The Goujian sword is more than 2,000 years old. What makes it so special is that it didn’t have a single trace of rust when archaeologists first encountered it. The blade was still sharp after all these centuries, even bleeding an archaeologist who wanted to test its sharpness.

In 1965, an archaeological survey was conducted at the Truong River Reservoir in Kinh Chau. The survey looked through more than 50 ancient tombs, recovered nearly 2,000 artifacts. A coffin found at the site contained a human skeleton along with a bronze sword encased in a wooden scabbard and covered with black lacquer.

“Black diamond engravings cover both sides of the blade and blue and turquoise enamel is mounted on the hilt. The handle of the sword is tied with silk while the hilt circle consists of 11 concentric circles. The sword measures 55.7 cm (21.9 in) long, includes a 8.4 cm (3.3 in) handle (hilt), and a blade width of 4.6 cm (1. 8 inches) . The sword weighs 875 grams (30.9 oz).

One side of the blade has two columns of text with a total of eight characters. Archaeologists deciphered the six characters as "Viet Vuong" and "made this sword for personal use".

The remaining two characters are agreed to be the name of the king who owns it. Researchers have found nine possible kings who might possess the sword. After about two months of debate, it was decided that the sword belonged to a king named Goujian, who ruled from 496 BC to 465 BC, essentially making the sword around 2,500. five years old.

The sword’s incredible sharpness is due to the ingredients used to make it and the conditions in which it was stored. “The blade is made mainly of malleable bronze. However, the edge is mostly tin. This allows the blade to retain a sharp edge for a longer time.

The construction of the sword, as well as the combination with the very airtight scabbard, probably gives it a better chance of survival than most other swords." According to All That Interesting: An experiment showed that the blade could cut through twenty pieces of paper!

In 1994, the sword was lent to Singapore by China for an exhibition. A worker accidentally hit the blade, resulting in a 7mm-long crack in the ancient weapon. There was a great deal of outrage over the incident and the sword has remained only in China ever since, and is on display at the Hubei Provincial Museum.

Tests also show that swordsmiths in the Wu and Viet areas of southern China during the Spring and Autumn period achieved a high degree of metallurgy, they were able to combine alloys that were not rusted into their blades, allowing them to last through the years virtually flawless.

2. Other Legendary Swords

In the West, there is no sword more famous than Excalibur. Excalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur of England, who took the sword atop a stone on Christmas Eve. This event showed everyone that Arthur was a "true king".

Arthur is the king of Russia’, An illustration from ’Tales from Far and Near’ by Arthur Guy Terry. (Image: wikimedia / CC0 1.0 )

Finally, the sword was thrown into the lake at the request of King Arthur while he was on his deathbed. According to legend, there seems to be a hand emerging from the lake to catch the sword.

In Japan, the sword Muramasa is legendary and as‌sociated with a curse. The sword was crafted by Sengo Muramasa, one of the most famous swordsmiths in the history of Japan, who lived during the Muramachi period (1336-1573). It is said that he wanted the sword to become “the great destroyer. And because while making the sword his mind was not pure, there were many evil minds, so the sword made by Muramasa was known to be extremely dangerous.

This sword is dangerous not only for the enemy, but also for the person who wields it. The blades seem to have a curse, causing them to turn against their masters in case they are not satisfied with combat. Finally, Leyasu ordered that the possession of the Muramasa sword was strictly prohibited.

The blade created by Muramasa is extremely sharp, but it is bloodthirsty and contains evil thoughts. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Today, for researchers in Japan, the Muramasa sword is considered a masterpiece, hiding many cultural values in the country’s history, a symbol of the master sword art in Japan. .