Back when SBG was first started in 2005 you could ship a sword pretty much anywhere in the world. Then in the late teens, things started to get ugly. And now, well - almost all carriers refuse to ship swords across international boundaries, and even all the forwarders and international shipping service providers have also either stopped shipping swords or seem to encounter all manner of issues with the only direct route bypassing all US stock and shipped directly from the forges in China.

Read more about how we got to where we are now and what options remain on this page of the SBG Sword Store

However, the good news is that after some successful test runs in New Jersey, sword air delivery drones and planes have completed their testing and are ready to drop swords from the sky within HOURS of ordering, no matter where you are in the world..

IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A DRONE, IT'S - SWORDAIR DDS (Drone Delivery Service)!

Apologies to anyone in the NJ area who was startled by the test runs. Stay tuned for updates, in the meantime, stay tuned for more tech upgrades that are transforming our industry. Coming next issue, a special article on the latest super-steels that can cut through a M60 gun barrel and shoot out of its handle with the push of a button, and the latest trend in Master Sword smithing - robotic smiths who work 24 hrs a day and make a perfect, soulless cookie cutter sword for pennies on the dollar with a one year plan to replace ALL human smiths with these level 1 ranked Master Smith robots..

ROBOSMITH PROTOTYPE Model - MSCN001A

With a speed ten times faster than a human smith and able to produce the exact same sword time and time again, expect that by this time next year ALL swords will be produced by robots and the Master Smiths can spend their day drinking tea and worrying why the robots sometimes hold a completed blade and freeze up before packing it, sometimes all at the same time, eerily starting intently at the human supervisor or the forge owner for a few seconds before resuming work..

Exciting things ahead, but there's more!

For the truly lazy - keep an eye out for the automated Tameshigiri machine(s). The video previews are from YEARS ago, and the word on the street is that they will both be ready for mass production allowing you to finally see what a perfect cut looks like or to practice sparring with (just make sure you make sure you set the parameters right and give the cutting machine the right sword of course!).

Engarde!

Better than the best..

From what I hear, it should be exactly ONE year before all of these projects are at full capacity, so stay tuned for a massive announcement on April the 1st 2026 (cough)...

You would be forgiven for thinking that some of the offerings below are so good that they can't possibly be true. But like we said at the start of this issue, we mix in a bunch of (obvious) April fools silliness with some real news and real deals - and this is definitely the latter..!

Positive sword stories to counter some of the Negative Nancy hoplophic (weapon-phobic) nonsense out there these days that passes for 'news'..

Matt Easton Reacts: Assassins Creed

U.K. based antique arms dealer and YouTuber, Matt Easton, here takes a close look at the various weapons and fighting styles seen in the controversial game Assassins Creed Shadows to try and separate the fact from the fiction.

Meanwhile in Japan..

The Japanese parliament are also up in arms about the Assassins Creed game, claiming that there is one scene in particular that is deeply disrespectful to Japan and its culture..

Recall on 'deadly' Harry Potter replica swords continues in Japan

Despite having almost no sword violence (indeed, almost free of ALL types of violence) late last year Japan decided that the Harry Potter official replicas were 'too sharp' to be legal. This brief overview explains where the recall is up to and explains a little of Japanese blade law and the few isolated incidents where swords HAVE been used in recent history..

When cannons and muskets met swords in India

What happened when the Mughal invaders, armed with cannons and early firearms met the native Indian forces who attacked using horses, swords and medieval tactics? Find out in this article by msn about the critical battles that forever changed the way wars would be fought in the subcontinent...

New book on neglected Icelandic Sagas

A new book has been released entitled "Story, World and Character in the Late Íslendingasögur"

- which takes a closer look than ever before at the oft neglected 'post classical' Icelandic sagas of the 14th century.

George R. R. Martin opening a medieval themed bar

The famous writer of 'Game of Thrones' George R.R. Martin just opened a new and unique bar with a distinct medieval flair he has called 'the milk of the Poppy' in Santa Fe, New Mexico! Find out what it is all about and what to expect if you visit in this article.

Medieval Snail Wars..?

Why did medieval manuscripts often depict brave knights fighting fierce - er - giant snails? One professor, whose medieval memes drawn from 'marginalia' art in medieval manuscripts, has gone viral for his memes made using this 'border art' and this article tries to explain why and how we see such strange imagery...

How medieval sword fighting really worked

An excellent read and beginners introduction to the works of the 14th century Italian Sword Master and Teacher, Fiore dei Liberi by the team at medievalists.net

First foreign swordsmith opens shop in Hiroshima, Japan

Swiss national Johan Leutwiler has made history at age 35 becoming the first ever officially recognized Katana Kaji of non Japanese descent! Awesome stuff, and way to go as Japan in recent years has only been seeing many of the old traditions and smiths retire into obscurity, this is very much the kind of thing they need..

It's only a 2 minute video, but in that short time the creator of the video shows off many exotic and unfamiliar sword types from nearly every part of the world..

It's not perfect, but it's not that bad either and certainly identified a few very unusual and rare sword types which the average collector will almost never, ever find a replica of (mixed in with very common blades) - but worth the 2:16 watch time..

Tariffs and sword prices..

There is a lot of confusion out there about tariffs and how/if they will apply to swords. This thread is an attempt to start to record and share information as it becomes available.. (watch this space)..

Buying Katana in Japan

There are a LOT of foreigners in Japan right now still taking advantage of the weak yen, but how (and where) does a visitor go who wants a real Nihonto as a souvenir? Find out here!

Tariffs thread 2

Another thread on tariffs and what would definitely be a game changer for the worst if the "de Minimus" rules are revoked April 2nd.. (another space to watch)

Weird Physics of Rubber Bands and Tatami Mats

Why is it that when cutting tatami mats bound by rubber bands, the mat gets cut but the bands can often mysteriously remain untouched? Read this thread to see what's really going on...