Indonesian Chinese jian

[josh stout]

I have thought for quite a while that there must be nice Chinese antiques in Indonesia, but due the political climate there that made Chinese culture essentially illegal for many years Chinese swords from Indonesia are never seen on the market.

Here is the first example I have seen. It is a typical duan jian, with an unusual replacement handle that shows it was used after the replacement. Also the blade has been cleaned in the traditional Indonesian way many times. Unfortunately this damaged the blade, but it is fascinating to see a Chinese blade looking like an old keris. There is a chance that the blade was a refit made in Indonesia, but I don't think so.

Take a look before the pictures disappear and this rare bit of history is out of the public view.
Josh

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :IT&ih=011

[josh stout]

I would like to add the comment that the unusual bulbous handle makes sense from the point of view of CMAs from Indonesia of the type I have studied. The techniques tend to be done with shorter weapons held very close to the body. Keeping a blade that close to the body necessitates loosening the grip a bit such that it can be difficult to keep the hand closed. The large bulbous handle would allow the hand to maintain a good grip even with the blade kept right next to the body.

In general Chinese Indonesian MAs seem to be concerned with mobs and large masses of people. This is consistent with the fact that most Chinese Indonesians are from the crowded regions of southern China, and that periodic mob violence in both the past and present is a major threat to Chinese communities in Indonesia.
Josh