Dragon Dao orders – missing order slots from last year allow one final opportunity..

In June last year, many years after the first limited release, we offered our most discerning customers two of our finest high end heirloom quality Master Smith forged Chinese historical swords – the Jian of Marquis Yi and it’s wickedly curved bladed sister, the Dragon Dao.

We fulfilled the very last 10 orders for the Jian and it has now been PERMANENTLY RETIRED from the Project X line up. So for the Jian of Marquis Yi, the show is over and if you wanted one, the only way to get it would be to get lucky on the secondary sword market and get a used/pre-owned one.

But for the Dragon Dao, due to a miscount and one cancelled order due to unexpected financial difficulties of the buyer, it turns out we only sold 7 of the final 10 pieces we had planned – leaving 3 slots still remaining unfulfilled..

This had been bothering me in the back of my mind over several months, because this was going to be the last time we would offer them before retiring them permanently, and it was frustrating that we left 3 of the 10 available pieces on the table, and three people ended up missing out,

So after much thought and deliberation, I decided that as we tick over to the Year of the Dragon, what better time is there to fill up those very last slots and retire this blade once and for all as well..!

The Dragon Dao – the Final Three

The only catch is, with Chinese New Year (the year of the Dragon appropriately enough) around the corner, the forge will be downing tools in about a week which will add around 3 weeks to the usual lead time. However, as we have noted year after year, after Chinese New Year is often when the smiths do their very best work, with excellent crisp early spring weather invigorating the smiths as they return well rested from their break and eager to get back to doing what they do best.

So if you missed it last time around, this is it, your final chance to own a piece of SBG history.

3 New Forge Direct Chinese Blades for Chinese New Year

In past years we have traditionally had a special Chinese New Year sale to celebrate our range of premium quality, Longquan Master Smith forged replicas of Chinese swords spanning over 3000 years of continuous history and sword making.

This year, we still have a sale on the entire line up carrying over from late last year! But before ‘all good things come to an end’ we have added three brand new designs to the sale made by Master Smith Jiang Xiaolong and his brother Xiaowu (both who are certified rank 2 master smiths).

Sword #1: Dragon Abyss Sword

An ancient design over 2400 years prior to the present day, it is a replica of a legendary blade of the Chinese folk hero Wu Zixu and his famous ‘sword of integrity’ also known as the ‘three generation Dragon Abyss sword’. Like all the new blades in this series, it has an expertly folded 1095 carbon steel blade with cleanly differentially hardened edges and complimented with solid brass fittings and an ebony wood scabbard.

Sword #2: White Lotus Rebellion Cleaving Saber

A small and concealable sidearm of the mysterious White Lotus Society, such a blade may have been seen in this anti excessive taxation rebellion that occurred in China over a 9 year period 21 years after the events of a similar popular uprising in the United States called the Boston Tea Party.. Very attractive and very effective, plus a cool and unique scabbard making it the perfect desk accessory for a classy office or home study.

Sword # 3: Sword of Wen Zhong

Even during the extremely turbulent and warlike era of the ancient Zhou Dynasty that encompassed the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, high ranking officials needed a blade that was both practical and yet also symbolic of their stature. This replica is one such piece, beautifully deadly and with a terrifyingly effective, fight ending thrust.

All three swords hit the ground at the sale price, marked down from $1000 each to $749.99 with free worldwide shipping. But the sale will end in early-mid February, so if one of these blades appeals, get them while the price is as low as it can go…

Year of the Dragon Ryujin Limited Edition Katana

To commemorate the Year of the Dragon in 2024, our friends at Ryujin swords take one of their quality T10 tool steel, differentially hardened solid bodied blades decked out in quality fittings and adds two stunning traditional Dragon Horimono engraving styles to choose from, all at the crazy low price of just $179.99!

The only difference between the two designs is the engraving style, so pick which one you like and grab a limited edition bargain before they are all sold out..

DRAGON KATANA #1

DRAGON KATANA # 2

All these and more available in the New Additions and HOT SPECIALS section of the store today.

New Lower Base Cost on the Ryujin Custom Katana Series!

Inflation has been eating away at the profit margins of sword sellers for quite some time now. However after raising the price of the Ryujin Custom Katana series from $249.99 to $279.99 to factor in our skyrocketing costs, sales have gone down to a point where it’s a little unsustainable, and that would mean raising the price even higher again..

However, there was one part of the Ryuin custom sword that added the highest cost and that is the selection of 24k gold coated 1045 carbon steel tsubas which added an average of $50 to the overall build cost.. And with costs rising, adding this as the default option no longer makes sense.

So from today we are reverting to the all black versions of the tsuba with no gold plating as the default and charging an additional cost if you want to upgrade to the gold and/or silver coated tsubas – which magically brings the price back down to $249.99 and hopefully sees us return to sustainable sales levels on this very cool concept we have run for the last 7 or 8 years.

Now it is totally up to you if you want to pay a little extra and get a much nicer looking tsuba, or are content with something more subtle and subdued for a $30 saving (after all, both are made from the same metal – and the real value of these swords is in the blades themselves and the ability to mix and match themes and colors to create your own unique sword delivered in record time).

Plus we added an additional tsuba, a stainless steel piece with a classic Celtic Triquetra imprint reminiscent of Michonne’s sword from the Walking dead:

Additionally, there are also a few extra tsuba returned and added as an option, along with upgraded saya – one with Mother of Pearl inserts and another with the top section wrapped in buffalo horn, each available for an additional $50 if you want to really make your design next level (and can STILL keep it sub $300!).

Check them out today:

Custom Iaito also available HERE

Enter the Dragon…!

In a little over one months time, we herald in the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon – a year that, according to the traditional Chinese horoscope SHOULD be a year full of opportunities and renewed energy – which would certainly make a pleasant change from the first few misplaced years and hopefully get this decade back on track..

So to celebrate, we are releasing one of the most unique fantasy blades we have seen in the last few years, with a solid Dragon theme pervading the ‘Legend of Dragons’ Fantasy Katana by Ryujin Swords..

CLICK ON THE PICS FOR A CLOSE UP LOOK

The blade itself is made from tough monotempered 65mn Spring Steel, which means that this is no mere ornament.. But while fully functional, it is a very unique in its appearance – covered with what look similar to Kanji (Chinese Calligraphy) taking shape, though none are actual fully formed characters and the meaning that emerges is entirely up to the viewer..

For the fittings, modern 3D printing takes them to a new level. The hilt is more like a Chinese or European sword than a Katana, featuring a steel pommel Dragon themed pommel, steel Dragon themed hand guard and a unique faux leather wrapped handle with a silver strip representing the ‘menuki’.

It is further complimented by a state of the art, 3D printed scabbard for the perfect fit and that is also decorated with a full length Dragon scene.

Truly unique as a piece of fully functional sword art, it is priced to sell at just $199.99 but is on sale at the moment for just $129.99 making it a blade that nearly anyone can afford that is certain to turn heads and can be proudly declared as more than just a pretty face..

Check it out in the SBG Sword Store here: