KPop Demon Hunters: Rumi's Saingeom Metal Bookmark

In Korean folk belief, a Saingeom is no ordinary sword. The "four-tiger swords" of the Joseon era were forged in the hour of the tiger and were not meant to decide battles but to ward off misfortune. In the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters, Rumi carries exactly this blade when the idols of HUNTR/X go demon hunting after the show.

Rumi's Saingeom as a metal bookmark is a faithful miniature of that weapon: sword-shaped, made of zinc alloy, with a golden hilt, traditional Korean knot decoration and an elegant gold tassel. Knots like these – called Maedeup in Korea – are looped by hand from a single cord and have decorated traditional dress, fans and pendants there for centuries. The piece is produced by Cinereplicas, officially licensed by Netflix.

In use, the blade lies between the pages while the tassel looks out of the top of the book. So you see your place from the outside, without leafing through. Metal does not crease the way paper does, and the weight is the difference from the promotional bookmark that ends up crumpled on the shelf. Anyone with a novel, a nonfiction book and the manga from the last con open at once can also tell from the tassel alone which pile is up next.

So it is a gift for people who want to guard their books with style – or at least act as if they had magic powers. It suits a birthday, the move into a first wall of bookshelves or a small Christmas gift, and it needs neither batteries nor space. With nothing to read, hang it up by the tassel and let it guard the shelf instead of a single page.

Material: zinc alloy
Design: Rumi's Saingeom with golden hilt, Korean knot decoration and gold tassel
License: Official Netflix product, made by Cinereplicas