I posted this dapiandao before under A peculiar form of dadao.
Philip Tom polished the blade, recut the fullers and gave it a mild etch to show the details of the lamellar construction. We have started to call the piece dapiandao or "Big slicing saber" due to it's dadao and piandao features. During the course of restoration it started to give away some interesting construction features:
1.) "The tip is made of a separate piece deliberately wrapped and forged on, I have never seen anything quite like this before." -Philip Tom
2.) At the base of the blade, the hard inserted edge plate does not come out of the steel yet but starts to do so further up when the part of the blade most suited for cutting starts. This may have been done so in order to protect the brittle edge plate in that portion mostly used for parrying.
Other observations by Philip Tom:
-As is typical of dadao in general, it has a farm-implement level of finish to it.
-The folding is surprisingly clean, welds are real tight except for a 2 cm flaw on the right side.
-Edge hardness is pretty consistent.
-The blacksmith knew what he was doing but was probably working under a deadline and wasn't too concerned about aesthetics.
Attribution
We can only make wild guesses on who might have carried this dapiandao. I am tempted towards attributing it to the "Gansu Braves" lead by Dong Fuxiang that were active in and around Beijing during the turn of the 19th to 20th century. "Gansu Braves" were part bandit, part militia, even escorted the Empress Dowager Cixi, and notoriously anti-foreign. They were generally well equipped, much better than the Imperial army of that time, and mostly consisted of Muslim Hui minority men from Western China but based in and around Beijing at the times of the Boxer Uprising. Their Western origins might explain the mix of Tibetan and Turkic influence in the design of this falchion.
-Peter
"Dapiandao" construction details
Moderators:Scott M. Rodell, Philip Tom
- Peter Dekker
- Rank: Chang San feng
- Posts:395
- Joined:Tue Dec 06, 2005 7:46 am
- Location:Groningen, The Netherlands
- Contact:
Knowing is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do.
-Bruce Lee
http://www.mandarinmansion.com
Antique Chinese Arms & Functional reproductions
http://www.manchuarchery.org
Fe Doro - Manchu Archery
Willing is not enough, we must do.
-Bruce Lee
http://www.mandarinmansion.com
Antique Chinese Arms & Functional reproductions
http://www.manchuarchery.org
Fe Doro - Manchu Archery
- Peter Dekker
- Rank: Chang San feng
- Posts:395
- Joined:Tue Dec 06, 2005 7:46 am
- Location:Groningen, The Netherlands
- Contact:
Dapiandao pictures
Overall after polish.
From tip to hilt.
Fullers and active pattern.
Close up of folding lines and edge plate.
Knowing is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do.
-Bruce Lee
http://www.mandarinmansion.com
Antique Chinese Arms & Functional reproductions
http://www.manchuarchery.org
Fe Doro - Manchu Archery
Willing is not enough, we must do.
-Bruce Lee
http://www.mandarinmansion.com
Antique Chinese Arms & Functional reproductions
http://www.manchuarchery.org
Fe Doro - Manchu Archery
- Peter Dekker
- Rank: Chang San feng
- Posts:395
- Joined:Tue Dec 06, 2005 7:46 am
- Location:Groningen, The Netherlands
- Contact:
Dapiandao pictures
Side of tip. Note the separate section of the tip welded on.
Other side of tip, with a 2cm long forging flaw in the left.
Forte with inscription "ma dao cheng gong" now better visible.
Other side of forte with engravings of flowers or perhaps some mythical animal.
To the far right you see something square that looks like it was once a character and closer examination shows what was probably yet another character next to it. "Guo" comes into mind, which means "country" or "kingdom". The other character is possibly "min' for "guomintang", the nationalists that ruled China mainland from 1912-1949. However, the inscription on the other side which surely reads "ma dao cheng gong" is read in the traditional way from right to left which might imply that the inscription on this side ends with a character resembling "guo" rather than beginning with it.
-Peter
Knowing is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do.
-Bruce Lee
http://www.mandarinmansion.com
Antique Chinese Arms & Functional reproductions
http://www.manchuarchery.org
Fe Doro - Manchu Archery
Willing is not enough, we must do.
-Bruce Lee
http://www.mandarinmansion.com
Antique Chinese Arms & Functional reproductions
http://www.manchuarchery.org
Fe Doro - Manchu Archery