Chinese medium size jian
A heavy piece with a substantial blade, with smooth bronze mounts.
Double shortswords with belt hook
A classic set of Chinese double swords, complete with suspension and hook.
Chinese paired shortswords
Cantonese double swords with archaic dragon design mounts.
Duǎnjiàn (短劍)
The Chinese word for a short straightsword.
Early Chinese shortsword
A classic duanjian, but of somewhat earlier manufacture than most.
Shuāngjiàn with carved scabbard
A paired jian of fushou type, with carved hardwood scabbard.
Cast iron compass rose guard
A peculiar cast iron sword guard, probably from the South China Seas area.
Unusual Chinese saber
Built around an imported blade, with a human head shaped pommel.
The Qianlong emperor's dagger from Jinchuan
In this article, we will zoom into a shortsword or dagger that was obtained from the Jinchuan campaigns of 1747-1749 and 1771-1776.
Fine Tibetan gem studded dagger
A very rare type of dagger that originates from the borderlands of Eastern Tibet and Sichuan.
Lóngquán (龍泉)
A town in Zhejiang province, China, known as a sword making center.
A fine Yunnan Dai dagger
With characteristic bulb pommel and silver plating on hilt and scabbard.
Bāguà (八卦) "Eight Trigrams"
Chinese meaning "Eight Trigrams", representing the fundamental principles of our world.
Wavy Chinese spearhead
Of a rarer form, often used for ceremonial pole-arms.
Liuyedao with very good blade
Description
This Chinese liǔyèdāo is an excellent example of Chinese bladesmithing at its best.
Signed húdiédāo set
Of military style with long, narrow blades and ribbed hardwood grips.
Lóngquán Daoist shuāngjiàn
A very good set of Daoist straightswords in a single scabbard. There is a lot to see here, but I will start with the blades.
Chinese báitóng whip
A Chinese traditional hidden striking weapon, this time executed in the "white copper" alloy.
A Chinese headman's sword
Of rare form with short but very heavy double-edged blade.
Construction of the Qing dynasty long spear
From an 1812 text regarding the manufacture of Qing military equipment.
Qing fangshi soldier's saber
A rare surviving example of the simple military version of this style.
Pierced iron saddle
Executed in the Tibetan style, exhibiting dragons in foliage chasing flaming jewels.
Antique Chinese spearhead 3
Of classic shape, with a leaf-shaped blade on a socket, connected by a cast bronze base.
Antique Chinese spearhead 2
Of classic shape, with a leaf-shaped blade on a socket, connected by a cast bronze base.
Antique Chinese spearhead
Of classic shape, with a leaf-shaped blade on a socket, connected by a cast bronze base.
Bow by Yang Wentong
One of the last bows by Yang Wentong, father of Yang Fuxi.
On weight and balance
In researching antique arms -or any kind of material culture for that matter- it is of paramount importance to actually feel and handle pieces.
Very good hudiedao set
With fine carved hilts, substantial bronze D-guards, and subtle signs of heat treatment on the blades.
An unusual minority dao
The wide blade with clipped tip mounted on a riveted wooden grip.
Chinese target arrow
With snake skin nock. Probably made by Ju Yuan Hao in the 1950s.
Gōng jiàng yíng (弓匠營)
The bow and arrow maker's quarters in Beijing.
Yáng Fúxǐ (杨福喜)
Manchu bow maker of the Jù Yuán Hào (聚元號) shop, Beijing. Active 1998-present.
Yáng Wéntōng (杨文通)
A 20th-century Manchu bow maker of the Jù Yuán Hào (聚元號) shop, Beijing.
Yáng Ruìlín (杨瑞林)
A Manchu bow maker. Owned Jù Yuán Hào (聚元號).
Jù Yuán Hào (聚元號)
A famous bow making shop in Beijing, still active.
Bow by Ju Yuan Hao of Beijing
Made by the last operational bowyer of China, probably for the Mongolian market.
Wōdāo (倭刀 / 窩刀)
Chinese term for a Japanese sword, or a large saber with strong Japanese influence.
Miáodāo (苗刀)
Chinese name for a slender, curved saber. Often associated with large two-handers.
Iron mounted Qing bowcase & quiver
With iron mounts with golden overlay of dragons.
Bàojiàn (骲箭)
Chinese name for a class of arrows with a large, non-ferrous head. Many are whistles, some are blunts.
Liùdàomù (六道木)
Chinese name for a strong and heavy wood used for staffs and arrow shafts.
Republican period whistle arrow
Dating from the revival period of Chinese archery in the 1930s.
Gim (劍)
The Cantonese word for the Chinese straightsword.
Chángdāo (長刀)
Chinese term for "long saber".
Chinese lòukōng sword guard
The archetypical Chinese sword guard that gave rise to the Japanese genre of "nanban tsuba".
Hūshǒu (護手)
Chinese for the handguard of a weapon.
Qing openwork saber guard
A very rare Chinese saber guard dating from the height of the Qing dynasty.
Chinese hùshǒu with lantsa script
A Chinese sword guard from the 18th century with a Buddhist mantra in lantsa script.
Chinese sword guards in Japan
The Chinese saber guard is called dāo hūshǒu (刀護手), or hùshǒu pán (護手盤) in Chinese. This literally translates to "saber handguard" or "disc handguard". At some point, the Japanese got quite a taste for them. Over the years a number of them have turned up from Japanese sources that exhibit alterations that indicate they were used by Japanese on their swords.