- Joined
- Oct 7, 2011
- Messages
- 68
uProject X Jian of Marquis Yi Review
Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Atlanta, GA
26 September 2013
For years I have wanted a Chinese sword. I have looked high and low, at products like miaodao and dadao and tang jian... but the one that ALWAYS caught my eye was the Han Jian. I have wanted to pick one up for at least 5 years now. Here's the problem... so many of the jian on the market are wushu or tai-chi swords , not meant for cutting. So many of the Han Dynasty Swords are also cheaply made , si my search for the proper Han Jian was frustrating. Only Jin-Shi seemed to offer what I wanted , but I always kept putting it off because of the preorder issue... there was always something to get NOW.
Along came Project X. Project X is a collaboration between Chris Scoggin and Paul Southren ;two friends of mine , and honorable men ,both. Chris owns Ronin Katana , and Paul is the owner of Sword Buyer's Guide. Project X started with katana , of which I did not get one... but when the Han-Jian offer came up, I knew I had to participate.
It did not hurt that I was familiar with the work done by the Certified Master Smiths that Chris worked with on the Elite line.
So I bought one.
Historic Overview
The photo above and the opening photo were borrowed by permission from the British Museum. I contacted them regarding usage rights and they emailed me the picture. I did not retouch it , but did crop it and change the focus to emphasize different areas.
This sword is from Warring States Period (475-221 BC) , and was found in a tomb belonging to the Marquis of a small province known as Zeng. Zheng was one of many states subordinate to Chu , a real force in this period. The tomb was dated to around 430 BC ... over 2400 years ago.
At this time, China already had a rich artistry in bronze castings , and a sophisticated culture. New innovations in weaponry at this time were swords made from folded steel , where previous ones had been cast bronze. About 200 or so years later differential hardening began , and in another 200 years lamination techniques became known. but at its time , this jian represented possibly the most sophisticated sword-smithing techniques in the world .
Underscoring this is the fact that 4777 weapons were found in the tomb... most were cast bronze.
Other findings in the tomb include:
124 musical instruments, including bells, chimes, drums, zithers, pipes, and flutes
134 bronze vessels and other bronze household items
4,777 weapons, mostly made of bronze
1,127 bronze chariot parts
25 pieces of leather armor
5,012 pieces of lacquer ware
26 bamboo articles
5 gold objects and 4 gold belt hooks
528 jade and stone objects
6,696 Chinese characters written in ink on slips of
source : Washington.edu
The Marquis was also entombed with a dog and eight young women as companions , and in the servants quarters of the tomb, another thirteen young women.
Amongst all of these treasures was found this jian of cast bronze and folded steel , and was regarded a culturally significant find. The original piece is found in the British Museum.
The piece for this review is a recreation by Master Smith Xiaolong Jiang.
What is a Master Smith?
In the Longquan region of China the swordsmithing traditions reach back 2600 years , to the period of the Warring States. Swordsmithing is not only a time honored craft , it is a major industry .
Longquan is known to many for the hordes of poorly to moderately made swords that are churned out of the factories there and flood the markets of ebay, mall cutlery stores..maybe even the counter of your local gas station. However , Longquan is rich with the tradition of craft and artistry and they take it very seriously.
I don't have all the specifics of it , but this is my understanding. Master Smiths are University Trained. The Chinese Sword Association is closely involved with registering and ranking smiths. There are National Folk Art Contests which the smiths compete in . Ranking ceremonies are held in which Government Officials present rank to registered smiths. They are a big deal.
Of these ranking Masters , Zheng Zhou Wu is perhaps the most well known. Xiaolong Jiang is another.
The Master Smiths operate large forges , where their apprentices oversee workers turning out $300 swords by the thousands. Those apprentices themselves forge higher end swords. The Masters turn out one-off pieces , as do Western Custom smiths. But if you have enough horsepower... meaning you buy thousands of swords a year... you get the attention of the master smiths... and if you're willing to pay, they pick up the hammer.
This sword is the result of the craft of Master Smith Xiaolong Jiang and his signature is hot-stamped on the blade. There was a limited run of 26 swords , which took 4.5 months to complete . That is over 5 days per sword. Master Jiang ran the forge and oversaw the rest of the production by his team .
Specifications
jianti (length) - 31 in
jianba (grip) - 9 in
jiangen(forte) width - 1.5 in
jianfeng (tip) width - .75 in one inch from tip
hushou (guard) - 3.25 in
jiantan (pommel) - 2 in diameter
weight - 2 lbs. 15.4 oz
POB - @ 7 in from end of grip
Marc Kaden Ridgeway
Atlanta, GA
26 September 2013
For years I have wanted a Chinese sword. I have looked high and low, at products like miaodao and dadao and tang jian... but the one that ALWAYS caught my eye was the Han Jian. I have wanted to pick one up for at least 5 years now. Here's the problem... so many of the jian on the market are wushu or tai-chi swords , not meant for cutting. So many of the Han Dynasty Swords are also cheaply made , si my search for the proper Han Jian was frustrating. Only Jin-Shi seemed to offer what I wanted , but I always kept putting it off because of the preorder issue... there was always something to get NOW.
Along came Project X. Project X is a collaboration between Chris Scoggin and Paul Southren ;two friends of mine , and honorable men ,both. Chris owns Ronin Katana , and Paul is the owner of Sword Buyer's Guide. Project X started with katana , of which I did not get one... but when the Han-Jian offer came up, I knew I had to participate.
It did not hurt that I was familiar with the work done by the Certified Master Smiths that Chris worked with on the Elite line.
So I bought one.
Historic Overview
The photo above and the opening photo were borrowed by permission from the British Museum. I contacted them regarding usage rights and they emailed me the picture. I did not retouch it , but did crop it and change the focus to emphasize different areas.
This sword is from Warring States Period (475-221 BC) , and was found in a tomb belonging to the Marquis of a small province known as Zeng. Zheng was one of many states subordinate to Chu , a real force in this period. The tomb was dated to around 430 BC ... over 2400 years ago.
At this time, China already had a rich artistry in bronze castings , and a sophisticated culture. New innovations in weaponry at this time were swords made from folded steel , where previous ones had been cast bronze. About 200 or so years later differential hardening began , and in another 200 years lamination techniques became known. but at its time , this jian represented possibly the most sophisticated sword-smithing techniques in the world .
Underscoring this is the fact that 4777 weapons were found in the tomb... most were cast bronze.
Other findings in the tomb include:
124 musical instruments, including bells, chimes, drums, zithers, pipes, and flutes
134 bronze vessels and other bronze household items
4,777 weapons, mostly made of bronze
1,127 bronze chariot parts
25 pieces of leather armor
5,012 pieces of lacquer ware
26 bamboo articles
5 gold objects and 4 gold belt hooks
528 jade and stone objects
6,696 Chinese characters written in ink on slips of
source : Washington.edu
The Marquis was also entombed with a dog and eight young women as companions , and in the servants quarters of the tomb, another thirteen young women.
Amongst all of these treasures was found this jian of cast bronze and folded steel , and was regarded a culturally significant find. The original piece is found in the British Museum.
The piece for this review is a recreation by Master Smith Xiaolong Jiang.
What is a Master Smith?
In the Longquan region of China the swordsmithing traditions reach back 2600 years , to the period of the Warring States. Swordsmithing is not only a time honored craft , it is a major industry .
Longquan is known to many for the hordes of poorly to moderately made swords that are churned out of the factories there and flood the markets of ebay, mall cutlery stores..maybe even the counter of your local gas station. However , Longquan is rich with the tradition of craft and artistry and they take it very seriously.
Longquan area is rich in raw materials for sword making, including itabirite ore, polishing stone and plenty of charcoal fuel etc. The making of a sword goes through a total of 28 procedures that include tempering, forging, smoothing, carving, embedding and polishing etc. In the long history of sword making, generations of workmen kept striving for perfection, bringing four major traditional features to the swords, which are their toughness and sharpness; strength and softness; intimidating glittering light like frost and snow; exquisite ornamentation. Meanwhile, special attention has been paid to the material selection and the duration and degree of forging to ensure the composition homogeneity and clear motifs. And the quenching and grinding methods are also special.
The sword forging techniques of Longquan contain profound cultural richness and hold an important position in Chinese weaponry, metallurgy and art histories.
]The age-old and superb sword forging techniques of Longquan have been included in the national list of intangible cultural heritage.
cultural-china.com
The sword forging techniques of Longquan contain profound cultural richness and hold an important position in Chinese weaponry, metallurgy and art histories.
]The age-old and superb sword forging techniques of Longquan have been included in the national list of intangible cultural heritage.
cultural-china.com
I don't have all the specifics of it , but this is my understanding. Master Smiths are University Trained. The Chinese Sword Association is closely involved with registering and ranking smiths. There are National Folk Art Contests which the smiths compete in . Ranking ceremonies are held in which Government Officials present rank to registered smiths. They are a big deal.
Of these ranking Masters , Zheng Zhou Wu is perhaps the most well known. Xiaolong Jiang is another.
The Master Smiths operate large forges , where their apprentices oversee workers turning out $300 swords by the thousands. Those apprentices themselves forge higher end swords. The Masters turn out one-off pieces , as do Western Custom smiths. But if you have enough horsepower... meaning you buy thousands of swords a year... you get the attention of the master smiths... and if you're willing to pay, they pick up the hammer.
This sword is the result of the craft of Master Smith Xiaolong Jiang and his signature is hot-stamped on the blade. There was a limited run of 26 swords , which took 4.5 months to complete . That is over 5 days per sword. Master Jiang ran the forge and oversaw the rest of the production by his team .
Specifications
jianti (length) - 31 in
jianba (grip) - 9 in
jiangen(forte) width - 1.5 in
jianfeng (tip) width - .75 in one inch from tip
hushou (guard) - 3.25 in
jiantan (pommel) - 2 in diameter
weight - 2 lbs. 15.4 oz
POB - @ 7 in from end of grip
