Ryujin 13th Century Knightly Arming Sword
Nov 26, 2020 20:38:21 GMT
Post by alientude on Nov 26, 2020 20:38:21 GMT
I’m calling this a Ryujin sword as it shipped from their warehouse near Los Angeles, and the SBG listing for it said the people behind Ryujin made this sword. That probably means a forge that Ryujin sources their blades from. In any case, I bought this blade from the SBG store for $179.99.
Historical Overview
This blade is an Oakeshott Type XII, featuring a fairly wide blade at the guard that narrows noticeably, but not to an acute point, and a fuller that runs around 2/3 – 3/4 the length of the blade. The Oakeshott Type XII is a multipurpose blade, suitable for both cutting and thrusting, although the blade profile definitely leans towards cutting. This sword is not based on a specific historical find. Rather, it’s an example of plausible sword design. This type of sword was used extensively in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The term arming sword is a relatively new invention used to help classify swords. Historically, this would probably be referred to simply as a sword.
Full Disclosure
My cutting ability leaves much to be desired.
This blade is an Oakeshott Type XII, featuring a fairly wide blade at the guard that narrows noticeably, but not to an acute point, and a fuller that runs around 2/3 – 3/4 the length of the blade. The Oakeshott Type XII is a multipurpose blade, suitable for both cutting and thrusting, although the blade profile definitely leans towards cutting. This sword is not based on a specific historical find. Rather, it’s an example of plausible sword design. This type of sword was used extensively in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The term arming sword is a relatively new invention used to help classify swords. Historically, this would probably be referred to simply as a sword.
Full Disclosure
My cutting ability leaves much to be desired.
Initial Impressions
I live near Los Angeles, so shipping from Ryujin’s warehouse there is quite quick. I actually received the sword before I received the tracking number or notification that it had been shipped at all. That’s what I call fast shipping!
There’s something very powerful about the simple lines of an arming sword, and this was the first arming sword I’ve bought, so it was quite a sight. I love the overall look of the blade. It’s understated in all the right ways.
Statistics
Blade length: 27 7/16” (69.7 cm)
Blade width at guard: 2” (5 cm)
Blade width near tip: 1” (2.5 cm)
Fuller length: 22 15/16” (58.3 cm)
Fuller width: 7/16” (11 mm)
Fuller depth: 0.053” (1.3 mm)
Distal taper: 0.2015” (5.1 mm) at guard, 0.195” (4.9 mm) at midpoint, 0.187” (4.8 mm) near tip
POB: 4 3/8” (11.1 cm)
Guard width: 7 15/16” (20.2 cm)
Grip length: 4.5” (11.4 cm)
Pommel diameter: 1 7/8” (4.8 cm)
Overall length: 34.5” (87.6 cm)
Weight (blade only): 2.4 lbs (1.08 kg)
Weight (with scabbard): 3.5 lbs (1.59 kg)
I live near Los Angeles, so shipping from Ryujin’s warehouse there is quite quick. I actually received the sword before I received the tracking number or notification that it had been shipped at all. That’s what I call fast shipping!
There’s something very powerful about the simple lines of an arming sword, and this was the first arming sword I’ve bought, so it was quite a sight. I love the overall look of the blade. It’s understated in all the right ways.
Statistics
Blade length: 27 7/16” (69.7 cm)
Blade width at guard: 2” (5 cm)
Blade width near tip: 1” (2.5 cm)
Fuller length: 22 15/16” (58.3 cm)
Fuller width: 7/16” (11 mm)
Fuller depth: 0.053” (1.3 mm)
Distal taper: 0.2015” (5.1 mm) at guard, 0.195” (4.9 mm) at midpoint, 0.187” (4.8 mm) near tip
POB: 4 3/8” (11.1 cm)
Guard width: 7 15/16” (20.2 cm)
Grip length: 4.5” (11.4 cm)
Pommel diameter: 1 7/8” (4.8 cm)
Overall length: 34.5” (87.6 cm)
Weight (blade only): 2.4 lbs (1.08 kg)
Weight (with scabbard): 3.5 lbs (1.59 kg)
Components
Blade
Type XII
65MN Spring Steel, monotempered, factory sharpened.
The fuller on this blade is nicely ground, although slightly uneven where it ends. The blade has a diamond cross section. The majority of the blade has no secondary beveling. The ricasso is a little weird, however. It’s sharpened, but with a secondary bevel. It’s like the blade was left thicker there on purpose and was intended to be left unsharpened, but then whoever sharpened the blade went ahead and sharpened the ricasso anyway, creating a small but noticeable secondary bevel. I tried to capture this in the photos, but I don’t think I was successful.
There’s very little distal taper to this sword, leading it to feel slightly heavier in the hand than I would prefer.
Blade
Type XII
65MN Spring Steel, monotempered, factory sharpened.
The fuller on this blade is nicely ground, although slightly uneven where it ends. The blade has a diamond cross section. The majority of the blade has no secondary beveling. The ricasso is a little weird, however. It’s sharpened, but with a secondary bevel. It’s like the blade was left thicker there on purpose and was intended to be left unsharpened, but then whoever sharpened the blade went ahead and sharpened the ricasso anyway, creating a small but noticeable secondary bevel. I tried to capture this in the photos, but I don’t think I was successful.
There’s very little distal taper to this sword, leading it to feel slightly heavier in the hand than I would prefer.
Pommel
Type J
The pommel is made from iron and is peened on. It’s a classic, simple design that will never go out of style.
Type J
The pommel is made from iron and is peened on. It’s a classic, simple design that will never go out of style.
Grip
The grip is made of wood with a thick cord wrap, covered with leather. There’s three close spacers in the middle of the grip, and one on each end. The stitching is prominent, rough, uneven, and bad.
Crossguard
Type 2
Also made of iron. It’s got decorative grooves near the endpoints, which are octagonal. I really like the design of this crossguard. The gapping between the blade and the crossguard is pretty minimal.
Sadly, it developed a little bit of a wiggle after a few test swings in the air with no impact whatsoever. That really makes me concerned that the overall construction of the hilt is more dependent on epoxy than tight fitting.
Type 2
Also made of iron. It’s got decorative grooves near the endpoints, which are octagonal. I really like the design of this crossguard. The gapping between the blade and the crossguard is pretty minimal.
Sadly, it developed a little bit of a wiggle after a few test swings in the air with no impact whatsoever. That really makes me concerned that the overall construction of the hilt is more dependent on epoxy than tight fitting.
The scabbard is wood core and has a faux-leather covering. It has a collar and chape that I’m guessing are both made of iron, like the blade’s fittings. I like the decorative grooves on the chape. It’s got some integrated belt loops and comes with a cheap frog and cheaper leather belt. I’ve tried wearing the sword using these and it doesn’t really line up quite right, and hangs from the belt quite uncomfortably.
The fit of the scabbard to the blade is lousy. The sword doesn’t stay in the scabbard in the slightest. To be fair, the listing on the SBG store definitely made it clear that this would be the case.
Handling Characteristics
The sword handles a little clunky. While the balance is fine, it feels a little heavy one-handed. I would have preferred for the distal taper to be more pronounced. Though an arming sword, it can be used quite easily two-handed by gripping the pommel, and this definitely gave me more control over the blade.
Cutting
The sword came quite sharp from the factory. It cuts paper with ease, not tearing at all. Obviously, it made short work of water bottles, and I was able to get one or two decent cuts with it, even with my lousy abilities.
Conclusions
This is most definitely a budget sword. It checks all the boxes for what makes for a good budget sword – low price, good steel, decent handling. The overall fit and finish is definitely lacking, but that’s to be expected in the sub-$200 range.
Pros
- Very sharp
- Historically plausible design
- Attractive
Cons
- Crossguard is loose after a few swings with no impact.
- Scabbard fit to the blade is bad.
- Mediocre handling.
The Bottom Line
If this sword was still available, I would recommend it only as a low-end budget sword. There’s nothing egregiously wrong with it, but you get what you pay for. I’d wager that I would have been wiser to spend an extra $100 and get a Ronin Katana Euro Model 9 instead.
The full gallery of photos I took of this sword can be viewed here.
The sword handles a little clunky. While the balance is fine, it feels a little heavy one-handed. I would have preferred for the distal taper to be more pronounced. Though an arming sword, it can be used quite easily two-handed by gripping the pommel, and this definitely gave me more control over the blade.
Cutting
The sword came quite sharp from the factory. It cuts paper with ease, not tearing at all. Obviously, it made short work of water bottles, and I was able to get one or two decent cuts with it, even with my lousy abilities.
Conclusions
This is most definitely a budget sword. It checks all the boxes for what makes for a good budget sword – low price, good steel, decent handling. The overall fit and finish is definitely lacking, but that’s to be expected in the sub-$200 range.
Pros
- Very sharp
- Historically plausible design
- Attractive
Cons
- Crossguard is loose after a few swings with no impact.
- Scabbard fit to the blade is bad.
- Mediocre handling.
The Bottom Line
If this sword was still available, I would recommend it only as a low-end budget sword. There’s nothing egregiously wrong with it, but you get what you pay for. I’d wager that I would have been wiser to spend an extra $100 and get a Ronin Katana Euro Model 9 instead.
The full gallery of photos I took of this sword can be viewed here.