New Tanto and Return of the 5160 Spring Steel Ryujin Katana

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Simplicity can be beautiful – and this is very much the case for the newly released 1045 carbon steel blade Tanto in Shirasaya by Ryujin Swords:

The blade is a factory tempered and sharpened 1045 carbon steel affair with a bo-hi and faux hamon – more than sturdy enough for a blade of this size. It is housed in glossy wooden fittings with a simple black band that defines the seam between hilt and blade and looks fantastic as a display piece that is also functional should the need arise. Great value at $49.99 with $5 shipping.

$49.99 at SBG

At the same time, we are also delighted to announce that the Suguha hamon 5160 Spring Steel Katana line by Ryujin are making a comeback.. The blades are the same as they always were, extremely attractive spring steel with a straight ‘suguha’ hamon temper line, one of the most difficult to make cleanly. And these are very cleanly defined..

Such a great blade ideally should have great fittings, and the ‘Matsu’ Katana (so called because it has a traditional Japanese ‘Mastu’ Pine tree theme on the solid iron tsuba and the fuchigashira fittings) is no exception. All fittings are very well made, and the cotton ito is incredibly tight, made using hishigami triangles which is nearly unheard of at this price point..

And the best part, it’s STILL just $329.99 – so if you want a seriously well made, frequent use cutting sword, you could do a lot worse than the Ryujin Matsu Katana.

$329.99 at SBG

Check out the full Ryujin Line Up Below:

Ryujin Swords at SBG

First Flash Sale of February

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February looks like it is shaping up to be a busy month, so to kick things off we have the first in a series of ‘Flash Sales’ this month where we take 3-5 different swords from three of our most respected brands -specifically Dragon King, Kingston Arms and APOC – and run a short but very SHARP sale on a hand picked selection of their very best offerings.

Here’s the first swords on Sale until midnight February the 6th:

DRAGON KING WINTER SUN KATANA

A sturdy 5160 monotempered beater that stands at the pinnacle of through hardened spring steel blades, save $100 and grab it at the bargain price of $279.99 while the sale lasts.

DRAGON KING FLETCHING KATANA

For those who prefer a more traditional blade, the T10 tool steel Fletching Katana with its utilitarian and yet attractive fittings is a steal at $299.99, a $50 saving of its already low everyday price of $349.99 (MSRP is actually $500).

DRAGON KING TATSUMAKI

It is one of their most popular and refined Katana with a MSRP of nearly $1400, with silver fittings, rattan wrapped premium saya and a blade to die for, it’s normally $927.95 but is on sale until midnight Feb 6th for the bargain price of just $750.00

RED DRAGON ARMORY – COMBAT TEMPLE CHURCH SWORD

It is the only product on sale from a different brand line, but the deal is so good that if you are a fan of extremely tough sparring blades for steel on steel combat (these are EN42J Spring Steel spring steel blades after all) they are almost being given away, marked down from $390 to $250 for the next few days only.

APOC SURVIVAL BROAD SWORD

With the way things are going in the world, who knows when you might really need one of these in your bug out bag.. Normally on sale for $175, you can snap one up for just $137.99 while the sale is in effect.

Two New Swords from Kingston Arms (plus a new Legacy Arms Dagger and general restock)

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Kingston Arms continues to expand their range of affordable, yet very well made European swords with an example of a Scottish one handed arming sword and a “Hanger” sword replica from the Revolutionary War..

The first of the two, the Scottish Arming Sword, is based on a classic 15th century design and is set apart from other arming swords of the era by the lobed quillons and short langet that made this sword distinctively and instantly recognized as Scottish.

Great value at $285, but a steal at $224.99 right here at SBG.

Scottish Single Handed Sword

The second blade is a faithful fully functional replica of a typical sword that was in frequent use during the American Revolutionary War of April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783 and was called a ‘Hanger’ because these types of hunting swords, used for both fighting and woodland survival tasks, hung from the belt at the ready.

This replica is fast, keen edged and lightweight at only 1lb 14oz – with great value at $389, but truly awesome bang for the buck at the SBG price of just $274.99.

Revolutionary War Hanger

Additionally, the Legacy Arms line continues to refresh itself with the latest version of their classic Irish Dagger, matching blade to the Irish Sword, hitting the shelves at a very reasonable $155 (even MORE reasonable $124.95 at the SBG Sword Store).

And at the same time these blades have landed, we also have a large restock of swords from Dragon King, Kinsgton Arms and the Hanwei Forge. Here are some of the notable restocks..

Just Restocked..

The Albrecht II by Hanwei, an imposing beast of a thing and still sub $300 at $297.95.

Tinker Pearce Longsword – these NEVER stay in stock for long and there are less than a dozen available, so le the feeding frenzy begin at just $249.99 for one of the best made, best balanced swords on the market full stop!

The Tinker 9th Century Viking sword is another amazing blade for pennies on the dollar in terms of what you actually receive. Total bargain at $269.99.

The Banshee is one of those swords that if you haven’t already got it, you REALLY don’t know what you are missing out on. A steal at $229.99

The Dark Sentinel is another one of those fantasy blades that kicks ass in the real world. Still under-priced and crazy good value at (wait for it) just $149.95..

And for the lover of medieval swords who thinks they have seen everything, the infamous ‘clear the pike line’ of the German Landsknecht ‘catskinner’ sword guaranteed to put a smile on your face with its handling and impressive striking power for just shy of $300 at $299.99

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

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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.

Dragon Dao at SBG, the Final 3

3 New Forge Direct Chinese Blades for Chinese New Year

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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.

Dragon Abyss Sword

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.

White Lotus Cleaving Saber

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.

Sword of Wen Zhong

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…

Forge Direct Chinese