Willowtide Hand Forged High Carbon Steel Chinese Dao Sword | 36 Inch Overall with 27 Inch Blade | Martial Arts Collector Gift | RK-1304

If the jian was the gentleman of weapons, the dao was the general issue soldier. Single edged, curved and simple to learn, the Chinese saber was the standard sidearm of infantry and cavalry for well over a thousand years, and Ming period military writers made the point plainly. A recruit could be made useful with a dao in weeks. A jian took years. The gentle curve on a blade like this one is the willow leaf profile, the liuyedao, which became the dominant military saber shape from the Ming dynasty onward because it kept enough of a point to thrust while giving the drawing cut that a curved edge does so well.

This dao is forged and finished by hand in Memphis, Tennessee. The blade is 1095 high carbon steel hardened and tempered to 54 to 58 HRC, single edged with a gentle curve and a differentially finished edge line that shows as a lighter band along the cutting edge. The hilt is a black cord wrapped grip with a brass ferrule and collar. It ships in a black scabbard, and shipping inside the United States is free.

Specifications

What a curved blade actually does

Curve does one thing above all others. It changes the angle at which the edge meets the target. On a straight blade the edge arrives more or less square on, so the cut is a chop. On a curved blade the contact point moves along the edge as the blade passes through, and the edge slices as well as chops. That is a drawing cut, and it is far more efficient per unit of energy because it uses the length of the edge rather than a single point of it.

The willow leaf curve on this blade is deliberately mild. Increase the curve and you get a better slice but a worse thrust, which is why heavily curved sabers like the piandao are specialist cavalry blades. Keep the curve gentle and you retain a point that lines up close enough to the hand to thrust with, while still getting most of the slicing benefit. That balance is why the liuyedao outlasted every other Chinese saber profile and was still being issued in the nineteenth century.

Why high carbon steel and not stainless

Two steels are used at this forge and no others. Plain blades are 1095 high carbon steel. Damascus blades are 1095 and 15N20 forge welded together.

A saber lives or dies on its edge, and 1095 gives the best edge of any simple steel we can heat treat reliably at this size. At around one percent carbon and almost nothing else it hardens deeply, tempers back to a predictable 54 to 58 HRC and sharpens on an ordinary stone. Stainless steel resists rust by carrying a great deal of chromium, and chromium carbides are coarse and hard. They stop the edge going truly fine and they make a long blade brittle. For a sword meant to cut, that is the wrong trade. Carbon steel asks only that you keep it dry and oiled. Our page on Damascus versus stainless explains the metallurgy.

The cord wrapped grip

The grip is a wooden core with a black cord wrap over it, closed at the front by a brass ferrule and collar. Cord wrapping is used on Asian swords for a very practical reason. The raised diamonds of the wrap give the hand something to grip against, so the sword does not turn during a cut even when your palm is wet, and the wrap can be replaced without disturbing the rest of the hilt.

Keep the wrap dry. If it gets wet, let it dry naturally away from direct heat rather than forcing it, because heat shrinks cord unevenly and can loosen the tension. Where wood is exposed at the collar, the advice in our wooden handle care guide applies, and the same is true of the scabbard.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the handle. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us whether it goes on the blade or the handle. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On a dao the flat above the edge line is the natural place for an inscription. See the engraving page.

Care and sharpening

Wipe the blade with an oiled cloth after handling and keep the dao out of its scabbard for long term storage. A close fitting scabbard traps humidity, and a curved blade in a curved scabbard has more contact area than a straight one. Light spotting comes off with oil and a soft cloth. Our steel care page covers the rest.

Sharpening a curved single edge takes a little more attention than a straight one, because the contact point moves as you work. Keep the bevel flat on the stone and sweep the blade along it so the curve rolls through the contact, rather than trying to hold one section still. Medium stone first, then fine, then strop the burr off on the back. See sharpening with a whetstone.

Forged in Memphis

The blade is forged from bar stock, curved, ground, heat treated, polished and hilted in our own shop in Memphis, Tennessee. The cord wrap is done here by hand and the scabbard is shaped and fitted here as well. Nothing is drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Stock pieces leave in two to three business days. Made to order or engraved dao take two to three weeks, and we will give you a real date rather than a hopeful estimate.

A note on handmade variation

This dao is hand forged. It is not machine made and it is not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The exact degree of curve, the line of the differentially finished edge, the tension and diamond spacing of the cord wrap and the tone of the brass all vary, because every part is worked by hand from natural materials. The dimensions, the steel and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the dao sharp when it arrives?

Yes, it ships with a working edge. Blunt versions are available for forms practice or display, just leave a note with the order.

Can I do cutting practice with it?

Yes. It is full tang and hardened through, and the drawing cut of a curved edge suits mats and bottles very well. Avoid steel to steel contact and heavy timber.

Is the line along the edge a real hamon?

It is a differentially finished edge line produced in the polish and heat treat. It marks where the hardened cutting edge meets the softer body of the blade.

Can I have runes engraved on the blade?

Yes. Use the rune converter above for an Elder Futhark line or choose your own Viking pattern in the engraving option, and tell us whether it goes on the blade or the grip.

What is the difference between this dao and the straight backed one?

This is the curved willow leaf shape, which slices better and is the classic military saber profile. The straight backed dao cuts more like a chopper and thrusts more directly. Both are single edged and use the same steel.

How long does delivery take?

Shipping is free within the United States and stock pieces arrive five to seven business days after dispatch. Engraved orders add two to three weeks.

What is in the box

• One hand forged 1095 high carbon steel Chinese dao, 36 inches overall
• One black scabbard
• Care card covering oiling, cord wrap care and sharpening a curved edge
• Your Elder Futhark rune line or chosen pattern, if engraving was ordered
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See the other jian and dao Chinese swords, the sabres, the full sword range and the Damascus swords, or read the guides.