Mario De Guzman – The Sword Smith

Sword smith Mario De Guzman passion for swords and blade products began at the young age of 11.
After the second world war Mario's uncle started a knife and blade business. Mario quickly became
skilled at the art of making blades. At 15 Mario attended a foundry trade school to sharpen his skills.
By 1978 Mario was sharpening blades for a company outside of Manila .

In 1986, Mario moved back to his home in Pangasinan. He has built a successful business with
up to 20 skilled craftsmen. Contracted to produce swords used in major Hollywood movies
Mario expanded his sword making skills to include Samurai, European, and Roman swords.

Balaraw Swords

Balaraw swords are creative and progressive. Our blades are high quality and hand forged to make the swords both functional and attractive. Our Katanas show a prominent hamon line - we do not treat our blades with chemical to enhance the hamon.

Our overall design is to produce attractive, artistic designs that may stray from the traditional designs. We work hard to continually improve our workmanship. Contact us with any suggestions or requests.

Recently, Balaraw sword and knife has seen a tremendous surge of interest in his traditional
Philippine swords. European interest in Philippine martial arts and weaponry is growing every year.

Crafts

In addition to swords and knife products, Balaraw offers a range of furniture and krafts either made
in his facilities or from local craftsmen. Please contact us for with your requests.

The Balaraw Site
Our website and internet strategy is designed by DM&T Services in Toronto, Canada.

Anime drawings are the creation of Holly Schmidt.