Oriental Swords

Swords from the west are not the only weapons in the world. In fact, some of the most interesting and appealing blades come from the Far East, from the Orient. And at Dark Knight Armoury, we pride ourselves on offering the widest selection of weapons and medieval gear possible, so of course we have a selection of fine oriental weapons for any warrior to choose from. Of course, just as the term 'medieval sword' is a blanket that covers dozens of different classifications of weapons, so too does our oriental sword section encompass a huge variety of different swords and bladed weapons. Perhaps the most iconic of the weapons featured here are the bladed arms of the samurai, including such well-known blades as katana, wakizashi, and tanto, as well as a few more classic weapons, like the yari and the naginata. We even carry some swords used by the famous shinobi, or ninja, who have garnered quite the reputation in today's modern society. Japan is not the only part of the Orient, though, and so we also carry weapons born of Chinese descent, which were made famous by their use in Kung Fu and Wushu. Among the more common of these Chinese weapons is the jian and the dao, which are two variants of the Chinese sword, and the tai chi sword, which is a form of the jian used for tai chi and wushu, exclusively. Our wide range of oriental swords features an equally wide level of functionality, with some being made for more ornamental purposes, while others are fully functional and can be used for martial arts training, cutting practice, sparring, and more. It is time to take a journey, and with Dark Knight Armoury as your guide, you can venture through the world of Oriental swords, to better see and understand that steel from the Far East can be beautiful, graceful...and above all else, lethal.

 

Functional Oriental Katanas Few swords have a reputation like the katana. This legendary blade is purported to be one of, if not the finest sword design to ever be made. The claim is slightly dubious, but the fact is that few medieval swords are as intricate in design and construction as the katana. And at Dark Knight Armoury, we carry a number of katana that live up to their legend in both looks and functionality, both.

Functional Oriental Wakizashis The daisho is an important part of the Samurai's weapons. Consisting of two weapons, the daisho (which translated, literally means 'big little') consists of the katana and the wakizashi. At Dark Knight Armoury, we carry a number of wakizashi, many of which are inspired by our katana, so that if you desire, you can make your own matched daisho pair to complete your samurai style.

Functional Oriental Tantos The tanto is a Japanese dagger. Unlike most daggers, though, the tanto was not merely a scaled down version of the sword, but instead, a completely unique piece, one that was forged with different techniques to suit the different form. Here at Dark Knight Armoury, many of our functional oriental tantos echo this notion, in that they resemble their parent sword, but also differ slightly in form and detail.

Functional Oriental Shirasayas Traditionally, when a katana was not expected to be used for long periods of time, its mountings were changed out. The tsuba was removed, as were the more classic fittings, they were replaced with plain wood fittings, converting the katana into a shirasaya. At Dark Knight Armoury, we offer a selection of stunning blades that echo the look of this intriguing sword style.

Functional Oriental Zatoichis A hidden weapon was just as useful to a samurai or a ronin was it was to ninja, and for a real warrior and swordsman, nothing beats a shikomizue. In Japanese, 'shikomizue' means 'prepared cane', and more literally, is a sword-stick. However, it is better known as a zatoichi, which is the name of a fictional, blind samurai who used the sword-cane to devastating effect in battle.

Functional Oriental Miscellaneous Swords There are dozens of different kinds of weapons that come out of the Orient, and many of which that do not fall neatly into one category or the other. For all those weapons, Dark Knight Armoury has this functional oriental miscellaneous swords section, where we have gathered many of our traditional Chinese weapons, as well as some of our more non-traditional weapons, as well.

Functional Oriental Tai Chi Swords Meet the gentleman's sword. Born of ancient China, the jian is considered to be one of the four fundamental weapons, alongside the dao (broadsword or sabre), the gun (staff), and the qiang (spear). The jian is also known as the tai chi sword, where it has earned reputation as a legendary weapon, thanks to its appearance in the hands of numerous wushu acts and Kung Fu films.