The White Serpent Ming Jian is a 1:1 replica of one of the most exquisite Ming Jian in a private collection and represents the apex of the Chinese Jian in both form and function. During the Ming Dynasty, nobility, high ranking ministers and members of the court preferred the agile and balanced Jian as their chosen weapon of self defense and a symbol of status. This Chinese Jian features a beautiful blade designed for cutting and thrusting with equal prowess and the blade is forged from folded 1060 and T9 high carbon steel. The steel is well tempered and the melding of these two quality steels gives the blade beautiful, ripple-like patterning throughout which is made visible and prominent with a high quality blade polish. Folding steel in this manner to combine the properties of two steels into a single blade was a well understood art in China and common to their high quality swords.
The twin edges of the blade run almost parallel to each other with subtle tapering and end in a almond shaped tip. The sword has a classic Ming guard and Lingzhi hilt design which feature highly detailed and well cast metal come together to project a sense of lightness, flowing balance and rich symbolism. These hilt components are cast from brass and this grip is smoothly polished wood with brass highlighting. The sword is matched with a equally beautiful scabbard of wood with intricate brass detailing and ivory-hue damask.
- Overall Length: 38 5/16″
- Blade Length: 29 1/4″
- Blade: Folded 1060 and T9 High Carbon Steel
- Weight: 1 lb 15.8 oz
- Edge: Sharp
- Point of Balance: 5″
- Blade Thickness: 7.2 mm – 3.2 mm
- Blade Width: 34.6 mm
- Grip Length: 4″ (wood part of grip only)
- Pommel: Pinned
- Class: Battle Ready
- Country of Origin: China
James (verified owner) –
A truly beautiful sword! It feels light in the hand but not at all flimsy. The blade length is accurate at 29 & 1/4″ and has beautiful subtle damascus patterning. I haven’t done any cutting with it yet but the edge seems to be sharpened with cutting as its intended use. It is balanced to have excellent tip control but weighted enough toward the blade in order to have a decisive cut. An admirable balance of cut and thrust. The dragon patterns on the scabbard, guard and pommel are magnificent. A work of art.
Adrian (verified owner) –
An absolute masterpiece, true to size, true to elegance. If I were to nitpick I would say my only real issues would be the tightness of the fit into the scabbard, impossible to draw at first, but one should understand why this is done for blades shipped internationally. My second point of nitpickery would be that the Hushou (guard) is slightly warped, making the blade seem a little asymmetrical when closely analzing it, but one can’t expect absolute perfection from handcrafting, which this emulates to a major degree. Overall, an exquisite craft by LK Chen, nothing short of near-perfection, I would argue this is their most beautiful blade in their collection, up there with the Silver Swallow Miaodao; a polar opposite in its simplicity compared to the White Serpent’s complexity, but no less beautiful.