Sword Articles & Guides

Guides and lore from the Samurai Supply archive — how to judge a blade, care for it, and understand the traditions behind it.

• Who Is Hanwei Paul Chen?

  The story behind the Hanwei forge and Paul Chen's swords.

• Finding a Quality Samurai Sword

  What separates a wall-hanger from a functional blade.

• Advantages of Replica Movie Swords

  Why replica and movie swords earn a place in a collection.

• Making Your Own Training Sword

  A guide to building a bokken for practice.

• Bokken Swords for Training

  Choosing the right wooden sword for martial arts practice.

• Japanese Sword Terminology

  Kissaki to kashira — the vocabulary of the katana.

• The Kogarasu Maru Style Blade

  The unusual double-edged tachi of legend.

• Musashi Glorious Dragon Katana

  A close look at the Musashi Glorious Dragon.

• Musashi Elite Katana

  A close look at the Musashi Elite.

• Musashi Rose Blossom Katana

  A close look at the Musashi Rose Blossom.

• About Ryumon Swords

  The Ryumon forge and its hand-forged katana line.

• Sky Jiro Samurai Swords

  About the Sky Jiro line of samurai swords.

• TJ Samurai Swords

  About the TJ line of samurai swords.

• Hakama

  Traditional Japanese hakama for martial arts.

• Testimonials

  Letters from customers of the original Samurai Supply shop.