This Liuyedao was made in Longquan, a region central to sword production in the Song Dynasty. The blade is folded and tempered high-carbon steel of 1045 and 1065 containing 3,800 layers. Folded steel was a common blade-making technique 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 and grip are of darkened wood. The sword comes in a wooden, ornamented gift box with a wood-boxed maintenance kit.
One of the two popular military swords of the Ming and much of the Qing Dynasties, the Liuyedao had a more gently curved blade and handle then its brother Yanmaodao. It was colloquially called the willow leaf saber. An excellent chop-and-slice sword, the Liuyedao has its origins from Chinese contact with the Turko-Mongol sabers their border foes wielded.
Qi Jiguang, a national hero of China, was a general who had a Liuyedao as his personal weapon. Qi Jiguang is famous for putting a stop to the predation of Japanese pirates on the Chinese coast. The turmoil of Japans Sengoku Jidai wars gave many pirates motivation to pillage and terrorize the Chinese coast. They were bold enough to even establish permanent bases on Chinese soil. Their nefarious activities thrived at a time when an Emperor interested in little more than finding immortality left matters of state to the famously corrupt prime minister Yan Song. He personally embezzled more than half of the entire military budget, leaving the coast defense works in ruination, garrisoned by ill-equipped, second-rate troops numbering less than 1/3 their listed numbers. Despite these handicaps, Qi Jiguang would fortify the coast, drill his troops and expel the pirates from their lairs. His sword, dated 1582, is now in a Chinese museum collection.
Please Note: The design of the gift box may vary.
ray blundell –
iron tiger forge liuysdao I purchased this a while ago like in above vido cut variopus watter bottles and two mat,s with pool nodle inside with no problem,s.This is one of the best priced dao on market today,if you are looking for a quality dao at a good price this the one.Ray Blundell
Ben –
Not that sharp The sword in the video differs from the sword I received as in it cuts. The sword I got is only sharp at the very tip. It can’t even cut paper the rest of the way down. Buy elsewhere customer service is lacking and the blades have proven meh. I was going to buy it’s 500 dollar sister if this blade passed the test and it sadly did not.
kyle –
iron tiger dao The sword is a very good looking piece, and one the only functional daos of this style i have seen in this price range. The fit and finish seems to be good and nothing came lose after cutting. I did only cut plastic targets, so take that as you will. The sword handles nice and the folded steel blade looks very good as well. The 2 big complaints that hold it back from 5 starts is the fit of sword in the scabbard. A good fit will keep the sword in even when the hilt is pointed towards the ground, however when done with this sword it will fall out. Also the edge needs to be sharper. The edge is good enough to cut milk jugs and the like. However I could see it failing at cutting tougher targets like tatami mats. But that is just my prediction as I have not actually tested it on them. But as already mentions it cannot cut paper. My only wish is that the sharpening service was available on this sword. But overall for the 150 I paid amazing sword. It is a beautiful and nice handling blade.
miles –
Iron tiger liuyedao Wonderful sword! Solid, tight, well made. Incredible price for a sword of this quality plus a storage box and sword cleaning kit. Showed this to a fellow sword aficionado and they couldn’t believe it. Mine came sharp enough to cut paper and service was very good.impressed with sword and kult of athena.
NevaeraBG –
Functional and Elegant The sword is sharp and elegant with tight fittings. The point of balance is about right for practical use in my traditional marital arts style. The blade however had small notches along the edge as if the edge had been dropped on something hard. Additionally the stuff they used to blacked the scabbard and handle come off when touched. These complaints are minor however as the over value for money is great.
Lien Wei (verified owner) –
Excellent Dao. Heavy, Stout, Sharp, A great cutter. At this price, it’s Excellent .
Fatguywithakatana (verified owner) –
Cuts as good as it looks, leaves bottles standing with even my poor technique
Patrick Wetherington (verified owner) –
I believe you get what you pay for, and I fully expected a substandard sword, especially for $175.00. What I got was a fantastic cutter with a beautiful pattern welded blade that is solid and well-balanced. Even with my very limited cutting experience, this blade sailed through tatami mats. I almost lost my balance because I wasn’t ready for how effortless the cuts were. The same thing occurred when i doubled the mats up. I’m definitely gonna be buying more from Iron Tiger Forge. The blade could have been a little sharper, but is worth taking the time to tune it up yourself. If that is not gonna work for you, send it to a professional. From my personal experience, this blade is almost criminally underpriced, so you can afford to take care of it.
Patrick Wetherington (verified owner) –
I believe you get what you pay for, and I fully expected a substandard sword, especially for $175.00. What I got was a fantastic cutter with a beautiful pattern welded blade that is solid and well-balanced. Even with my very limited cutting experience, this blade sailed through tatami mats. I almost lost my balance because I wasn’t ready for how effortless the cuts were. The same thing occurred when i doubled the mats up. I’m definitely gonna be buying more from Iron Tiger Forge. The blade could have been a little sharper, but is worth taking the time to tune it up yourself. If that is not gonna work for you, send it to a professional. From my personal experience, this blade is almost criminally underpriced, so you can afford to take care of it.
Kelvin (verified owner) –
Whole package is definitely a worth while buy. Blade is good quality with decent weight and length. Handle is a bit fat, but still gripable. I ended up getting 2, both are different but have real nice pattern welds and aesthetics.
Nguyen-Steven Do (verified owner) –
The sword I received had a loose blade. Contacted customer service to replaced the sword, will update on the results. the details and craftmanship seems good otherwise. the scabbard is well made. The problem with my particular example is that if you hold the grip and pinch the blade, the blade with rotate 10 degrees clockwise and counter clockwise. that is definitely not normal and needs to be fixed. hopefully they handle this.