The Samurai Sword Blog
Forging Swords in China - Some of the Greatist Living Sword Smiths in China
China has been making swords for thousands of years, and to this day, sword ownership in China is something successful businessmen and families aspire to. Famous smiths can command prices in excess of $100,000USD for a single jian or dao rivaling, and in many instances, eclipsing their Japanese katana making rivals.Becoming a master smith follows the same path it has for countless generations. Apprentice to a master, study, learn, get better, and gain recognition through testing. Master smiths i
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Nov 21st 2015
Musashi and the Book of the Five Rings - Japanese Swordsman, Samurai, Poet, and Artist
The Book of Five RingsIf you collect katanas long enough you're eventually going
to hear of him. One of the most famous and revered swordsman who ever lived,
Miyamoto Musashi has inspired countless martial artists for centuries through
his writings and the legends that surround his life. You've probably heard the
name before now, whether referenced as a historical figure or as a character in
one of the dozens of films, manga, and video games he is
featured in. In addition, there are multip
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Nov 4th 2015
How Ebay Samurai Swords get Made in China - An Inside Look at Sword Making Part Five
Chinese forges and factories crank out millions of samurai swords every year. They use several hooks to get unsuspecting buyers to purchase their lower quality katana. Among them, certificates of authenticity, fake hamon, and silk covered display boxes. Believe it or not, Ronin actually loses out on sales because we refuse to print up worthless certificates of authenticity. My personal opinion is that the money should go into the sword, and not the box the sword goes in.In this post, I am going
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Oct 30th 2015
How Ebay Samurai Swords get Made in China - An Inside Look at Sword Making Part Four
In part four of the "how samurai swords for sale on ebay get made" series, I am going to focus on saya making. I know the owners of several of the factories making saya, and took pictures in a few different ones. Factory is a pretty lose term, as these places have 3-4 employees. As was shown in part one, the dealers will actually wrap the saya themselves. First up is a look at some of the Ronin dojo pro saya getting made. The brown horn is already attached, and they are about to be taped up
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Oct 15th 2015
How Ebay Samurai Swords get Made in China - An Inside Look at Sword Making Part Three
Ebay sword dealers offer a lot of customization, including custom hamon. As with the other parts of sword making, that too is outsourced to locals who specialize in it. There are several places, that range from very fast, to very detailed. The lower the price point on a sword sale, the lower the amount they are going to spend on a hamon. Consider a hamon no different than fittings, or a saya. It's just something else they need to add to the sword to make the sale.I've visited around 10 places th
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Oct 13th 2015