Iron Tiger Forge Lion-Dog Jian
Back Ordered
Price range: $219.99 through $239.99
- Shipping estimated at checkout
- Every blade inspected before shipping
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Blade
- 1045 & 1065 Folded High Carbon Steel
- Overall Length
- 39''
- Weight
- 2 lb 9.2 oz
- Brand
- Iron Tiger Forge
- Culture
- Chinese
Overview
Iron Tiger Forge Lion-Dog Jian
This Jian features the face and open maw of a Shishi (Lion-Dog) on its guard. Pairs of these lion-like creatures guard shrines and temples with stony vigilance. Similar in concept to the gargoyles of Western cathedrals, the Lion-Dogs prevent wicked spirits from entering sanctified places. This Jian is also heavily ornamented with the Chinese Dragon, a symbol of power and luck. The dragons on this sword are of the 5-toed variety, meaning they are the reserve symbol of the Emperor himself - A fitting ornament for a noble weapon, as the later Jian was a status weapon.
This Jian was made in Longquan, a region that was central to sword production in the Song Dynasty. The blade is folded high carbon steel of 1045 and 1065, it contains 3,800 layers. Folded steel was a common blademaking method in China as it minimized impurities and melded hard and flexible steels together for a compromise containing both qualities. The fittings are of zinc alloy and the scabbard is of darkened wood. The sword comes in a wooden, ornamented gift box with a boxed cleaning kit and a sword stand.
Specifications
Every measurement that matters
- Brand
- Iron Tiger Forge
- Culture
- Chinese
- Pommel
- Threaded
- Overall Length
- 39''
- Blade Length
- 29 1/2''
- Blade
- 1045 & 1065 Folded High Carbon Steel
- Weight
- 2 lb 9.2 oz
- Edge
- Sharp
- P.O.B.
- 3''
- Thickness
- 7.8 mm - 3.6 mm
- Width
- 34.6 mm
- Grip Length
- 5 1/2''
- Class
- Battle Ready
- Country of Origin
- China
- Type
- Jian
Reviews
What collectors are saying
Q&A
Questions from the community
Q What type of sword is this? Common Question
It is a Chinese Jian with lion-dog (Shishi) themed fittings.
Q What materials are used for the blade and fittings? Common Question
The blade is folded high carbon steel of 1045 and 1065; the fittings are zinc alloy.
Q Is the edge sharpened from the factory? Common Question
Yes, it is listed as sharp.
Q Where is it made? Common Question
China (Longquan).
Q What are the key dimensions and balance? Common Question
Overall length 39 in, blade length 29.5 in, grip 5.5 in, width 34.6 mm, thickness 7.8–3.6 mm, point of balance about 3 in from the guard, weight approx. 2 lb 9.2 oz.
Q What comes with the sword? Common Question
A dark wood scabbard, an ornamented wooden gift box, a cleaning kit, a sword stand, and red tassels.
Q How is the pommel attached? Common Question
Threaded pommel.
Q Is it suitable for cutting practice or just display? Common Question
It is categorized as battle ready; suitability depends on user skill and local safety rules.
Q What is the visual design theme? Common Question
Shishi (lion-dog) guard with additional dragon motifs and a darkened wood scabbard with ornate metal fittings.
Q Any care tips? Common Question
Keep the blade lightly oiled, store dry, and periodically check the threaded pommel and fittings for tightness.
Video
See it in motion
Kult of Athena Iron Tiger Lion Dog Jian
The Maker
Iron Tiger Forge
A Kult of Athena developed line, Iron Tiger Forge focuses on high quality Chinese swords and Martial Arts weapons. By working directly with the factory we are able to provide these products at unheard of prices for the level of quality and materials.
Often paired together
Beautiful but cant cut paper. Right out of the box, this is an amazing looking beauty. It has flair and style, and makes a great piece for a collector like myself… then there’s the blade. The blade is listed here as “Sharp” while its Ying Yang cousin sword from the same company is listed “Very Sharp” this sword has no edge at all. I am considering posting a video on youtube on how I can saw into a piece of notepaper or construction paper and… nothing, it eventually tears the paper, but even when moving the sword over it in a cutting or sawing motion doesnt cut the paper. Paper is a very small obstacle to be hindered by.
STILL the sword is gorgeous, and it comes with a fancy looking box that is admittedly a little cheap feeling, but for the price, even the full price of 200 plus, it is hardly something to complain about.
iron tiger dog jian I also brought this sword a while ago, to address the comment in above review about cutting paper I had no problem cutting any size of paper also cut different water bottles and two matts with pool nodle inside with out any problem.If you are looking for a good priced jian with folded blade blade this is the one.
excellent! such beuatiful detail, with every bit of accoutrements you could ask for (box, stand, a (tightly fitting!) scabbard, care kit…) and mine cuts just fine out of the box, at least for bottles. even a fairly lazy, poorly aligned cut did the job. light enough to be comfortable in one hand, enough extra handle and a smooth enough pommel to grip in two, enough presence to feel it in space; the tassels (easily removeable) got in my way, but did offer a degree of counterbalancing that might be nice in making followup strikes, almost in the way you’d carry the momentum of a flail. the only annoyance for me is a somewhat smooth handle, but its not an issue either with gloves or a well dried hand. and above all the value is staggering, less than 300$ taxed and shipped for such a lovely blade with so much extra!
The sword itself is nice and sharp, well-balanced and cuts well.
The downside is that the sword has a tendency to get stuck in the scabbard and either can’t be pulled out or won’t sheath all the way. Kult of Athena tells me that it is a humidity problem that is common with Chinese sword scabbards, but I have had the sword for a few years now and have tried wearing it in but it still becomes stuck occasionally.
Also, the guard has become somewhat loose and I can feel and hear it moving rotationally back and forth during use.
As a Chinese person looking to practice the historical techniques, I would probably rather have saved up for an LK Chen then to have bought this. At the very least, it is very pretty and since it comes with a stand, box, and cleaning kit it is a very nice decoration piece.