First off let me say that getting your first Samurai katana depends upon what you intend it to do if its just to sit on a wall and never be swung get the cheapest nice looking stainless steel sword to you and let it be at that they will last long as long as you never use them they usually dont rust and maintain a nice mirror shine.If however you expect this sword to be usable completely discard all stainless steel blades they will not hold up to any stress or cutting some full tang blades will hold up for non contact Iaido or Kata but nothing eilse.

Ok so you want a real functional Katana now what do you do?Well the first thing is to examine your pocketbook because buying the right Katana can be an expensive proposition, and my best advice is to first learn then look and get the best Katana you can afford or you will be buying a better one down the line.If you want your Katana for cutting exercises wether Bamboo or Tatami mats you want at least a maru blade made of high carbon steel with the highest carbon content you can get the highest is 1095 which is the best you can get except for the new swedish powdered steel designated  ASSAB K 120-C   this is super pure and of all the steels out today this will hold the hardest edge usually above RC 60-62 while all other steels stop at a 59RC .

So what is a rockwell rating, well this one is simple the higher the rating the harder the edge and while many steels can reach a high rockwell many cant stand the temper meaning they will shatter upon impact because the blade winds up being brittle like glass and can break even if dropped.That is why the swedish powdered steel is the best made as it can hold the higher rockwell ratings and not be so brittle and can be differentially tempered to up to a 62 and not be too brittle.1095 steel will hold a rockwell of 58-59 and remain sharp and flexible as well. below this all other steels fall off in the edge hardness they can sustain.

Folded steel or laminated steel is your next upgrade to  simple steel this means the steel was actually folded at least one time usually it is folded over a core of lower carbon steel or even better iron,these core steels provide flexability not found in single steels and keep the blade from shattering.One point to remember is steel likes to be folded every time you fold it you increast the tenstile strength by 19% even with no core this will increase the usability of a blade hence Damascus was born.Now as to folding and laminating styles there are only a few worth remembering because they are all that you can get the others are not made anymore.First is Maru this steel is unfolded one piece of high carbon steel so get the highest number you can get 1095 is best followed buy 1080 and 1065 below 1065 is not recommended.Kobuse this style was used in WWII and is still produced today it is a low carbon steel rectangular core with high carbon steel folded over it giving both hard edge and flexability.Makuri is the next style that still made this is similar to kobuse ezcept the core steel is blade shaped and may provide more flexability than Kobuse because the core steel is bigger and extends into the thinner parts of the blade but not through the edge.The next  is honasmai or simply san mai this is traditionally made of 3 parts hence the name san mai or 3 layer the standard construction is to have harder steel plates for the outer skin and edge and an inner core of mild or low carbon steel or iron the iron is better because it flexes more but low carbon steel is about as good.this sword is not folded it is laminated which also increases the tenstile strength of steel like folding but not as much only about 10% increase due to the welding temps used to fuse the steels together .The next is Warhia Tetsu  this is a 2 piece construction where an edge of high carbon steel is fitted and welded into or laminated to a spine of mediul carbon steel which makes up most of the body of the blade in its alternate form the high carbon steel edge is fitted to a solid Damascus steel blade.other forms of laminations exist but are almost never made these days .the famous swordsmith Masamune used the soshu kitae method of 7 layers but no one wants to try it now.

Damascus steel this is the premium steel for katanas since they were first made this steel is made by folding the steel as much as 16 times usually 8 or above since the number of layers is exponential doubling on every fold you soon get into the thousands of layers.This steel is the best they could produce in feudal days of the samurai and was the one used by most serious swordsmen.Since the dawn of mans ability to work metals the quest for steel has been long and involved but the bottom line is that until Bessemer discovered his process of electrically heating steel to temperatures over 2,000 degrees to burn out the innate carbons and impurities in the iron to make steel  then reintroduce carbon at the beginning of the cooling stage in the correct ammounts to make hardened steel:since the old smiths could not produce these temperatures the only way of shedding some of the innate carbons and impurities was to literally beat it out of the metal by hammering and folding they came to steel usually in the medium carbon range 1045 to 1065  so it held a good edge and didnt shatter on impact this did prove to be a good method and is still used today .Now we go to the top of the list for most buyers Laminated damascus steel over lower carbon steel usually in a Kobuse fold with a core of flexible steel with the damascus folded over it to form the edge and outer cladding of the blade again a core of iron is preferable but low carbon steel though less traditional will also work this can also be laminated sanmai style but be careful in this form the steel edge is high carbon steel with Damascus caldding to the outside of the blade and spine here you need to know your dealer because the cheapie sword makers know this is a great looking katana they often make a medium or low carbon steel or even an iron blade and just apply a thin foil of Damascus steel around it this looks good but is way too soft to hold an edge and it is  usually the swords sold from Chinese makers selling on ebay from China starting at $0.99 with hundred plus dollar delivery charges.Avoid these unless you just want a cheap wall hanging that looks like damascus steel.

The bottom line is Damascus is not needed anymore due to Bessemers process and even newer steels being made in sweden it is Passe' or to coin a phrase it is just for looks ,the Japanese call it the hada or grain like a trees grain polished in steel it looks impressive but it nowadays is purely decorative .

The other methods of Katana construction are no longer used and I will not touch on them except to say look into my auctions for the construction types all are listed there with pixtures for your information.

Ok so you think you are ready to buy a Katana now what .First off ask questions then ask more questions then finally decide and get your sword from someone you trust someone who has very  positive feedback be cautious of sellers with 100% positive beacuse they often buy off negative feedback by going through an ebay process where you pay a fee to get things cleared up.Look for someone who has a realistic feedback no one can please everyone you know that as does most everyone out there.

Well thats what I have to say about buying your first Katana if questions arrise do not hesitate to ask me wether you are buying or not your question and its answer may help you or someone eilse decide on the best for them .I am Jim of YE-OLDE-ARMORY ASK ME ANYTHING SWORDS.