328.95

Conclusion/Summary

In summary, which of these is the best Japanese sword for backyard cutting or the dojo?

Naturally, "best" is a personal thing - all of the swords here are good (we don't bother to review bad swords usually and no one willingly buys a bad one) but here is a quick brand overview:

Dynasty Forge (1060 carbon steel) were probably the best made but no longer seem to be in production.
Cold Steel (1055 carbon steel) Swords are made by the same forge as Dynasty and are made in much the same way, but heavier and tougher and are often referred to as 'sharpened crowbars that cut like a lightsaber'
Hanwei Raptors (5160 spring steel) have great blades and good handling and are probably the best overall.

And the end of the day, it boils down to personal preference, and hopefully after reading all the reviews you will have an idea of what best suits your own style and preferences to get the best Japanese sword you can.

Because when you find a REALLY good beater Katana, well - it's game changing and it's why we think a good monotempered blade is the best Japanese sword for beginners or for those who like to push their swords to he limit..

Further Resources

Many of the swords here in this section are truly up SBGs alley as it were. They are tough, sub $400 and perfect for beginners. As such, over the years we have been impressed enough with what they have to offer new sword buyers that the swords listed here are made readily available at our very own SBG Sword Store

But don't let your search for the best Japanese sword end there. The sword market is always changing, new boutique players come and go every year - and while the swords listed above are bedrock and have withstood the test of time - you just never know what you will uncover if you look hard enough.

Just remember, Monotempered (sometimes called through hardened) blades above 1045 carbon steel with fittings strong enough to hold up to what the blade can do and you can have some serious backyard cutting fun!