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Korean
forges are not based in cheap labour. Not as competitive as in China
better known forges,
or Thailand or India.
Neither their production quantities are large. Let us say that they cater
essentially for the Haidong Gumdo market.
For reasons unknown to me, many people think that Korean blades are
straight blades. It is, I would say, a common mistake passed on from one
mouth to another ear.
The Chosun or now Joseon Dynasty (1392 - 1910) shows a great
number of variations of swords, from Gom, Geom to Do. |
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I collected this picture
somewhere and found it to be very interesting.
These Korean swords are a result of migratory influence from
China, and Japan, and while the top one is wider like a dao,
with two fullers, all of them are mounted like Japanese swords,
except for the way they are hung which are similar to the
jian.
They all seem to be variations if the Huando and
Paedo and while the top fullered one does resemble a dao
in geometry, and blade width, the other two have a similar
geometry as a shobu zukuri. |
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In fact, the Korean Three
Kingdoms Period, Puyo, Koguryo and later the
Kingdom of Silla and that of Paekche battled the
Chinese Wei and nomadic tribes. The Kingdom of Silla
managed to unify Korea during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907).
For this and other historical reasons it is more than obvious
that swords in Korea took different shapes and names and evolved
naturally from the inevitable influence, though the bow played a very
important influence in Korean warfare.
This being said, the present forges are nothing more than a
contemporary evolution of the different army suppliers of the past. |
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A power hammer is part of the contemporary process of
forging a blade made of either SKS11 or SKS7
Japanese steel.
This photograph taken at the Korean forge where the swords
are made is proof enough that contemporary technology is used and
pays off in the long run. |
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The
claying method for these monosteel blades result in the
application of clay all over the surface of the sword, after which
the part corresponding to the edge is removed, possibly running
two fingers parallel to the blade edge, originating a straight
hamon, sugu as it is known in Japanese.
In
Haidong Gumdo
swords are for Martial Arts, and are
not regarded as exercises of style, hence the shobu-zukuri
(so to speak) style. Practitioners look for swords that can endure
heavy cutting, such as bamboo of different diameters, while the
Koreans have developped their own style in wrapping, called
kal jaru gamge, kal jaru kkeun or
sonjabi kkeun.
Kal means sword, knife or anything that is sharp and
can cut. Kkeun means string, in the sense of the
Japanese term ito. |
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Once the quench is done it
is placed in a heat treating oven to relieve stress.
My sources did not provide much more information on this, since
it is part of the manufacturing secret, which I obviously
respect.
These swords can endure a lot of punishment and are
pretty flexible. |
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The factory office shows a
rack of 13 finished swords which are due to be shipped out,
proving that this is not a large quantity operations.
Haidong Gumdo is spreading throughout the world and as
this happens, more demand comes.
But these swords are usable by any JSA practitioner.
Their geometry have long been established by a lack of niku and
by a very strong steel. |
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Here we can see saya or kal jip or gum
jip being carefully carved individually while on the table
are glued pieces for more carving and on the rack are more wood
blanks waiting, it is possible to understand that indeed the
ratio workmanship and price makes these blades very affordable
at the buyer's end, most possibly because the profit margin is
low, thus allowing the buyer a very affordable blade with no
frills. |
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Here lacquered kal jip can be seen drying in the
painting section.
The lacquer in the sword that I received is very well done. |
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A
worker is seen here wrapping the handle of the sword. Mine came in
a beautifull leather wrap as can be seen in the review.
The Korean term for handle is kal jaru. |
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A blade is being polished with
stones of different grits.
The emphasis is not to show the hamon, usually a sugu, as
explained before, but to give the particular tough steel a fine polish
through very fine longitudinal lines that appear on the blade along
with a discreet hamon.
One has to understand, that the Koreans may view the sword as a
weapon only, therefore their traditional method of polishing does not
also include etching. It is not part of their concern.
Once a foreign seven years Haidong Gumdo swordsman told
me he only liked his sword when it showed the scratches of cutting. I
fully understood his point of view. |
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The blade whose picture is shown here cut about 50 dryed
bamboos, which causes more scratches and damages to the blade than a
green bamboo.
Independently of the interior photographs, some mild scratches are
visible in the shinogi-ji are, and none whatsoever in the ji
where a hamon is quite discernible although no scratches can be seen
whatsoever.
The steel is very hard and the work polish shows the lengthwise
of the polish fine lines. |
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The same worker that wrapped the handle now assembles the entire sword.
As can be seen, the factory is not overpopulated with workers, so it
is more than understandable that the work relies on an almost custom
made of small batches of swords.
Mine was indeed custom made to my specifications which came
very near the HDGD sword specifications. |
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HOW THE
STANDARD SWORD PERFORMS WITH NO DAMAGE |
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The
sword is very flexible. |
The
sword piercing a steel chair. |
Close
up of kissaki on the other side. |
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View
of blade with 1018 steel in vise. |
Blade
edge shaving the steel. |
Kissaki top view showing steel shave |
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A Korean Sword Glossary is most useful |
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Copyright ©
Antonio Cejunior 2005 -
BLADESIGN
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