In 1997, a man called Chao-Po Chen, better known by his pseudonym Paul Chen, created a company for the manufacturing of oriental swords. Paul Chen, who is a sword collector himself, was faced many times with the problem of finding good quality swords at reasonable prices. Those days one could buy an expensive japanese sword or a cheap replica, many times of poor quality.

When Paul Chen started with his Hanwei forge, the swords market changed completely. He made his swords using the methods of the traditional Japanese swordsmiths, for a fraction of the price. Hanwei was a succes among collectors and practicioners of martial arts.

Later, Paul Chen began manufacturing models of European swords as well, including typical specimens of Viking swords, Knights swords at considerably lower prices. Today, Hanwei has a large collection of historical weapons and accessories, for collectors, practicioners of martial arts and people interested in re-enactment.

On the right: Ron Chen, son of Paul Chen working in the forge >