SBG Sword Store Blog

One of my favorite swords of all time is the Hanwei Ninjato – a short bladed, two handed, supremely pragmatic sword that I reviewed several years ago here..

Since then I spent a lot of time researching Ninjato – both by reading many books on the subject such as the Shoniki, “True Path of the Ninja” by Antony Cummins and Yoshie Minami, “Ninja Attack!” by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt, and also taking several visits to the Iga Ninja Museum in present day Mie Prefeture, Japan. .

And while I still feel it is somewhat more Hollywood than fact, seeing this particular sword being displayed in the museum made me wonder if Hollywood was not all that far from the truth..

While it is a replica, there is no denying its similarity to the Hollywood Ninja Sword

Now bear in mind that this is a modern replica, not a historical original. I have looked far and wide for an actual antique Ninjato and every time the search has been fruitless.. But this does not necessarily mean that they never existed – just that they were not very highly prized and were just another tool in the Shinobis rather extensive toolbox.. (for the record, I think they actually used whatever sword they needed for the job at hand, sometimes it was a sword hidden in a stick, sometimes it was a standard katana, sometimes it was the Bujinkan style katana, and when they were not disguised and on a night mission – they probably DID use a sword like the one shown above)..

At the end of the day, this style of sword WORKS – and in tribute to the style – Hanwei have made 4 of the very best fully functional replicas currently available on the market.. The original Practical Ninja-to I reviewed above – and then two others the Iga and the Kouga Ninja-to..

These swords are highly acclaimed for their speed and functionality, and have not been available for years but right now we have a handful of both available and are offering at an extremely fair prices..

But you will need to be quick – quick as a Ninja to be honest.. Because they are selling out fast and will not be available for long..

Click here for more info on the Iga Ninja-to

Click here for more info on the Kouga Ninja-to

This is one of the most exciting Projects SBG has ever been involved with.. Working in conjunction with Longship Armoury, Furia is a one of a kind sword hand made in the USA by John Lundemo from Odinblades fame, a legend of the industry with over 25 years experience in the art of sword making..

The basic concept of the sword is simple – from a bar of S7 shock steel – one of the toughest steels available (more durable than even the legendary L6 tool steel) a sword is created in the dystopian future designed for minimal maintenance and maximum damage potential. Furia is based on the ancient “Chokuto” Shinobi style blade but also taking some of the best practices of western sword making (i.e. a peened pommel, leather wound grip) and handles like an absolute dream (it is easily one of the FASTEST handling swords I have ever put my hands on).

Truly a limited edition run with only 20 swords to be made – the first 10 are available to pre-order now and will be hand crafted by John in his workshop over the next 5 months. Truly heirloom quality, this sword is exclusively available at SBG for $1,949.49 with FREE worldwide shipping. Plus you can use the coupon code: Furia100 to save $100 on the pre-order price..

Longship Armoury – Furia, Sword of the Apocalypse

Click here to read the full review

Click here to see it in the store and pre-order yours before it is too late..

The wildly popular titatium coated, back mounted 1060 carbon steel zombie killing sword of the Apocalypse with real hamon is back, and it has brought along a couple of friends..

This new line is called, Hanzo Steel – and is an offshoot from Ronin Katana’s Dojo Pro series.

You may already know the Zombie Apocalypse Sword:

Click here for more info on the Apocalypse Katana

But two other swords have been designed for this line up, both with the same black on black on black style – the first, a long handled, shorter bladed Ninjato with titanium coated blade called, appropriately enough, the Ninja Sword:

And the second one is the Hanzo Steel re-interpretation of the Kill Bill Brides sword:

All of these swords are fully functional but also extremely unique and attractive, and certainly can add some spice to any sword collectors arsenal.

Stay tuned for more swords from this line in 2016 as Hanzo Steel puts the FUN in functional replica swords.. In the meantime, check out all the pics and more details on these three swords here.

Medieval Replica Sword Enthusiasts are in for a bit of a treat at the moment. First up, we have just restocked the RK Euro Line of Medieval Swords – models 7-9 – which are the ultra tough, beautifully heat treated cutters available in Longsword, Viking Sword and Arming Sword configurations respectively.

While we were unable to sustain the introductory price offer (this second batch was subject to a considerable price hike from the forge which we had to pass on) we were still able to bring them in $25 less than the full price we originally intended, though for how long we can operate on such low margins remains to be seen, so best to get them while you can.

Click here for more info on the model 7 Longsword

Click here for more info on the model 8 Viking Sword

Click here for more info on the model 9 Arming Sword

For those of you who prefer a more ornate, but still very functional sword, we are proud to introduce the “Herald Line” by Darksword Armory..

Unlike their standard line swords, which have been steadily rising well above the $300 price point we usually try to focus on, to keep costs down the blades and components are made in India instead of in Canada, but are assembled and mounted in a high end, wood core, leather scabbard with sword belt and suspension system – an upgrade that usually costs $105 by itself but is provided on these swords FREE.

The quality, however, is not to be overlooked – Windlass Steelcrafts have been making exceptional blades for years in India, and the forge that DSA has partnered with are equally as good – with the savings allowing these detailed replicas of actual museum swords to be made available again for less than $300 (plus shipping is FREE to Canada and the USA)..

Here are some examples of what I am talking about – a couple of pictures of the sword this medieval replica sword is based on at the Cluny Museum in Paris, France.

And here, is the battle ready replica by DSA:

Or here is a comparative picture of the Monarch sword, with the 15th century original it is based on that was auctioned in 2011 for 8000 Euros..

These swords are battle ready and designed for steel on steel use, made from high carbon EN-45 High Carbon Spring Steel which is a tough, no-nonsense manganese steel similar to 9260 Spring Steel, so can take an awful lot of abuse. A basic sharpening service is available if so desired, but these swords are recommended to be kept as blunts for sparring and display – if you want a high performance cutter, you are better served by the aforementioned RK Euro line which are ready to cut straight out of the box.

Anyway, here are the three swords in the current Herald series line up..

Click here for more info on the Frederick Sword

Click here for more info on the Marquis Longsword

Click here for more info on the Monarch Sword

Next update, some new swords for fans of Japanese styled blades – so stay tuned..! We really like to think we have something for everyone who loves the sharp and pointies..!

In case you did not see their Facebook post December 9..

After arguing with suppliers in China in person earlier this year, they’ve finally raised them enough that Ronin has to do the same. There hasn’t been a price increase on the pro line since I introduced it 8 years ago, so this was coming sooner rather than latter. The result is a $20 increase on the pro line.

The changes take effect pretty much immediately on the 1st of January, so if you have been eyeing one and want to lock in the old prices, you have just a couple of days to do so before they go up…

Check out the Pro Line here