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
As anyone who takes a cursory look through the SBG Sword Store blog will know, we usually post some special deal, new swords or other limited time offers every week or so on average. But this month has clearly been unusually quiet..
We alluded to the reasons why this might happen from June this year – sword sales were at unprecedented low levels, and so every bottom dollar was scraped to bring deal after deal after deal – however this clearly was NOT sustainable and has finally run its course. So now we enter into a rather odd, and deathly quiet time, there really aren’t any more margins that can be cut or special deals that can be offered..
There have not been any new deals this month in the HOT SPECIALS section and it has been about one full month since we added anything new to the NEW ADDITIONS page, so all in all – it is so quiet you can hear a pin drop..
The only sale ongoing this month and starting today, we are running the $20 off the Doomsday Series line by Scorpion Swords until the end of the month. So otherwise, it all just depends on what sword you like and if it is still in stock or not, as the way things are going, restocks will be few and far between..
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last 2 (consisting of the $1875 Pirate O-Wakizashi and the $6250 Daisho set with original fittings) will actually be withdrawn from sale by the end of the month if no one decides to snap them up..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.
Over the years, Project X has developed many unique, high end blades. From the original Soshu Kitae Katana line that started it all off, to limited edition designs such as the Dragon Dao and the Jian of Marquis Yi, and expanded into Forge Direct Chinese and Forge Direct Japanese, Project X blades have become must-have items for the discerning collector and sword enthusiast..
So it is with great excitement we announce what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase daggers that have been forged from actual meteorites!
Spearheaded by our friends at Ronin Katana, who pioneered high end meteoric blades made entirely from this otherworldly metal, a recent visit to the forges to complete his apprenticeship in traditional Chinese sword smithing saw Chris Scoggin discover these two amazing designs and offer them to Project X members on a first come, first served basis..
The blades themselves are forged ENTIRELY from meteorites with no added steel (each blade requiring several pounds of meteoric iron that are smashed up, placed in a crucible and heated up until they are molten) and forged by Master smiths in a Damascus steel pattern, polished by Master polishers and mounted in premium solid silver fittings with a Purple Redwood scabbard.
There are two designs available, one with a Dragon themed handle and the other an ancient Han Dynasty fitting set.
Dragon Dagger
Han Dynasty Dagger
Only 5pcs per design will be released, and once we have sold 5pcs we will be removing the products from sale.
So how much will these elite otherworldly blades cost? Well, the normal price on these would be from $7,500 each and Chris told me straight out that they would be no less than $6,500 at Ronin if he was selling them himself. But as usual, at SBG we offer the VERY best price humanly possible. So they are available for just $5,500 each with free worldwide shipping..
True enough, these are not for everyone – but if you have the means and are interested in very rare blade types at the best price humanly possible, they might just be for you..
(Plus a couple more Hot Special Katana for good measure!)
It has often been noted that smaller, more compact sword types are the most appropriate self defense swords for the modern era. While a full length Katana might look intimidating, they need a LOT of space to wield properly – and in the heat of the moment it is all too easy for it to end up getting caught up in a ceiling fan, light fixture, sofa or even hit the floor and shatter on an overswing..
But a slightly shorter blade means that not only can you keep more control in a chaotic situation, but shorter blades are FASTER, more DURABLE and much more VERSATILE – and while it is possible that an opponent may get too close and jam up the arc of a full length Katana, shorter blades are much harder to get past the point..
So with this in mind, our friends at Ryujin have released not just one but THREE new Wakizashi and Ko Katana designs, starting with one of the most practical and affordable packages out there..
The first two swords in the new series are made from monotempered, hard wearing 65mn spring steel to really bring out and reinforce the durability inherent in shorter bladed swords. Combine this with a modern, practical leather scabbard and modern ‘fused to the sword’ handle and the end result is a short bladed, one or two handed Ko Katana that is an absolute bargain at just $74.99 (and comes in two ‘flavors’ – the base version with black fittings and shiny steel blade, and an ‘urban ninja’ configuration with a black finished blade).
And for the more traditionally minded, nothing beats a differentially hardened one handed Wakizashi – and again, Ryujin comes to the forefront with their new ‘OKami Wolf’ Wakizashi – a T10 tool steel blade with black textured saya, blue ito wrap over genuine rayskin and a classic blade with real hamon temper line, normally $239.99 but available while stocks last at the introductory special price of $199.99.
P.S. While we are listing new Ryujin special offers, there are a couple more models that have been reintroduced – two T10 tool steel Katana pre-configured and priced to sell at the same price as the Wakizashi!
