Great River Taoist Center Forums

I think I may have found an executioner's jian, or... a fake. It has not arrived yet, but it looks good, it is just that the type is so rare and this one is supposedly 4 kilos. It was sold as a "Boxer training sword", but it does not look like the overweight training jian I have seen. It looks like ...

They sound quite nice. I think they are exactly what they appear to be, a nice set of Republican shuang jian. Extra long blades were in fashion along with all the other things like nickel plating and etched designs. I am glad for you that the blades are good quality, but I think it might be better t...

When I look at Ming illustrations of jian, I notice some variation in blades from later Qing designs. There seems to be one style with shorter wider blades like those on the Ming statues near Beijing, and another seen in period illustrations with a very long slim blade. The shorter wider blade appea...

I would also call these republican shuang jian. The etched decorations look very nice and are quite typical. Can you tell me if they are also nickel plated? This seems not uncommon for the period. The blades could be a wide range of quality. I recently bought a similar single jian (it was not cheap)...

Thanks Peter, That was a very good summary of dating pierced fittings and openwork. Like you, I have seen examples of the crude 19th c. drilled holes, and in other peoples' collections some of the more refined pieces. It is difficult to see enough examples for me to assign dates based on style, but ...

That is exactly what I was looking for. So "nanban" is a term from Japanese collectors using Southern Chinese dialect? I love that kind of stuff. I have noticed that often southern dialects are much closer than Mandarin to words used in adjacent countries. For example "dadao" becomes taito in southe...

The top one in the photo is either from Stone or exactly like it.
Josh

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j65/p ... nmadao.jpg

Your reasoning is good, but the sword referenced as having namban fittings looks like a high end, regulation zhanmadao, with no obvious Western influence and probably dating from the 18th or 19th c. The only possible Western influence would be mercury gilding on the fittings, but this does not seem ...

What are namban style fittings? I ran into the term in Stone’s Glossary referring to pierced and gilded iron fittings. What is the term a reference to? Does namban mean pierced iron?
Josh

It truly is a riddle. Especially since he was a metallurgist and he seems to base his opinion specifically on what he sees as the low quality of Chinese steel and to a lesser extent form and balance, rather than the quality of fittings and decorative materials. I forget where exactly the entry is, b...

I am reviving this old thread because I have begun to realize how pernicious Stone's "problem" was. I had understood it as mostly a sin of omission, simply leaving information on Chinese weapons out, rather than a sin of commission. However, I recently found an entry where Stone specifically makes h...

Sorry, I have done it through others. Peter might have some suggestions.
Josh

The original scabbard and blade were already later than most antiques, probably early 20th c.. They were shortened later still.

A closer look at the steel would help tell the quality. Either way, the blade has certainly lost its hardened tip.
Josh

Chinese polishers can be quite good and inexpensive, but many do not know what they are doing and can ruin a blade.

Make sure you use someone reputable.

Josh

You found some nice things. These are still available because collectors have turned their noses up at them, but I see them examples of folded, differentially heat treated, functional art. My favorite thing is to find pieces with something that makes them stand out, like a particularly nice folding ...