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Qing tuanlian jian

Late Qing tuánliàn jiàn

Long yet light, with unusual flower-shaped iron guard.
Huyadao logo

Hǔyádāo (虎牙刀), "tiger tooth sword"

Mandarin name of a Chinese-edged weapon with a 1:1 hilt-blade ratio.
Tuanlian jian logo

Large Ming tuánliàn jiàn

A large piece dating from the Ming-Qing transition period of the 17th century.
Antique arms blog logo

Back to antique Chinese arms

With Paris behind me, let's return to the genre that initially started my passion for antique arms.
Southern Chinese bannerman huyadao

Southern Bannermen Hǔyádāo

A pair, both with Banner markings, one Manchu and one Hanjun.
Qing peidao with silver overlay logo

Silver overlaid pèidāo

A Qing officer saber with silver overlay on the blade.
Mainsa dha logo

Mainsa dha

Term coined by Bell in 1907, describing a dha that by then was mainly of Chinese make.
Plain dha with baldric logo

Plain dha with baldric

Nice plain dha as used in Yunnan, Burma, and northern Thailand. Complete with baldric.
A plain dha

A plain dha

Of a type likely produced by the Shan people and traded widely in the region.
Kuiwen logo

Kuíwén (夔紋)

Chinese decorative pattern consisting of archaic dragon motifs.
Censor quiver logo

Rare imperial xièzhì decorated quiver

Xièzhì are mythical animals and were the emblem of the Qing censorate.
Chinese yidao guard logo

Yidao guard

Exceptionally large pierced iron guard for a Chinese yidao; "virtuous saber".
Han Plain Red Banner saber

Han Plain Red Banner saber

Southern Chinese saber made for a soldier under the Plain Red Banner.
Northern Wei dynasty shaffron logo

Northern Wei shaffron

Silk horse mask from the Xianbei ruled dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 A.D.
Tongzhou incident dadao logo

Tongzhou incident 29th army dàdāo

With markings attributing it to the Tongzhou incident and a Japanese surrender tag.
Golden groove peidao logo

Qing peidao with gold grooves

With fine 18th century blade that combines many stylistic features.
Chinese jade bamboo hilt knife logo

Jade bamboo hilted knife

With spinach green jade handle and carved buffalo horn scabbard.
Chinese fighting knife

Chinese ring pommeled knife

Of a type used by bandits, brigands, pirates, and the like.
Chinese tiebian logo

Chinese tiěbiān mace

A Chinese "sword breaker" with the rarer, bamboo-sectioned rod.
Longquan Qianzihao duanjian logo

Longquan jiàn by Qian Zi Hao

A Chinese shortsword made by a well-known Longquan maker.
Cambodian long saber logo

Cambodian long saber

Sized like the Chinese changren dadao, yet the execution of the hilt is Cambodian.
Diantiao overall

Chinese fighting carrying pole

A heavily executed Chinese carrying pole that was used as a weapon.
Chinese demon head saber

Chinese demon head saber

Based on a Chinese military saber blade, with unusual horn demon hilt
Slender set of 19th century military hudiedao

Slender hudiedao pair

A classic example of the narrow military type, with brass guards.
Hudiedao

Hudiedao set with scabbard

Classic pair of Southern Chinese butterfly swords.
Twistcore peidao logo

Qing twistcore peidao

A fine twistcore blade in standard pattern Qing military mounts.
Chinese rattan tiger shield logo

Chinese tiger shield

A large Chinese rattan shield called tengpai, used by special front-line troops.
Fine gilt duanjian overall

Gilt duanjian with foreign blade

Unusual Chinese duanjian with fine gilt mounts and a blade of non-Chinese origin.
Qing rattan shield article logo

Qing military rattan shield production

Translation of a page from Qing regulations that describes the production of the Qing military rattan shield.
Winged dragon tsuba

Winged dragon tsuba

A fine and unusually large tsuba. Attributed to Hizen by the NBTHK.
Chinese crescent moon spearhead logo

Chinese crescent spearhead

A robust and heavy example, crafted with care.
Signed Chinese rattan shield

Signed Chinese rattan shield

This one has the early, peaked form and is signed by its maker.
Sino-Vietnamese dagger

Polished Sino-Vietnamese dagger

A heavy Sin-Vietnamese fighting knife, with recently polished blade.
Qing liedao

Large Chinese hunting knife

With fine blade in recent polish. With resting scabbard.
Eastern Tibetan or Jinchuan dagger logo

Studded Eastern Tibetan dagger

Of Kham area regional style, with a grip studded with turquoises and corals.
Command arrow logo

Lìngjiàn (令箭) or "Command Arrow"

A special arrow used to prove one's authority.
Longyuan Logo

Lóngyuān (龍渊)

The former name of Lóngquán, a famous sword-making town in China.
Longquan jian logo

Good late Qing Longquan jian

With bat-shaped guard. A very high-quality example for the time period.
An Eastern Tibetan dpa'dam logo

Eastern Tibetan or Yunnan zhibeidao

A simple piece, but with a nicely etched blade typical for the Tibetan / Sichuan borderlands.
Tibetan pierced iron shortsword logo

Tibetan shortsword with pierced mounts

With characteristic pointy hairpin forged blade.
Qing military saber with Manchu label logo

The saber of Manchu Wu Songlu

A standard pattern Qing military saber, but with the rare addition of a label in Manchu.
Jinchuan Fanjian logo

Jīnchuān shortsword

Jinchuan aborigines sword, the Qianlong emperor's name for this type of sword.
Yazi tunkou logo

Tūnkǒu (吞口)

Literally "swallowing mouth", a collar piece often found on Chinese blades.
Podao logo

Pōdāo with dragon tūnkǒu

With a large iron guard and hard wooden shaft.
Chinese crescent moon maces logo

Chinese crescent tipped maces

A highly unusual set of paired maces with crescent tips.
Garlic bulb mace logo

Chinese garlic mace

Called suàntóu gǔduǒ in Mandarin, with characteristic brass head.
Chinese garlic head mace logo

Suàntóu gūduǒ (蒜頭骨朵)

Literally "garlic mace", the name of a mace with a bulbous head.
Jun Huo Ju Shuangshoudao logo

Jūn Huǒ Jú-made shuāng shǒudāo

Produced in the ordnance factory in Zengbu, near Guangzhou.
Ordinance Bureau logo

Jūn Huǒ Jú (軍火局)

Name of a Chinese arms factory just east of Guangzhou, active 1875 onwards.
Jun Huo Ju saber logo

Jūn Huǒ Jú-made saber

Produced in the ordnance factory in Zengbu, near Guangzhou.