An old thread, but for accuracy, last time I checked, Japanese swords can be made out of:
Tamahagane
Sponge iron
Electrolytic iron.
There are reasons for this that I don't need go into.
Because of this, any decent western Smith can make a better cutting sword than a Japanese Smith. Why? The steel!
The smithing is easy to compare, but the steel is far better.
For this reason, Yoshihara is forging blades in Washington state. Who knows what he *doesn't* tell the authorities back home.
The Japanese want their swords as art sword, forever stuck in time, made with interior steel that does make interesting visual effects, but that is about it. Even the forging process is inferior.
Dan
[url=www.bodyworkseminars.org][COLOR=#B22222][B]Ancient traditions * Modern Combatives[/B][/COLOR][B][/url] [/B][COLOR=#B22222][/COLOR]