Ideally, a blade forged for artistic purposes should still be fully functional. Obviously, the primary function of a sword is to cut. However, as they are an anachronism in modern society, this becomes a complex question in the case of traditional Japanese swords.Presently, there are modern steels that are much more effective than tamahagane at meeting the functional requirements of not bending, not breaking, and cutting well. However, these modern materials do not meet with the Japanese traditional, aesthetic, and spiritual elements. If these modern steels were employed it would render the Japanese sword a mere weapon (just like the currently banned mass-produced gunto of WWII).
For example, if you look at mono-steel blades produced outside Japan that do not require a hamon, you tend to find that they are buffed along the cutting edge to give the appearance of having a hamon, or are differentially hardened to imitate one. However, when comparing a buffed edge or the line produced by differential hardening on a mono-steel blade to the hamon of real Japanese swords, you will notice the absence of the depth of activities in the steel. For example, mono-steel blades lack the interaction between the subtle pattern of the folded steel and the visible martensite crystals in their various combinations that make each traditionally made Japanese blade unique. Therefore, Japanese smiths reject these very tough modern steels in favor of traditional raw materials that still produce durable blades but also meet the Japanese aesthetic, and in turn remain uniquely Japanese. Do these swords that are made with traditional raw materials have to be functional? Yes! Are they as resilient as modern steels? No—but that is not really the point. The point is a myriad of reasons that go back over fifteen hundred years in Japanese history. Any blade made today in Japan as an art-sword must be 100% functional. Otherwise it does not classify as a sword, only merely a pretty steel bar. Conversely, a three-foot steel bar fashioned into the shape of a Japanese sword and made razor sharp doesn’t make a Japanese sword either.
There are many collected antique Japanese swords that have acquired flaws over time such as hagiri (cracks in the cutting edge), or the appearance of fukure (blisters) that have rendered them unusable as weapons. However, because they have acquired antiquity and retain all of the criteria that make them a Japanese sword, they are still collected. Additionally, through the criteria required of a Japanese sword, the blades become appraisable to period, region, or possibly even maker. Appraisal of this degree will not be able to be applied to modern made mono steel blades. However, that is not to say that these disposable type blades do not have their place in modern martial arts. I say ‘disposable’ in the mass-produced sense of the kazu-uchi type blades that were made during the periods of heavy civil warfare in Japan. Kazu-uchi blades are purely functional and are deemed inferior to the better made, more aesthetic collected blades. Therefore, kazu-uchi blades, despite their antiquity and functionality, are not desired by collectors. Additionally, mass-produced gunto (separate to traditionally made gunto) of the Second World War are classed as offensive weapons in Japan and are declared illegal. Many collectors outside Japan take a similar view, and mass-produced gunto are more likely to be collected as militaria than as traditional Japanese swords.
In summary, functionality is a requirement but not the only factor to be fulfilled for Japanese sword collectors. They must have a recognizable hada, hamon and the associated activities. They must also have a recognizable shape that attributes it to a particular period. Japanese swords are unique in that the blade alone is intrinsically beautiful and recognized as a steel work of art brought to life by a polishing method that is just as unique. Many modern made Japanese style swords (made only outside Japan) only meet the functional aspect, and are therefore not appealing to genuine Japanese sword collectors. Some are even folded and most exhibit a pattern along the cutting edge that attempts to resemble a hamon. However, on closer inspection they are easily distinguishable from the real thing by the lack of activities in the hamon. Whereas modern Japanese swords made by licensed smiths in Japan, follow traditional manufacturing methods based upon years of passed down knowledge and experience. It is not something that can be learned from a book or the internet. Additionally, since the demise of the warrior class in Japan, there has been no call for further changes in shape or dynamics. Therefore, all modern made Japanese swords are based upon shapes and workmanship styles of bygone eras. There are no generically shaped Japanese swords
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