PALATIAL TANG DAO (618-907 AD)

Palatial Tang Dao is another celebration of the diversity of Tang Heng Dao featuring a straight and chisel blade profile. 

Like the military Tang Heng Dao, this is a single handed straight dao featuring a scabbard with two-point suspension system influenced by the Sasanian swords.  Palatial Tang Dao can be used for combat on foot as well as on horseback. Palatial Tang Dao was powerful and was the standard side arm for imperial guards.  

Tang Dao was expensive to make and each piece worth about one month's salary of a junior level government official.  As an expensive military resource, Tang Dao was forbidden to be used as funeral goods.  As a result, there were very few unearthed specimens found today. Fortunately, Tang Dao was pursued by the Japanese delegates and sent back to Japan as treasures for the royal court and those few rare Tang Dao samples are preserved in Nara today. 

The fitting design of Palatial Tang Dao is based on a rare Tang Dao in private collection.

Specifications (approx.)

Blade only weight:  approx. 794 g (1 lb. 12 oz)

Sword only weight: approx. 964 g (2 lb. 2 oz)

Blade Length: 73.91 cm (29.1")

Handle Length: 21.34 cm (8.4")

Total Length: 95.25 cm (37.5")

Gradual tapering

Width at hand guard: 3 cm (1.1")  

Width at tip: 2.14 cm (0.84")

Thickness at hand guard: 7.0 mm 

Thickness at tip: 4.0  mm 

Point of Balance: 15.24 cm (6") from hand guard

Blade length wide profile:  straight blade, chisel tip

Commander Grade

Labor intensive classic forging.

Folded pattern steel (1065 & T9) wraps resilient A3 steel core.

Clay clade differential tempering for hard edge. 

Straight Hamon. 

Cut mature bamboo with ease.  

Polish to a sharp and hard cutting edge. 

Rosewood scabbard.  

Elite Grade

Folded pattern steel: 

1060 carbon steel + T9 tungsten-vanadium high-speed tool steel

1060 carbon steel

Element % 

Carbon            0.55-0.660    

Manganese     0.60-0.90           

Phosphorus     <=0.040         

Sulfur               <=0.050

T9 tungsten-vanadium high-speed tool steel

Element %                      

Carbon            0.85-0.94

Silicon              <=0.35           

Manganese     <=0.40           

Phosphorus     <=0.035         

Sulfur               <=0.030

Tungsten         <= 0.30

Vanadium       <= 0.02        

Chromium       <=0.25           

Nickel               <=0.20 

Copper            <=0.25

Molybdenum  <= 0.20

Clay clade differential tempering for hard edge. Straight Hamon. 

Cut bamboo with ease.  

Polish to a sharp and hard cutting edge. 

Rosewood scabbard.

Fit and finish

We perfected the fit and finish of our swords and the assembly is meticulously performed by our senior craft masters.  It takes one whole working day for a craftsman to assemble our swords