Burmese dha use question

[Peter Dekker]

I do think that the production of high quality Burman dha with silver or gold koftgari (and occasional niello), while never highly prolific, reached its height in the mid-late 19th C perhaps due in part to an increased demand from affluent British residents. Most of the examples we see appear to have been made in the second half of the 19th C and early 20th C. Older examples are hard to identify conclusively, although there are probably well documented pieces in Myanmar.

I agree, those I've seen with dates on them all seem to be made circa 1880-1930. I've only had one such dha of which everything seemed to indicate it was a quite a bit older than the rest. Bicolor blade overlays, the handle completely made of iron (it was magnetic throughout). Also the hilt shape with its more pronounced b end in the hilt itself felt earlier. How early, I have no idea, but my gut says it could be late 18th to early 19th century. I add a photo.

What we are observing is perhaps survivor bias: Their manufacture was well known among the British by the last decades of the 19th century. Many were probably purchased or even commissioned by them to bring home as souvernirs. I've had one with the name of a British surgeon that served in Burma from at least 1882 to his retirement in 1908. Not coincidentally, almost all of these dha today can ultimately be traced back to the UK antique art market where they still keep turning up.

(Dha making was probably as prolific in neighboring Thailand but without as many foreigners working and residing there, very few were brought to the Western world and local humid climate and neglect probably did the rest.)

perhaps the decline in dha quality follows a decline in the acceptability or stronger legal consequences for using dha as a weapon during disputes.

Yes, quite possibly. Also, the use of large swords like that seemed to have declined throughout Asia with the coming of more affordable firearms.

[Peter Dekker]

Forgot to add the dha pic!
Here goes.

[kronckew]

That is a beautiful undamaged hi-status upper crust sword made to a high standard and quality for someone of sufficient rank that it was probably never used even if it's owner actually attended a battle, tho it could have been if his side was losing. He had people who did the sweaty work for him. Too rich for my humble self. Great for a Noble display of wealth and power of its owner.

I personally prefer the more mundane ones used by the front line troops, with maybe a little decoration.

On a similar note, regarding the apparently shortened blade with the fuller to the tip - During WW2 the Japanese acquired swords locally either by capture of stocks, surrendered weapons, or purchase from local collaborators. The Dutch klewang for instance, they acquired a number of these from various sources and cut the already short blades down even shorter, modified the guards, and issued them to their sergeants and military police. We call them Hei-ho.

I've heard that in Burma similar acquisitions of Dhas were sometimes cut down and even hand handles shortened, so they could be hung from a belt vertically without it poking them in the armpit when walking. They did that to their own katanas that were not samurai heirlooms as well.

This dha of mine, with a bit of koftgari decor at the forte of the un-fullered blade like the OP's above, was liberated by a Chindit in Burma from a Japanese Officer who didn't need it any more due to lead poisoning. The grip appears to have been redone with a large diameter rimmed cartridge, around 25mm dia. and the scabbard was in poor condition & field repaired. I aquired it from the Chindit who was in London. He figured it should go to someone who appreciated it, as his family didn't want it.

[Ian]

Hi Peter,

That's a very beautiful example!

I'm not sure that the iron hilt necessarily reflects greater age. I believe the hilt has niello work on it, and that was often done over iron. The niello process was nasty and smelly work, involving melting sulfur, copper, silver, and lead to create the black components. The lead fumes in particular were highly toxic to niello workers.

I agree with you about the survivor bias that we see in these swords that come to market in the West. British Victorian-era collectors were prolific and usually maintained their pieces in good condition. Not surprising that we see a lot of 19th C dha in good shape.

Ian.

[JeffS]

Originally Posted by kronckew

I've heard that in Burma similar acquisitions of Dhas were sometimes cut down and even hand handles shortened, so they could be hung from a belt vertically without it poking them in the armpit when walking. They did that to their own katanas that were not samurai heirlooms as well.

Interesting possibility. If you squint the dha I posted has a Japanese katana vibe.