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Swords History - 7th Century BC
Jian Sword - Jian is a straight, one-handed and double-edged sword that originated in China during the 7th Century BC. The first Jian swords featured blades that varied between 17 to 31 inches in length. There were also larger versions of the Jian sword in use when practicing certain Chinese martial arts. The first Jian swords were made of bronze and as the metallurgy advanced, the swords were made of steel. The blade of the sword was made from 3 plates of steel sandwiched together. The outer plates were made of soft steel while the protruding core plate was made of hard steel. The middle plate that protruded was essentially the cutting edge of the sword. Sometimes more than 3 layers were used. The forging technology that utilized multiple layers of various steel grades eventually traveled to Korea and Japan where eventually lead to the development of the famous Japanese katana sword. The Jian swords are used even to this day by some martial arts practitioners. However, the most popular usage of the sword nowadays is ceremonial and in practicing Tai-Chi where a flexible version of the sword is used.
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