Ming late dynasty Chinese Dao (Saber)

Philip · 20th September 2022, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony G.

Hi Philip

Greeting.

I was hopping that you can advice me the possible reasons that the groove was so badly done. Many thanks.

In this photo they don't look all that bad. The whole surface is disfigured by patches of corrosion. In my experience in restoring antique swords, a proper polish will make these fullers look real crisp again. Believe me, I've seen worse on ethnographic weapons of all sorts, when they are sloppily cut to begin with, it's often a lost cause to fix them because too much metal has to be remove to adjust depth and contour.

Anthony G. · 20th September 2022, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philip

In this photo they don't look all that bad. The whole surface is disfigured by patches of corrosion. In my experience in restoring antique swords, a proper polish will make these fullers look real crisp again. Believe me, I've seen worse on ethnographic weapons of all sorts, when they are sloppily cut to begin with, it's often a lost cause to fix them because too much metal has to be remove to adjust depth and contour.

Thank you for sharing

drac2k · 22nd September 2022, 05:19 PM

Even though this blade doesn't have a guard, is it similar to your blade type "B?"The sword with the rings on the pommel reminds me of the staffs often carried by Chinese or Japanese monks.

Philip · 24th September 2022, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drac2k

Even though this blade doesn't have a guard, is it similar to your blade type "B?"The sword with the rings on the pommel reminds me of the staffs often carried by Chinese or Japanese monks.

This looks like an agricultural implement repurposed as a "weapon", the jingly rings often seen on sabers, knives, and spears used for choreographic entertainment at marketplaces and temple fairs. The wire of the rings looks "fresher" than the tang of the blade as well. The same shape of blade is seen on traditional hay knives, I saw new ones for sale on a trip to China in the 1970s.

drac2k · 24th September 2022, 02:21 PM

Thank you for the information. I agree that it could now be a repurposed farm implement, and in my opinion, more of a bush ax, rather than a hay knife, as the blade is too heavy in the reaping of wheat(more than .25" thick at the base and not scythe shaped as most of those implements are). Another thing that causes me hesitation is that even though I believe you to be correct that the rings are newer than the hand-forged loops for the hoops, they are original and would serve little purpose in an agricultural context.
The possibility that you mentioned as it belonging to a street performer is a very good one, except that it is razor sharp and with one false move, one could easily lose a hand. I also thought that martial arts were banned in China at that time; a billion people with these swords would cause any government concern. lol.
In conclusion, I am not doubting your assertions as I have never been to China, I am not an expert on Chinese swords(or any other weapons for that matter), and I am thankful for your input; the comments that I have made are based on the advantage of actually holding the item as opposed to my poor pictures.

22nd September 2022, 05:19 PM	#3
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,184	Even though this blade doesn't have a guard, is it similar to your blade type "B?"The sword with the rings on the pommel reminds me of the staffs often carried by Chinese or Japanese monks. Attached Images

24th September 2022, 02:21 PM	#5
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,184	Thank you for the information. I agree that it could now be a repurposed farm implement, and in my opinion, more of a bush ax, rather than a hay knife, as the blade is too heavy in the reaping of wheat(more than .25" thick at the base and not scythe shaped as most of those implements are). Another thing that causes me hesitation is that even though I believe you to be correct that the rings are newer than the hand-forged loops for the hoops, they are original and would serve little purpose in an agricultural context. The possibility that you mentioned as it belonging to a street performer is a very good one, except that it is razor sharp and with one false move, one could easily lose a hand. I also thought that martial arts were banned in China at that time; a billion people with these swords would cause any government concern. lol. In conclusion, I am not doubting your assertions as I have never been to China, I am not an expert on Chinese swords(or any other weapons for that matter), and I am thankful for your input; the comments that I have made are based on the advantage of actually holding the item as opposed to my poor pictures.