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Zhanmadao
The ''zhanmadao'' () was a single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword. It originated during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and was especially common in Song China (960–1279). General characteristics The zhanmadao is a single-edged sabre with a long broad blade, and a long handle suitable for two-handed use. It was used as an anti-cavalry weapon, dating from Emperor Cheng of Han, made to slice through a horse's legs. This is mentioned in the ''Wujing Zongyao'', a Song Military Manual from 1072. It featured prominently against the Jin armies in campaigns between 1129 and 1141. The earliest variant of the zhanmadao is called zhanmajian (), literally "horse beheading jian". Zhanmajian existed during the Han dynasty, so called because it was supposedly able to cut off a horse's head. The difference between the two is that zhanma''jian'' is double-edged whereas the zhanma''dao'' is single-edged, which persists with the meaning of jian and dao. Another suggestion is that the zh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Sword
Historically, Chinese swords are classified into two types, the ''jian'' and the '' dao''. A ''Jian'' is a straight, double-edged sword mainly used for stabbing, and has been commonly translated into the English language as a longsword; while a ''dao'' is a single-edged sword (mostly curved from the Song dynasty forward) mainly used for cutting, and has been translated as a saber or a "knife". Bronze ''jian''s appeared during the Western Zhou period, and switched to the more durable wrought iron and steel during the late Warring States period. In modern times, the ceremonial commissioned officer's sword of the Chinese navy has been patterned after the traditional ''jian'' since 2008. Besides specialty weapons like the butterfly ''dao'', Chinese swords are usually in length. However, longer swords have been found on occasion. Outside of Ancient China, Chinese swords were also used in Ancient Japan from the 3rd to the 6th century AD, but were replaced with native Japanese swo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dao (Chinese Sword)
''Dao'' (pronunciation: , English approximation: , Chinese: 刀; pinyin: ''dāo'') are single-edged Chinese swords, primarily used for slashing and chopping. The most common form is also known as the Chinese sabre, although those with wider blades are sometimes referred to as Chinese broadswords. In China, the dao is considered one of the four traditional weapons, along with the '' gun'' (stick or staff), '' qiang'' (spear), and the ''jian'' (double-edged sword), called in this group "The General of Weapons". Name In Chinese, the word can be applied to ''any'' weapon with a single-edged blade and usually refers to knives. Because of this, the term is sometimes translated as knife or Nonetheless, within Chinese martial arts and in military contexts, the larger "sword" versions of the ''dao'' are usually intended. General characteristics While dao have varied greatly over the centuries, most single-handed dao of the Ming period and later and the modern swords based on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Changdao
The ''changdao'' () was a two-handed, single-edged Chinese sword. The term has been translated as "long saber," "saber-staff," or "long-handled saber." During the Ming dynasty, was often used as a general term for two handed swords. After Republican Era, the term '' miaodao'' is sometimes used to describe changdao due to similarity. Tang dynasty sources describe the as being identical to the ''modao'' (), but the may have been a double-edged weapon like earlier zhanmajian. The seems to have first appeared during the Tang dynasty as the preferred weapon choice for elite vanguard infantry units in the Tang army. It was described as having an overall length of seven feet, composed of a three foot long single edged blade and four foot long pole grip. Due to its considerable length and size it became one of the hallmarks of elite Tang infantry, who were often placed at the front of the army as spearheads against enemy formations. The ''Taibai Yinjing'' states: :In one army, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miaodao
The ''miaodao'' (苗刀) is a Chinese two-handed dao or saber of the Republican Era, with a narrow blade, long hilt, and an overall length of or more. The name means "sprout saber", presumably referring to a likeness between the weapon and a newly sprouted plant. An early reference, in Jin Yiming’s ''Single Defense-Saber'', makes a connection between the ''miaodao'' and the Qing-era '' wodao'', as well as mentioning both single and two-handed versions of the ‘’miaodao’’, suggesting that the name originally described the shape only, without any connotations of size. While the ''miaodao'' is a recent weapon, the name has come to be applied to a variety of earlier Chinese long sabers, such as the zhanmadao and changdao. Along with the dadao, miaodao were used by some Chinese troops during the Second Sino-Japanese War. While the miaodao is rarely practiced in modern Chinese martial arts, some schools of piguaquan and tongbeiquan (in the Guo Changsheng lineage) and xing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wodao
The ''wodao'' () is a Chinese sword from the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. It is typically long and slender, but heavy, with a curved back and sharp blade. It bears a strong resemblance to the Tang sword, zhanmadao, Tachi or Odachi in form. Extant examples show a handle approximately 25.5 cm long, with a gently curved blade 80 cm long. The Chinese word "wo" literally means "Japanese", so "wodao" literally means "Japanese sword". The term "wodao" sometimes refers to Japanese swords, but it mainly refers to similar swords developed in China with Japanese swords used as reference. Chinese wodao was developed based on the Japanese sword used by the wokou pirates, a mixed group of Japanese and Chinese who repeatedly looted in the Chinese coast.Rekishi Gunzo. (2 July 2011) ''The Complete Work on Strategic and Tactical Weapons. From Ancient China to Modern China''. Gakken. Qi Jiguang (1528-1588 AD), a general of the Ming Dynasty, studied wokou's tactics and Japanese swords to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Changdao
The ''changdao'' () was a two-handed, single-edged Chinese sword. The term has been translated as "long saber," "saber-staff," or "long-handled saber." During the Ming dynasty, was often used as a general term for two handed swords. After Republican Era, the term '' miaodao'' is sometimes used to describe changdao due to similarity. Tang dynasty sources describe the as being identical to the ''modao'' (), but the may have been a double-edged weapon like earlier zhanmajian. The seems to have first appeared during the Tang dynasty as the preferred weapon choice for elite vanguard infantry units in the Tang army. It was described as having an overall length of seven feet, composed of a three foot long single edged blade and four foot long pole grip. Due to its considerable length and size it became one of the hallmarks of elite Tang infantry, who were often placed at the front of the army as spearheads against enemy formations. The ''Taibai Yinjing'' states: :In one army, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ōdachi
The (large/great sword) or ''nodachi'' (野太刀, field sword) is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (日本刀, nihontō) used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The Chinese equivalent of this type of sword in terms of weight and length is the ''miao dao'', and the Western battlefield equivalent (though less similar) is the Zweihänder or claymore. The character for ''ō'' (大) means "big" or "great". The ''dachi'' here is the same as , the older style of sword/mounts that predate the ''katana''. The second character in ''tachi'', , is also the same used to spell ''katana'' (刀) and the ''tō'' in ''nihontō'' (日本刀 "Japanese sword"), originally from the Chinese character for a blade, ''dāo''. To qualify as an ''ōdachi'', the sword in question would have a blade length of around 3 ''shaku'' (). However, as with most terms in Japanese sword arts, there is no exact definition of the size of an ''ōdachi''. History In the Nanboku-chō period in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han Chinese, Han people, the majority ethnic group in China. Although the primary capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng (who established the short-lived Shun dynasty), numerous rump state, rump regimes ruled by remnants of the House of Zhu, Ming imperial family—collectively called the Southern Ming—survived until 1662. The Ming dynasty's founder, the Hongwu Emperor (r. 1368–1398), attempted to create a society of self-sufficient rural communities ordered in a rigid, immobile system that would guarantee and support a permanent class of soldiers for his dynasty: the empire's standing army exceeded one million troops and the naval history of China, navy's dockyards in Nanjin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Press is a department of the University of Cambridge and is both an academic and educational publisher. It became part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, following a merger with Cambridge Assessment in 2021. With a global sales presence, publishing hubs, and offices in more than 40 Country, countries, it publishes over 50,000 titles by authors from over 100 countries. Its publishing includes more than 380 academic journals, monographs, reference works, school and university textbooks, and English language teaching and learning publications. It also publishes Bibles, runs a bookshop in Cambridge, sells through Amazon, and has a conference venues business in Cambridge at the Pitt Building and the Sir Geoffrey Cass Spo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zweihänder
The ''Zweihänder'' () ( German 'two-hander'), also ''Doppelhänder'' ('double-hander'), ''Beidhänder'' ('both-hander'), ''Bihänder'' or ''Bidenhänder'', is a large two-handed sword primarily in use during the 16th century. ''Zweihänder'' swords developed from the longswords of the Late Middle Ages and became the hallmark weapon of the German '' Landsknechte'' from the time of Maximilian I (d. 1519) and during the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The ''Goliath Fechtbuch'' (1510) shows an intermediate form between longsword and ''Zweihänder''. These swords represent the final stage in the trend of increasing size that started in the 14th century. In its developed form, the ''Zweihänder'' acquired the characteristics of a polearm rather than a sword due to their large size and weight and therefore increased range and striking power. Consequently, it was not carried in a sheath but across the shoulder like a halberd. By the second half of the 16th century, these swords ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Messer (weapon)
A messer (German for "knife") is a single-edged sword with a knife-like hilt. While the various names are often used synonymously, messers are divided into two types: ''Lange Messer'' ("long knives") are one-handed swords used for self-defence. They were about a meter long and may have evolved from the ''Bauernwehr'' ("peasant's sidearm"). They are also known as ''Großes Messer'' ("great knife"). ''Kriegsmesser'' ("war knife") are curved weapons up to 1.5 m long, used with one or two hands, and normally wielded by professional warriors of the 14th to 16th century, such as the Landsknecht. Typology There is a typology created by James G. Elmslie for messers and falchions similar to the Oakeshott typology for arming swords based on ongoing research. Construction Blade Messer are characterized by their single-edged blades. The lengths and shapes of the blade can vary greatly. Messer blades can be straight or curved. Extant examples of langes messer seem to have an overall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
