Chinese swords

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2007)

Chinese swords have a long history in China. Stone swords were used in prehistoric times. Bronze swords have been traced back to the bronze daggers of the Western Zhou period, but did not come into common use until the Eastern Zhou period. Bronze long swords suddenly appeared during the mid-third century BC. Later swords were made of iron or steel. These metals were wrought, never cast. Swords commonly reached a length of 70-100 cm, although longer swords have been found.^[1] Chinese iron swords were used in Japan from the third to sixth century AD, but were replaced with Korean and native Japanese swords by the middle of the Heian era.^[2]

[edit] Sword types

Name	Era	Description
Butterfly sword		(Traditional Chinese: 蝴蝶雙刀; Simplified Chinese: 蝴蝶双刀; Pinyin: húdié shuāng dāo; lit. Butterfly Pair (or) Double Sword) are sometimes called butterfly knives in English. It was originally from the South of China, though it has seen use in the North. It is usually wielded in pairs, and has short dāo (single-edged blade), with a length is approximately that of the forearm. This allows for easy concealment within the sleeves or inside boots, and for greater manoeuvrability to spin and rotate in close-quarters fighting.
Changdao	Ming Dynasty	(traditional Chinese: 長刀; simplified Chinese: 长刀), literally meaning "long knife," was a type of anti-cavalry sword used in China during the Ming Dynasty. Sometimes called Miao dao (a similar but more recent weapon), the blade greatly resembles a Japanese ōdachi in form.
Dao		(Chinese: 刀; pinyin: dāo; Wade-Giles: tao¹, "knife") is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabres), often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the Gun (staff), Qiang (spear), and the Jian (sword), and referred to as "The General of All Weapons". Dao is actually a generic word used to denote any member of a family of single-edged, broad-bladed cutting or slicing tools, but in common, everyday usage means knife. The weapon, also known as dan dao 單刀 (single knife) when just one is used, is thereby thought to be an adaptation of the kitchen knives common to Chinese cuisine. Dao also appears in the names of such polearms as the pudao and guan dao, indicating the knifelike nature of their blades.
Dadao		The Dadao (大刀) (lit. Big Knife), one of the varieties of dao or Chinese saber, is also known as the Chinese great sword. Based on agricultural knives, dadao have broad blades generally between two and three feet long, long hilts meant for "hand and a half" or two-handed use, and generally a weight-forward balance.
Guandao		A guandao or kwandao is a type of Chinese pole weapon that is currently used in some forms of Chinese martial arts. It's named Guandao after the famous late general Guan Yu from Romance of three kingdom. In Chinese it is properly called a 偃月刀 yan yue dao ("reclining moon blade"), the name under which it always appears in texts from the Song to Qing dynasties such as the Wujing Zongyao and Huangchao Liqi Tushi. It is comparable to a European fauchard and consists of a heavy blade with a spike at the back and sometimes also a notch at the spike's upper base that can catch an opponent's weapon. In addition there are often irregular serrations that lead the back edge of the blade to the spike. The blade is mounted atop a 5-6 foot long wooden or metal pole with a pointed metal counter weight used to balance the heavy blade and for striking on the opposite end. The blade is very deeply curved and therefore unlike most polearms, solely useful for sweeping cuts where it relies on range and power.
Hook sword		The hook sword is an exotic Chinese weapon traditionally associated with Northern styles of Chinese martial arts, but now often practised by Southern styles as well.
Jian		The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BC during the Spring and Autumn Period;^[3] one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian. Historical one-handed versions have blades varying from 45 to 80 centimeters (17.7 to 31.5 inches) in length. The weight of an average sword of 70-centimeter (28-inch) blade-length would be in a range of approximately 700 to 900 grams (1.5 to 2 pounds). There are also larger two-handed versions used for training by many styles of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese folklore, it is known as "The Gentleman of Weapons" and is considered one of the four major weapons, along with the Gun (staff), Qiang (spear), and the Dao (sabre).
Liuyedao		The liuye dao, or "willow leaf saber", is a type of dao that was commonly used as a military sidearm for both cavalry and infantry during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This weapon features a moderate curve along the length of the blade. This reduces thrusting ability (though it is still fairly effective at same) while increasing the power of cuts and slashes.
Miao dao	Republican	The Miao Dao (苗刀) is a Chinese two-handed dao or saber of the Republican era, with a narrow blade of up to 1.2 meters or more and a long hilt. The name means "sprout saber", presumably referring to a likeness between the weapon and a newly sprouted plant. While the miao dao is a recent weapon, the name has come to be applied to a variety of earlier Chinese long sabers, such as the zhanmadao and changdao. Along with the dadao, miao dao were used by some Chinese troops during the second Sino-Japanese War.
Nandao		Nandao is a kind of sword that is nowadays used mostly in contemporary Chinese wushu exercises and forms. It is the southern variation of the "northern broadsword", or Beidao. Its blade bears some resemblance to the butterfly sword, also a southern Chinese single-bladed weapon; the main difference is the size, and the fact that the butterfly swords are always used in pairs
Niuweidao	late Qing Dynasty	A type of Chinese saber (dao) of the late Qing Dynasty period. It was primarily a civilian weapon, as Imperial troops were never issued it.
Piandao	late Ming Dynasty	A type of Chinese sabre (dao) used during the late Ming Dynasty. A deeply curved dao meant for slashing and draw-cutting, it bore a strong resemblance to the shamshir and scimitar. A fairly uncommon weapon, it was generally used by skirmishers in conjunction with a shield.
Pudao		(撲刀, literally: assault sabre) was originally an edged military weapon which is still used for training in many Chinese martial arts. The pudao is also known as the horse-cutter sword since it was used to slice the legs out from under a horse during battle. The blade of a pudao is shaped like a Chinese broadsword, but the weapon has a longer handle usually around one and a half to two meters (about four to six feet) which is circular in cross section.
Wodao	Ming Dynasty	(倭刀, literally "sword/knife of the wo people") is a Chinese sword from the Ming Dynasty. Apparently influenced by Japanese sword design, it bears a strong resemblance to a Tachi or Odachi in form: extant examples show a handle approximately 25.5 cm long, with a gently curved blade 80 cm long.
Yanmaodao	Late Ming—Qing dynasties	The yanmao dao, or "goose-quill saber", is a type of dao made in large numbers as a standard military weapon from the late Ming through the end of the Qing dynasty. It is similar to the earlier zhibei dao, is largely straight, with a curve appearing at the center of percussion near the blade's tip. This allows for thrusting attacks and overall handling similar to that of the jian, while still preserving much of the dao's strengths in cutting and slashing.
Zhanmadao	Song Dynasty.	(斬馬刀) (zhǎn mǎ dāo) (lit. chopping horse saber) was a single long broad bladed sword with a long handle suitable for two-handed use. Dating to 1072, it was used as an anti-cavalry weapon.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Wagner, Donald B. (1993). Iron and Steel in Ancient China. New York, New York: E. J. Brill, 191-199. ISBN 9004062343.
^ Sugawara, Tetsutaka; Lujian Xing (1996). Aikido and Chinese Martial Arts: Its Fundamental Relations Vol. 1. Japan Publications Trading, 4-5. ISBN 0870409344.
^ Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 41.