Additional thoughts, information and hints for our sword lines and products, including detailed introductions of new swords as they come in, special discounts and more.
From a sword sellers perspective, it is getting AWFULLY close to Christmas. As per our Official SBG Christmas Sword Buyers Guide – the earlier you get your Christmas orders in the better:
Because the sheer amount of packages going everywhichway tends to result in much rougher handling than usual, and the chances of parcels getting lost or stolen skyrockets.
If there’s a problem, it will be almost impossible to correct before its time to present the gift.
But this one comes from the Ryujin warehouse – and they are poised and ready for super fast shipping (so much so that if you change your mind and try to cancel, more often than not your order is already packed and out the door on its way to you..)
Unlike most other blades in this price range and style that are made from stainless steel, this bad boy is made from oil tempered and hardened 65MN Spring steel and combines modern tactical style blades with ancient tradition with it’s unique handle – a full wrap of synthetic black rayskin bound under black rayon ito wrap (and even brass menuki!).
It’s an excellent little modern styled sword – but even better, the special introductory price of just $59.99!
Here’s a few additional high resolution pics of the blade and fittings.
Stock is limited and it’s already proving itself to be a great selling sword, so if you want one, get in quick!
This is one of the last offers of the year, and it’s a sword I have been looking forward to for some time..
I love a well made Chinese Dao – especially those from the Ming Period onwards that are commonly seen in surviving Kung Fu styles and systems. And for the money, this is one of the best around..
There is nothing fancy about this sword – it is pure functionality. The blade is made from well tempered 65MN Spring Steel, an affordable but very tough steel and weighing in at just 1.8lbs is fast in the hand but balanced so that each cut delivers maximum force and cutting power.
Originally the Chinese Dao was a straight bladed single edged sword such as the recently introduced Forge Direct Yi-Dao (pictured below) and were more often than not double handed, though shorter single handed versions were not unheard of.
However, after ‘encounters’ with the curved Mongol blades and after the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty where the Mongols controlled all of China (1279-1368) in the early Ming Dynasty the Dao took on a curved shape, some curved only towards the tip (Goosequill saber) but most were like our version, subtly curved along the entire length of the blade and were known as Liuyedao (willow leaf, named as such for the blades resemblance to the leaf of a willow tree) such as this ornate version from the By Metropolitan Museum of Art, online collection (accession number 14.48.2a) pictured below.
Personally, what I like most about these swords is that they are exceptionally good cutters. Sure, the tip is quite lethal, but it is in the cut where this sword really excels. And when used by a skilled martial artist, they come alive like few other swords, spinning, whirling and wooshing through the air – each movement unpredictable and almost too fast for the eye to track.
While the video below is done with a lightweight Wushu training sword (which are the whippy blades designed purely for sporting purposes) it gives you some idea of how versatile a single handled Dao can be.
https://youtu.be/6xdO-NyyPNY
Here’s another couple of useful Dao related videos you might want to check out, the first one a basic introduction.
And another from forged in fire where functional Dao are put to the test..
In the meantime, here are some higher resolution pics of the sword we are offering – not $389.99 but just $149.99!
Pretty amazing bang for your buck, but as with each new product – we are never sure how fast or how well they will sell, so as stock is limited and with Christmas just around the corner, if you want one you had better act fast.. Just click the link below for all the details in our store.
A beautiful sword with a beautiful, if fanciful backstory, I was personally surprised that when we offered the Yue Maiden Sword by the Baojian Forge at a 25% discount we had no takers..
Click on the pics for higher resolution images.
(More high resolution pics available here in a Facebook Album)
So after talking it over with the forge, we decided to offer it at the absolute best price possible to get the word out about this stunning design and the Forge in general (basically, to use a marketing term, as a ‘loss leader’ – we don’t make any money from it, but we get the word out about the quality of these swords and the forge in general).
A Fascinating Backstory
The Yue Maiden is a famous character from Chinese Wuxia – a genre of storytelling with martial arts heros, the most well known in the West perhaps the movie ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’.
Originally penned by Hong Kong by Louis Cha for the Ming Pao Evening Supplement, the tale was first serialized in the 1970s and was later adapted into a movie in 1986 called “Super Swordslady”.
https://youtu.be/x0I9Vbgy4Mo
Set during the wars between the rival Kingdoms of Yue and Wu over 2500 years ago, the central character Aqing is a seemingly simple Shepard herder who has a curious secret friend, a mysterious white Gibbon, who in the course of play fighting and sparring with her, teaches her sword fighting skills above and beyond a mere mortal..
Discovered by a loyal advisor to the King of Yue, and learning of her skills, she recruits him to train the trainers – and pass on her secrets to the Yue army – and with her sword fighting methods now in their arsenal, the Yue go on to win many a victory against the Wu Kingdom.
But as with all good stories, there is a twist – the young Aqing falls in love with the royal advisor, and becomes insanely jealous when she discovers he is married to the most beautiful woman in all of China, Xi Shi (pictured left), who is rescued and re-united with the advisor after a recent victory against the Wu who had been keeping her prisoner.
Furious, the ‘Super Swordlady’ confronts the helpless young woman – thrusting her blade towards her, but catching herself before delivering the fatal blow..
Yet her internal energy was such that it continued to travel through the sword and caused the advisors beautiful wife to recoil in pain, but upon her face an expression “so beautiful that it will take away the soul of any man who looks upon her” – and Aqing is left sad and alone, yet at the same time, a celebrated hero famous among her people but heartbroken until the end of her days..
While the 1970s version of the story is the most well known, it is actually much older – where she is known not as Aqing but as Yuenü, Aliao and simply the maiden of the Southern Forest.
In the mythological version, she was first trained in swordmanship and archery by her father – but again encounters the white gibbon, this time in the form on an old man, who teaches her the deepest secrets of swordsmanship by combining Yin and Yang to produce Chi energy that no mortal fighter is able to contend with..
With a beautiful blade, intriguing backstory and now a truly amazing price – let’s see if anyone changes their mind about this blade.. The special price of $450 is available until the 18th of December. For all the details, click below:
Introducing the Saber Shogun Light Sword – special introductory pricing of just $199.99
The discussion often comes up on the interwebz – what is the most deadly and powerful sword of all time. And while many folk suggest it is the Japanese Katana, most others agree that the ultimate sword would have to be a light saber..
The ultimate sword that really CAN cut through anything (except another light saber that is)
We don’t quite have the technology to create a REAL battle ready lightsaber just yet (though if you are curious, the video below explores just how far we might be from being able to make something similar).
So what we have come up with is the next best thing..
It has been tweaked and refined for over 3 years, but is finally ready for release – so without any further ado, we present something truly revolutionary from the makers of Ryujin Swords..
INTRODUCING:
The Saber Shogun Light Sword 2200 Deluxe Edition
It is not the first ‘battle ready’ light saber on the market, but it is one of the toughest and most affordable ever seen – and comes with EVERY extra that most other companies charge the same price as the ENTIRE sword for..
For example, the 2200 Deluxe Model comes with motion activated sound, am easy recharge Micro USB port, and not one but THREE colors (just push the power button to change from red to green or blue depending on whether you are a Sith, Jedi Warrior or Jedi Consular official.
3 sabers in one with just a push of a button
But it’s appearance is just the beginning – this is easily one of the STRONGEST battle ready light sabers on the market.
For a start, while many sabers have their blades fixed to the handle via either a friction fit or allen key lock, the Saber Shogun Light Sword 2200 Deluxe Edition has both and features 3 Allen key locking points (Allen key included).
Tighten with a friction fit, then lock it down with three Allen key hex sockets
As a ‘sword’ is only as strong as its weakest point, this assembly method ensures that once assembled it stays assembled until you want to take it apart.
Unscrew to fully disassemble and get access to EVERY part of the saber
And that is a good thing, because the actual ‘blade’ is (pardon the pun) light years ahead of most others on the market..
Made from a patented synthetic Polycarbonate alloy with a special plastic sheet inside the tube to diffuse the light evenly and then reflected back by a mirror fixed to the rounded screw on tip, you could bash these swords against each other for years on end without so much as a dent or a ding – which is based on personal experience (I have owned a couple of the early prototypes of about 18 months now and they are still as strong as they were the day I received them) but also on extensive testing, including hitting the tube repeatedly with a machete and even running it over with a car!
You probably could not break this thing if you tried!
So they look good, handle good, are virtually indestructible so can be used for very heavy sparring, are easy to order (many other battle ready light sabers on the market have quite complex ordering procedures – making it easy to leave out an important component or order an incomplete product) and are priced at about 1/3rd of the price of comparable sabers on the market.
Just $249.99 – but currently available with introductory special pricing (plus a LIFETIME warranty against blade breakage if you buy at SBG) for just $199.99!
In the meantime, here are some more random pics of a couple of sabers (click the images for the high resolution version).
And a pic of each color – just press the power button to change.
Get your Sith on with the red bladeClassic Jedi Blue Or go all ‘Yoda’ with green – the choice is but a button push away
In terms of raw durability for this kind of price, nothing else on the market can compare. Stocks are limited, so get in on this special pricing while they are still in stock!
It’s been a rough year for shipping swords around the world – it all started in march and hit again early this month, forcing us to temporarily suspend all non-North American (US and Canada) shipments..
The situation is still a fluid one, and it appears that some of our affiliated warehouses, suppliers and shippers have been effected more than others..
Right now there are FOUR brands that can be shipped to the following destinations:
Argentina
Australia (excluding Victoria, please provide proof of AFIAK membership)
Brazil (expect high duties and tariffs)
Canada (many other brands can be shipped to Canada not listed here as they are shipped overland)
Costa Rica
Germany (may require extensive paperwork and customs delays)
New Zealand
Philippines
Poland
South Africa
Thailand
United Kingdom (may require extensive paperwork and customs delays)
And here are the brands currently available:
FORGE DIRECT – Japanese and Chinese Swords, FREE Worldwide Shipping
RYUJIN SWORDS – Katana, Custom Katana and budget Chinese Swords
As the international shipping situation keeps changing, we strongly recommend you buy what you can when you can as we have no idea if things will improve or get worse – but based on what we have been seeing the last few years, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better..
In the meantime, we will continue to research new shipping options to break the impasse and ensure that our sword loving brothers and sisters across the world are not left out in the cold..
