Hanwei/Paul Chen Edward III Sword

[Torawashi]

This is one of my favorite Medieval pieces. It is so true to the original sword, now in a private collection that I have enclosed black and white photos along with pics of my reproduction to show the production quality.

Edward III of England was a warrior-king who is remembered in history for his dramatic victory against the French at Crecy (1346) during the 100 years war, actually lasting 116 years. This sword is a replica of his actual battle sword that has survived through the centuries. The style is typical of a 14th century battle sword but the fittings are undoubtedly those of a king, from the heavy gilding to the adder-skin grip to the beautifully enamelled coat of arms. The flattened diamond-section blade bears the emblem of the Order of the Garter, badge of the Knights of St. George, founded by Edward. This well-balanced sword may be wielded single-handed or hand-and-a-half style.

Some statistics: Overall length - 42 3/4 in.
Hilt assembly - 9 1/4 in.
Pommel dia. - 2 1/2 in.
Pommel thick. - 1/2 in.
Grip length - 6 in.
Grip - 1 1/2 in. across at guard tapering to 1 1/8 at the pommel.
Grip thick - 1/2 in. Grip is a roundish rectangle.
Cross guard - 8 in. across.
Cross thick. - 1/2 in. average.
Blade length - 33 1/2 in.
Blade width - 2 1/2 in. at crossguard.
P.O.B. - 7 in. from crossguard.
C.O.P. - 10 in. from tip.
Weight - 3 lb. and a bit.

The blade is an excellent example of an Oakeshott Type XVIIIa. The etching on the blade depicts a very early example of the badge of the Order of the Garter and possibly the earliest use of the portcullis as a badge by an English Royal. Edward formed the Order of the Garter in 1348 and died in 1377 (thus the sword would fall into this period somewhere). This knightly order was the first and most prestigious of the royal sponsored orders. This magnificent sword is one of a very few that can be seriously attributed to its original owner, a King of England no less. Designed and constructed for battle, the grip and furniture bear the marks of extensive use. This extraordinary sword is a pleasure to wield and a truly historic centerpiece for any collection.

Typical of Hanwei/Paul Chen swords, this sword is a very high quality product. The grip is covered in "adder skin" and is definitely real snakeskin. The pommel is a beautiful work of art. The original has the obverse side enameled in the coat of arms of Edward III of England and the reverse has an opaque crystal stone underneath which is a scrap of cloth from the cloak of Edward the Confessor. It's believed that the crystal is opaque so that the unworthy could not gaze on the relic beneath the crystal. The reproduction is faithful to the original, red, blue, green and gold enamel coloring on the obverse and opaque crystal stone on the reverse.

The scabbard is done in dark brown soft leather with brass accents and the enameled crest of Edward III at the throat. The crossguard and pommel are steel coated in brass and the tang runs through the hilt and pommel and is peened over the "rivet block" as in the original. The sword is very well balanced, a big sword with a wide, flattened diamond profile blade but surprisingly easy to wield one handed or two due to the great balance. Below are some pics, remember the black and white pics are of the original sword and the color pics are of my reproduction. I have named this sword REDEEMER. Enjoy.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/jimnpatsy/RedeemerHerselfDarkMaroonGoldBevel.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/jimnpatsy/pic_mow_ediii11.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/jimnpatsy/eddy8.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/jimnpatsy/eddy7.jpg
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/jimnpatsy/pic_mow_ediii09.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/jimnpatsy/pic_mow_ediii07.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/jimnpatsy/images_PC2033_l.jpg

[Taygrd]

Another Great review=D> I may have mis-spoke when I said you have enough swords to arm Poland. We are looking at arming France now=))

[Dotanuki]

Tora,

I would really like to see your entire collection! :ohyeah:
How do you display them all at your home?

[Torawashi]

Tora,

I would really like to see your entire collection! :ohyeah:
How do you display them all at your home?

LOL; I currently have 37 swords in my collection, not counting daggers. I have a traditional 3 sword stand of katana on my mantel above the fireplace, 3 swords displayed on my bookshelf in the living room, 3 katana and a Wak displayed on the top of one of my gunsafes, and 11 swords of Medieval and ancient type displayed on my bedroom walls. The rest are waiting for me to finish construction of a new sword display on the upstairs corridor and more are on the way. as you can probly tell, sword collection is a passion with me. :SandS:

[bobO]

Tora, As always great review! I really like how you showed the original to compare with. Hey, could you name my Tori for me, you have a knack for names.

[Torawashi]

Tora, As always great review! I really like how you showed the original to compare with. Hey, could you name my Tori for me, you have a knack for names.

.....Workin' on it right now buddy......i'll get right back to you with the name for your new Tori....

[Torawashi]

OK bobO.......the name of your new Tori katana is: Kusanagi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusanagi) ("Grasscutter" or more probably "sword of snake"). It may also be called Tsumugari no Tachi (都牟刈の太刀) - Both a mythical and real sword of equivalent importance to Japan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan) as Excalibur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excalibur) is to England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England). Hope you like it buddy and thanks for giving me the privelidge of naming your noble sword......I am truly honored. :ohyeah:

P.S. If you click on the "Kusanagi" link in this post it will take you to Wikipedia's history of this famous sword.

[Mako]

Excellent review Tora. =D>

[bobO]

OK bobO.......the name of your new Tori katana is: Kusanagi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusanagi) ("Grasscutter" or more probably "sword of snake"). It may also be called Tsumugari no Tachi (都牟刈の太刀) - Both a mythical and real sword of equivalent importance to Japan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan) as Excalibur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excalibur) is to England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England). Hope you like it buddy and thanks for giving me the privelidge of naming your noble sword......I am truly honored. :ohyeah:

P.S. If you click on the "Kusanagi" link in this post it will take you to Wikipedia's history of this famous sword.
Domo! For the name and the links!:bow::bow::bow: Interesting note, at the battle they speak (a naval battle) the crabs of the region have faces on there shell that look like samurai faces with helmets on! Tora, the honor is mine.

[Dotanuki]

Tora,

You're a man after my own heart, not only do you collect swords, but also study their history!!
I have 40? swords myself of various origin. (Japanese, Chinese, Medieval, Indonesian, etc.,) I probably have more, but I keep them in various locations, and my attention span cut off at 40. (I have a lot of polearms and knives also, plus exotic weapons) I have a hidden room just like Hattori Hanzo in 'Kill Bill', with weapon racks along the walls, Japanese armour and personal shrine, that has only my oriental weapons.

Interesting name you picked for Bob-O's sword, sometimes seems like destiny follows a course in our lives.
In the book 'The Ronin' the lead character names his sword 'weed cutter' because he is weeding out the unworthy samurai (killing them). You would think the same of 'Kusanagi' (grassmower) as mowing down your enemies, much like cutting grass.
Wikipedia only scratches the surface, when studying the true history, only telling of the mythology. The sword acquired the name 'Kusanagi' (grassmower) when in ancient times, the bearer of the sword, prince Yamato-takeru was ambushed in a moor, which they set fire to, hoping to burn him to death. The prince then used his sword to cut a path thru the grass, which he then set a backfire, allowing him to escape. They then nicknamed the sword 'Kusanagi' (grassmower). This is the non-mythological version of the sword.
So Bob-O, this prince took a sword that was one of the 3 treasures of Japan, and cut a path through the grass! You know in today's world of kenjutsu, that is considered heresy of the highest degree! So maybe cutting a bucket isn't so bad after all!! =))
Just don't use your 'Kusanagi' to cut buckets though!! Or even grass for that matter.(even that secret crop you got hidden in the woods):-O (just joking!), although straw is allowed! ;)

[Torawashi]

Dotanuki; that's quite a collection, brother......I'm envious. I probly have more than I realize as well, I keep some of them squirreled away in various places. Yes, I think it's important to know the history of the sword you are caring for, and if the sword itself has no particular history then I believe you should give it a noble name with a history or legend. I'm sure you know that a sword is a noble weapon........given as treasured gifts, considered the soul of Samurai warriors, some of them believed to have superhuman and even magical powers. I know of no other type of weapon that is so honored and treasured. It's good to know that you also are interested in more than just the object and take the time to study the background. Peace be upon you, brother

[bobO]

Tora,

You're a man after my own heart, not only do you collect swords, but also study their history!!
I have 40? swords myself of various origin. (Japanese, Chinese, Medieval, Indonesian, etc.,) I probably have more, but I keep them in various locations, and my attention span cut off at 40. (I have a lot of polearms and knives also, plus exotic weapons) I have a hidden room just like Hattori Hanzo in 'Kill Bill', with weapon racks along the walls, Japanese armour and personal shrine, that has only my oriental weapons.

Interesting name you picked for Bob-O's sword, sometimes seems like destiny follows a course in our lives.
In the book 'The Ronin' the lead character names his sword 'weed cutter' because he is weeding out the unworthy samurai (killing them). You would think the same of 'Kusanagi' (grassmower) as mowing down your enemies, much like cutting grass.
Wikipedia only scratches the surface, when studying the true history, only telling of the mythology. The sword acquired the name 'Kusanagi' (grassmower) when in ancient times, the bearer of the sword, prince Yamato-takeru was ambushed in a moor, which they set fire to, hoping to burn him to death. The prince then used his sword to cut a path thru the grass, which he then set a backfire, allowing him to escape. They then nicknamed the sword 'Kusanagi' (grassmower). This is the non-mythological version of the sword.
So Bob-O, this prince took a sword that was one of the 3 treasures of Japan, and cut a path through the grass! You know in today's world of kenjutsu, that is considered heresy of the highest degree! So maybe cutting a bucket isn't so bad after all!! =))
Just don't use your 'Kusanagi' to cut buckets though!! Or even grass for that matter.(even that secret crop you got hidden in the woods):-O (just joking!), although straw is allowed! ;) LOL! I also thought that Kusanagi, was a great name, and appropriate for this sword, as the only thing it will cut is tatami-goza etc. That's what the PPK is for (bottles and such)
. This (Tori) is the closest thing I have so far to a real Katana, and will be treated as such. I still have dreams of old Japanese guys jumping up and down yelling at me:hahaskull:. NO more buckets! Got to Thank Tora again for a great name and all the links (read them all). Took the Tori apart and did a close inspection, went back like a dream and all is tight and right! Did deburr the mekugianna, wonder why they don't do that?