The Samurai Sword Blog

The Apocalypse has come and gone, and all that's left now are poppy fields and kung fu fighters! So far, that's the premise of AMC's In the Badlands, which airs on Sunday nights.  "The wars were so long ago nobody even remembers. Darkness and fear ruled until the time of the barons, seven men and women who forged order out of chaos. People flocked to them for protection. That protection became servitude. They banished guns and trained armies of lethal fighters they called Clippers. …

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 …

Every few years this topic comes up in a big way, and my email box goes crazy. While I've published a few factory videos and wrote a few articles for Sword Buyers Guide, I decided since I already pay for a blog, I may as well put my inside access to use on Roninkatana.com as well. So here it is. Ronin Katana has been around for 10 years now, and during that time I've spent many many months in China living and working. My wife is the niece of Chinese national treasure smith Weiping …