One of the latest additions to our line up of entry level Katana from Ryujin Swords has just become one of the best deals of 2022 – the Sengetsu Katana series.
Ticking every box in a very old school way – the fullered (bo-hi) blades are made from differentially hardened 1095 carbon steel blades, a modern steel that comes very close to the same carbon content as traditional Japanese Nihonto. The fittings are solid brass with tightly wrapped black cotton ito over genuine rayskin – but the best part, the price: now just $199.99!
With prices going up across the board it is rare that we are able to secure a LOWER price – so if you are in the market for a solid entry level cutting Katana, this deal should be at the top of your wishlist..!
As our tiny industry continues to struggle with the messed up global supply chains there is the occasional ray of sunshine. In typical ‘new normal’ style, everything that can goes wrong DOES go wrong, and it was almost an absolute disaster for our good friends at CAS Iberia – the master distributor for such well known sword brands as A.P.O.C., Hanwei Forge, Dragon King and several others..
As with every recent shipment since 2020 – it was several months late due to supply chain hell – and then when it finally came in customs in their wisdom pulled it aside and subjected it to an item by item complete customs inspection, something that has not happened since CAS first started selling swords way back in the 1990s!
But after jumping through all the hoops and fulfilling many backorders for sword sellers all over the world – some stock is left over from this restock.. But with the next restock several months away (and with ongoing supply chain issues, HIGHLY unpredictable) and price pressure pushing everything up (and up and up) there are a few very popular and extremely good value deals still left if you are quick..
Here are some of the best and most time sensitive ones..
The latest addition to the A.P.O.C. line and proving to be one of the most popular. Definitely get your hands on this one before it runs out of stock again..
It’s much bigger in person than the pictures suggest, well balanced and and a true classic. Price pressure will soon push it above $300 so lock in the classic pricing while it lasts..
IMPORTANT NOTE – because they are simultaneously physically restocking, packing and shipping a long list of backorders and also trying to process and ship new orders – please be patient with shipping times. It may take a week to get everything sorted properly – but don’t wait until things get a little less hectic as all the best swords may well be gone by then..!
In past years, perhaps because the economy was in better shape generally and because the price was around $600 less than it is now (and also perhaps because took 2-4 months less to make) – everytime we opened up to take new orders of Project X Japanese we would always receive more orders than the forge could possibly handle and so usually after about a week (sometimes a short as 2-3 days however!) we would close off on new orders and only open them again once the batch was complete..
This meant that to be able to actually get in on one of these swords, it was necessary to be on ‘stand by’ for the notification that we were taking new orders, and so demand would build up and quickly overwhelm us within a few days of opening up again..
It looked like we were on the same treadmill with the relaunch of Project X – the next generation swords, but after I posted we were about 50% of the way to the forges maximum capacity, the orders stopped coming in for the first time since we launched Project X 10 years ago – and have seemingly reached a point where we are optimally balanced between demand for these swords and the forges ability to supply them.
As such, unless we receive a sudden influx of orders that threatens our ability to make the swords in a timely manner – like it’s offshoot forge direct, Project X Japanese will be available all year round..!
We will keep you informed if we get close to being forced back into the position of ‘batching’ the orders again – but for now, the rush and the pressure to get an order in before the opportunity snaps shut again is off and you can take your time designing your perfect high end custom laminated Katana or Wakizashi..
In what is only slightly longer than a 24 hour period, the relaunch of Project X Japanese that we talked about on the 3rd of May has already reached 50% of this batches maximum production capacity!
While the previous batch actually stopped taking new orders after only 3 days, it looks like the Next Generation line might not be open all that much longer…
We will be allowing a window of opportunity for anyone who ordered to tweak or adjust their order, but with slots filling up quickly it is recommended that if you don’t want to miss out on this batch of orders you secure your order as fast as possible and make any adjustments to your custom selections AFTER you get your order in as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.
We will try to update the blog again just before we need to close of on accepting any new commissions, but in the meantime if you have been waiting for this opportunity, well, you know what to do!
It has been a LONG time coming to this point, but the first and rather revolutionary batch of our best quality custom Katana series, Project X Japanese, is about to relaunch it’s next generation blade design!
Having had some serious issues with lead time and a drop in quality (with the need to raise prices) from the original forge we have used for Project X for the last 10 years, we decided to switch production to a more reliable and even better forge (the one we have been using for Forge Direct Japanese) – taking Project X to the highest possible level.
As with previous Project X offerings – the swords will only be available to order in a ‘batch’ of around 20 swords maximum, after which time the swords will not be available again until the main batch of swords has been completed in approximately 4-6 months..
Due to popular demand – despite a shortage of saya, we are also offering the option to custom order a blade in different blade lengths, though as it will require a custom scabbard to be made for it ordering a custom length sword will cost an additional $200 and add another 4-6 months to the lead time. As such, this new option is not really encouraged – but at least it is there for anyone who really needs a blade with a length different than the standard 28″.
