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.
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..
As the seasons change and start to enter the cooler months, it becomes a time of crisp and clear mornings and cool afternoons, perfect sword forging weather (the only other time that is as good, after Chinese New Year). And as we recently trimmed down many of the swords from Forge Direct Chinese with a mega-sale, the time has come to ensure the forges don’t run dry, and give you a last reasonable chance to have one of these Master Smith made traditional Chinese blades in time for Christmas..
So here they are, all 10 classic designs that have stood the test of time, and the 2 latest editions, all available with a 25% discount from now until the 14th of October:
The New Models
Forge Direct Shuangjian (twin jian set)
Twin Jian set that fits within a single scabbard. Made by Master Michael Ye. Normally $999:
A martial artists delight and a great choice for Taichi Jian if the Five Blessings Jian is not your style and you prefer a little more heft and blade presence. A true classic, normal price just $599.99:
Single edged, cutting sword with ‘tanto’ chisel point tip, these Tang dynasty swords were the direct inspiration for the early Japanese Chokuto swords which would eventually evolve into the Katana. Stunningly beautiful folded and differentially hardened blade with premium fittings. Normally $1,215.00:
Elegantly simple, this powerful and ancient Han Dynasty design once dominated the battlefields during the turbulent warring states period. This stunning example of type is one of the best on the market and great value at $1,170.00:
Tradition meets with modern science with this fantastic looking laminated Chinese Dao. For serious cutters only. A bargain at its everyday low price of $829.99:
Beautiful and deadly, this hefty two handed sword is a fierce cutting machine. Features 83 red and green jade semi-precious gemstones set into ornate brass fittings. Normally $1,650.00:
An ornately decorated Feng Shui sword commonly used to bring good luck and prosperity, it is far from being a mere ornament only, with its differentially hardened and folded double fullered wide blade. Normally $900:
With real gold and silver plating and available with single partial fuller or double fuller option, this rarely seen blade type is made from Windsteel (also known as feathersteel) – a special folding technique that produces a subtle windswept feather like pattern that ripples across the surface of the blade like water. Normally $2,000.00:
Naturally if you ARE ordering one of these swords as a Christmas Gift, you cannot delay at all. Leave it until the second week of the sale and it is probably just a little too tight, so get in one these deals while you can to avoid disappointment!
When it comes to the world of knives, I am typically only really interested in the most sword like knives – for example, Tanto, Bowie knives and tactical blades. But there is one small blade style that I can’t help but think is super cool, and that is the South East Asian ‘Karambit’ blade design.
It has been a few years since we have seen these back in stock, so when two of my all time favorite modern Karambit designs restocked, it is worth crowing about..
The first is made from D2 tool steel and is a fixed blade Karambit with sheathe called appropriately ‘the Claw’ and is available for just $124.99 (marked down from $196.95)
THE CLAW
And the other is a caged bearing folding blade made from CPM S35-VN with Silicon Nitride Coating and 6AL4V Milled Titanium + Forged Carbon handle called ‘the Raptor’. Premium quality in every aspect, it’s available for $185.95 (marked down from $246.95).
THE RAPTOR
Awesome blades for EDC, good things come in small packages with DEFCON’s Karambit series, that is for sure..
As you will have seen, September has been a very unusual and quiet month. There are very few new swords on the market, but when we found out our friends at Ryujin had secured the official license to produce exacting, high quality foam replicas of the hit Manga/Anime/Live Action series ‘One Piece’ just in time for Halloween 2023 we just could not pass these up (not that this is the first time we have offered cool foam swords from Ryujin, but these might be the best quality we have seen so far).
There are five models in the series to pick from, most of which belong to the iconic swordsman Roronoa Zoro, and as these are officially licensed replicas, not illegal knock offs, each blade in the series takes pains to be as accurate to the Manga as possible.
Comes complete with a themed sword box, wearable saya/scabbard and a 16×9 character poster – all for just $59.95 $39.95
We already sold 2 of the 4 antique swords on offer from our friends at Blades of Japan earlier this month, and the last 2 (consisting of the $1875 Pirate O-Wakizashi and the $6250 Daisho set with original fittings) will actually be withdrawn from sale by the end of the month if no one decides to snap them up..
But we just added a new quite rare type 3 Gunto – a true beast of a blade made in 1944 that had given up all pretenses of ornamentation and was designed to be a combat monster of a sword..
Signed by the wartime sword smith Tsutsui Kiyokane with a very tight and attractive choji hamon, it would cost a small fortune if it was fully restored and papered, but as it is can be snapped up for just $2734.37 if you are fast.
Definitely worth a closer look by anyone interested in military history and Japanese antique blades.
