From a sword sellers perspective, it is getting AWFULLY close to Christmas. As per our Official SBG Christmas Sword Buyers Guide – the earlier you get your Christmas orders in the better:
Because the sheer amount of packages going everywhichway tends to result in much rougher handling than usual, and the chances of parcels getting lost or stolen skyrockets.
If there’s a problem, it will be almost impossible to correct before its time to present the gift.
But this one comes from the Ryujin warehouse – and they are poised and ready for super fast shipping (so much so that if you change your mind and try to cancel, more often than not your order is already packed and out the door on its way to you..)
Unlike most other blades in this price range and style that are made from stainless steel, this bad boy is made from oil tempered and hardened 65MN Spring steel and combines modern tactical style blades with ancient tradition with it’s unique handle – a full wrap of synthetic black rayskin bound under black rayon ito wrap (and even brass menuki!).
It’s an excellent little modern styled sword – but even better, the special introductory price of just $59.99!
Here’s a few additional high resolution pics of the blade and fittings.
Stock is limited and it’s already proving itself to be a great selling sword, so if you want one, get in quick!
This is one of the last offers of the year, and it’s a sword I have been looking forward to for some time..
I love a well made Chinese Dao – especially those from the Ming Period onwards that are commonly seen in surviving Kung Fu styles and systems. And for the money, this is one of the best around..
There is nothing fancy about this sword – it is pure functionality. The blade is made from well tempered 65MN Spring Steel, an affordable but very tough steel and weighing in at just 1.8lbs is fast in the hand but balanced so that each cut delivers maximum force and cutting power.
Originally the Chinese Dao was a straight bladed single edged sword such as the recently introduced Forge Direct Yi-Dao (pictured below) and were more often than not double handed, though shorter single handed versions were not unheard of.
However, after ‘encounters’ with the curved Mongol blades and after the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty where the Mongols controlled all of China (1279-1368) in the early Ming Dynasty the Dao took on a curved shape, some curved only towards the tip (Goosequill saber) but most were like our version, subtly curved along the entire length of the blade and were known as Liuyedao (willow leaf, named as such for the blades resemblance to the leaf of a willow tree) such as this ornate version from the By Metropolitan Museum of Art, online collection (accession number 14.48.2a) pictured below.
Personally, what I like most about these swords is that they are exceptionally good cutters. Sure, the tip is quite lethal, but it is in the cut where this sword really excels. And when used by a skilled martial artist, they come alive like few other swords, spinning, whirling and wooshing through the air – each movement unpredictable and almost too fast for the eye to track.
While the video below is done with a lightweight Wushu training sword (which are the whippy blades designed purely for sporting purposes) it gives you some idea of how versatile a single handled Dao can be.
https://youtu.be/6xdO-NyyPNY
Here’s another couple of useful Dao related videos you might want to check out, the first one a basic introduction.
And another from forged in fire where functional Dao are put to the test..
In the meantime, here are some higher resolution pics of the sword we are offering – not $389.99 but just $149.99!
Pretty amazing bang for your buck, but as with each new product – we are never sure how fast or how well they will sell, so as stock is limited and with Christmas just around the corner, if you want one you had better act fast.. Just click the link below for all the details in our store.
A beautiful sword with a beautiful, if fanciful backstory, I was personally surprised that when we offered the Yue Maiden Sword by the Baojian Forge at a 25% discount we had no takers..
Click on the pics for higher resolution images.
(More high resolution pics available here in a Facebook Album)
So after talking it over with the forge, we decided to offer it at the absolute best price possible to get the word out about this stunning design and the Forge in general (basically, to use a marketing term, as a ‘loss leader’ – we don’t make any money from it, but we get the word out about the quality of these swords and the forge in general).
A Fascinating Backstory
The Yue Maiden is a famous character from Chinese Wuxia – a genre of storytelling with martial arts heros, the most well known in the West perhaps the movie ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’.
Originally penned by Hong Kong by Louis Cha for the Ming Pao Evening Supplement, the tale was first serialized in the 1970s and was later adapted into a movie in 1986 called “Super Swordslady”.
https://youtu.be/x0I9Vbgy4Mo
Set during the wars between the rival Kingdoms of Yue and Wu over 2500 years ago, the central character Aqing is a seemingly simple Shepard herder who has a curious secret friend, a mysterious white Gibbon, who in the course of play fighting and sparring with her, teaches her sword fighting skills above and beyond a mere mortal..
Discovered by a loyal advisor to the King of Yue, and learning of her skills, she recruits him to train the trainers – and pass on her secrets to the Yue army – and with her sword fighting methods now in their arsenal, the Yue go on to win many a victory against the Wu Kingdom.
But as with all good stories, there is a twist – the young Aqing falls in love with the royal advisor, and becomes insanely jealous when she discovers he is married to the most beautiful woman in all of China, Xi Shi (pictured left), who is rescued and re-united with the advisor after a recent victory against the Wu who had been keeping her prisoner.
Furious, the ‘Super Swordlady’ confronts the helpless young woman – thrusting her blade towards her, but catching herself before delivering the fatal blow..
Yet her internal energy was such that it continued to travel through the sword and caused the advisors beautiful wife to recoil in pain, but upon her face an expression “so beautiful that it will take away the soul of any man who looks upon her” – and Aqing is left sad and alone, yet at the same time, a celebrated hero famous among her people but heartbroken until the end of her days..
While the 1970s version of the story is the most well known, it is actually much older – where she is known not as Aqing but as Yuenü, Aliao and simply the maiden of the Southern Forest.
In the mythological version, she was first trained in swordmanship and archery by her father – but again encounters the white gibbon, this time in the form on an old man, who teaches her the deepest secrets of swordsmanship by combining Yin and Yang to produce Chi energy that no mortal fighter is able to contend with..
With a beautiful blade, intriguing backstory and now a truly amazing price – let’s see if anyone changes their mind about this blade.. The special price of $450 is available until the 18th of December. For all the details, click below:
Here’s a few that are left (and info on when our store will be closed for the holidays)
The Black Friday -> Cyber Monday Specials were pretty intense. But as we get closer to Christmas, as we recommend in the Christmas Sword Buyers Guide – the longer you leave it, the greater the chances of having all kinds of issues – from no time to do an exchanges or returns if you don’t like what you get, too many parcels in the system causing damaged and lost products, etc, etc, etc (read the article to get the full story)..
As such, the time for special offers is coming to a close for us, especially as we will be closing a little earlier than usual this year (and opening a little later) due to a pending trip to Japan to visit my daughter and also to take a side trip to spend several days with a genuine Japanese Master Smith (which I wrote about in this months issue of the Sword Buyers Digest – click here if you didn’t read it).
So first off, here is a heads up on our official ‘store holiday schedule’:
Closed from Friday the 20th of December to Monday the 13th of January 2020
During this time, orders can still be placed and there will be a skeleton crew processing some orders – but customer service support will be limited and/or extremely slow during this period as we are officially closed (but like I said, a skeleton crew will be in place and I will also be checking in whenever I have the opportunity).
In the meantime, while the BIG sales for 2019 may be over and done with, we have decided to keep a couple of special offers going just a little bit longer, and introduce a new one..
First off, it sounds like a nightmare or groundhog day gone horribly wrong, but Cyber Monday will last all the way until this Friday for one special deal – the $179.99 O-Katana offer by Ryujin!
OFFER EXTENDED UNTIL FRIDAY
CRAZY PRICE ON A SOLID SWORD
And then a brand new offer for fans of solid, practical no-nonsense blades – a crazy price where we aren’t even sure if we will make $2-3 per sale on the Renshu Katana by Hanwei.
The blade is the same monotempered 5160 Shobu Zukuri style as the more expensive Raptor series, but with simpler fittings and a lower price tag.. $400 over at Cas Iberia, but less than HALF PRICE until the 18th of December and while stocks last for just $199.99..
In the coming days and last few weeks leading up to the holidays there may be a few more deals here and there – and with the clock ticking away, each one is set up to try and make sure it gets there on time for Christmas. So don’t miss out..
Our friends at Ryujin Swords have come through in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday with not one but THREE hot deals brought back from the past – which is no mean feat considering the pricing pressure coming down hard on the entire industry..
Chances are you will NEVER see deals like this again – so each of these special offers deserves a very close look..
Special Offer # 1
Ryujin T10 Custom Katana – Mother of Pearl Elite Saya
A true classic deal – available with red or black tsuka with brass fittings and the stunning mother of pearl inlaid saya valued at around $100 by itself and you have a real bargain right here.
Just $229.99
Special Offer # 2
Ryujin T10 Katana – Black Crane with Rattan Wrapped Buffalo Horn Saya
A complete package in standard ‘Banzashi regulation’ style fittings – the Black Crane is a complete bargain, both due to the base price and the fact that it comes with a rather expensive rattan wrapped saya with buffalo horn kurikata..
Just $179.99
BUT WE HAVE SAVED THE BEST DEAL FOR LAST..
Special Offer # 3
Ryujin CYBER MONDAY Custom O-Katana Special
It might say Cyber Monday on the box, but like the rest of these deals it is available UNTIL midnight Cyber Monday. But the value for money on this deal is completely off the charts..
For a start, you get a whole lot of blade for your money – 33″ of differentially hardened T10 tool steel. But you also get every tsuka and saya custom option, your choice of either a Musashi tsuba or a Crane tsuba and it even comes with an O-Katana display box that we normally sell here in the store for $29.99 for FREE (which makes it a really nice gift package).
