Shangfang Sword

The Imperial Blade of Warrant

Sword of the imperial workshops symbolizing power to execute without prior approval.

The Shangfang Sword was made in the imperial workshops for the emperor’s own use, its steel tempered to cut through a horse in a single stroke. When granted to a general or envoy, it carried the emperor’s authority to act without awaiting orders — the origin of the dramatic “imperial sword” of later opera and fiction that punishes first and reports later.