Great River Taoist Center Forums

Interesting site, to say the least. I note that at least 3 of the pics are actually depict executions in Thailand, the weapon isn't clearly shown but appears to be a "daab" or long handled saber; the victim's position and the headsman's "dance" would be familiar to anyone who has seen the epic film ...

If this sword is attributed to Nurhaci, it could very well mean that it is from his era or had belonged to his household, but I doubt from its configuration that it occupied the position of the saber with openwork iron fittings that is supposedly his, and which has been published elsewhere. This par...

The vast majority of Chinese spear heads were designed with a conical socket integral with the blade portion. (think of the way that shovels, and most carpenters chisels are designed and you get the idea) The spear shaft is tapered and fits snugly inside this socket. On the antique specimens which I...

Thanks to Scott for sharing all these pics! A lot of these weapons have toured the US, Australia, and Europe in recent years with travelling exhibitions of Qing court arts hosted by various overseas museums. I hope that forum members have the chance to see a few of these up close in the years to com...

Hi, Scott A comment on one of the two examples you posted showing typical Chinese (non Mughal) hilts. The saber with the fangshi fittings and the green scabbard still has one element of foreign influence, this time on the blade. Please look at the fullering and long back-edge of the blade. The dorsa...

I don't think it's correct to regard the Mughal-hilted saber presented to the Emperor by Geo. MacCartney in 1792. Those Mughal-style jade hilts of "pistol grip" form were known to the Qianlong court decades before. I've done a bit of checking and found that the Kouming saber was part of the first of...

I've only had one piandao in my collection over the years, and this one happened to have a downward-curving grip. Its workmanship and decoration place it in the later Qing period, probably 19th cent. It's published in my article "Some Notable Sabers of the Qing Dyn....." in the Metropolitan Museum J...

given the choice of pure camellia oil (an organic based substance) and the diluted version, I'd prefer pure.

The wearing of a naked saber stuck through a ring attached to a belt, as in the painting kindly provided by Peter, appeared to be a rare occurrence since this is about the only such depiction in Chinese art we have yet seen. But it brings to mind a copperplate engraving I saw somewhere, showing a fi...

No, Josh, I don't have one for sale but suggest that you keep eyes out at antique fairs, estate auctions, and gun shows that feature collectible or antique weapons. In fact, the last one with pole that I saw was at the Baltimore Antique Arms show in Timonium a couple years back. As I recall, a deale...

Some of you may wonder why the hilt points backward and doesn't lean forward as is the case with most European sword carry. There are several reasons why: 1. Note from the picture that the bow case is also worn on the left side. If the saber hilt inclined forward it would easily get tangled up with ...

Hi, Josh Thanks for sharing an interesting piece. What you have is a type of polearm converted to a type of sword. I've seen several with varying lengths of original shaft still intact. The fact that a number of them with essentially similar dimensions have been appearing on the marketplace indicate...

This piece is indeed "of the period" (twilight of the Qing, ca. 1900 or a bit later), not a new reproduction as some would believe. It does appear, though, that the ray skin on the scabbard has been renewed, since the rivets on the tiliang'gu are quite fresh looking (as is the skin itself), the orig...

If this thing could talk, the stories could go on all day! This blade has an extraordinary amount of wear to its edge from many repeated sharpenings, who knows over how many years or generations? Originally, the blade would have had a somewhat leaf-shaped profile, expanding from the guard for an inc...

http://grtc.org/image/forum/121807/hd01_1.jpg HUDIEDAO (butterfly knives) Overall length : 25 in. / 63.5 cm Blade length : 20 3/16 in. / 51.2 cm Blade width : 1 9/16 in. / 4.0 cm (at guards) Blade thickness : 9/16 in. / 14.5 mm (at guards) Point of Balance : 4 in. (10.2 cm) ahead of grip Early to m...