If you couldn't make a tsuba for the price they're asking, that should tell you something. A lot of the "hand made" swords are actually "hand made" by a factory worker with an industrial forge. It doesn't mean that you have genuine craftsmanship.
I can assure you that these swords don't have the same sort of construction as a true Japanese sword. The real deal has different carbon levels in various parts of the sword. There's a more flexible center, which keeps the blade from being too breakable, while the edge is more rigid, allowing it to keep a razor sharp edge.
Generally you can tell by looking at the hamon, which is the wave pattern that appears on a traditional blade. Now, most factories will add one so that it looks right, but it's fairly easy to tell a real one from the cosmetic ones if you know what you're looking for.
Something being made in a factory doesn't mean that it isn't well made.
Granted, you normally get what you pay for, but there is no reason that a decent sword that lacks frills couldn't be had for this price if made in a production line.
True, a traditional blade isn't made from a mono steel, but a monosteel is probably better than the traditional method. Traditional methods end in a result that is roughly equivalent to 1045-1050 carbon steel. The exception is that a blade made from tamahagane has flaws and imperfections in the steel.
The Hamon has nothing to do with whether the steel is made with traditional methods, it has only to do with the heat treatment process and the chemical makeup of the steel. A true Hamon can be seen on almost any simple carbon steel when heat treated properly.
A hamon shows up on a blade due to differential heat treatment. traditionally the mixtures used by individual smiths where treated as trade secrets. Realistically though they generally consisted of rice ash, a small amount of silica, and a few traces of other things depending on the smith.
The blade is pre-set to a negative curve (normally, though not always) and the blade's spine is coated in the "clay" in a specific pattern. the blade is then heated in the forge. When the blade is at heat, it's removed from the forge and quenched in water. The "clay" prevents the spine of the blade from cooling as quickly, and the blade's curve is set, and the edge is much harder than the spine. This provides a hard edge, and a softer spine that will absorb impact, and allow the blade to flex.
It's not uncommon to find older blades that have broken along the Hamon line, as this was their weakest area.
Modern heat treatment is much more practical for creating a durable blade, but differential quench remains popular due to the tradition that it carries with it.
There are several different methods for the blade construction. Some of these had soft iron cores and harder steel "skins" some had hard steel cores and soft iron "skins" and some had the same steel throughout. The difference in construction varied over time, as well as by the school of thought (and lineage of teachers)
I am a classically trained sword maker, I studied in Japan, and I've made numerous swords that are in the hands of various collectors.
Trust me when I say that there's more myth than science to traditional Japanese swords.
I make my own tamahagane, and I can tell you that unless you're a collector, you want mono-steel. A tamahagane blade is a thing of beauty, but as far as combat goes, monosteel is better.
Same goes for damascus steel. it looks cool, and modern properly made damascus can be almost as good as a mono steel, but mostly just expect it to be prettier.
Hope that helps anyone make a decision, and if you guys would like, I can write up tutorials on sword and knife making. as well as proper heat treatment, and even improvised forging techniques.
