The ''changdao'' ( zh, t=長刀, s=长刀, first=t, p=chángdāo, l=long sword) was a two-handed, single-edged

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; the term has been commonly translated into the English language as a longsword. M ...

. The term has been translated as "long saber," "saber-staff," or "long-handled saber." During the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, was often used as a general term for two-handed swords and was used in the frequent raids along the coast. After

Republican Era Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, the term is sometimes used to describe due to similarity.

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

sources describe the as being identical to the ( zh, s=陌刀), 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 a four-foot-long pole grip. Due to its considerable length and size, it became one of the hallmarks of elite Tang infantry and was often placed at the front of the army as spearheads against enemy formations. The ''Taibai Yinjing'' states: : In one army, there are 12,500 officers and men. Ten thousand men in eight sections bearing ; two thousand five hundred men in two sections with . This version of the seems to have lost favor after the Tang dynasty. The reappeared again during the Ming dynasty as a general term for two-handed single-edged swords. It was viewed very positively as an effective weapon by

Qi Jiguang Qi Jiguang (, November 12, 1528 – January 17, 1588), courtesy name Yuanjing, art names Nantang and Mengzhu, posthumous name Wuyi, was a Chinese military general and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is best known for leading the defense on th ...

, who acquired a

Kage-ryū (Aizu) is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu'') founded by Aizu Hyūga-no-Kami Iko (c. 1452–1538) in c. 1490. This school is also sometimes called Aizu Kage-ryū after the name of its founder. The founder was also ...

manual from Japanese , studied it, and modified it for his troops and used its tactics against enemies on the

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

border c. 1560. Qi specified a sword length of , similar to the Japanese . Its handle was long and slightly more than one-third of its total length, and its curve shallower than Japanese swords. Commanding up to 100,000 troops on the Mongol border, General Qi found the so effective that up to forty percent of his commandos carried it; it stayed in service throughout the late Ming dynasty. The is often compared to the Japanese or which bear close resemblances and similarities to it.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Changdao (Sword) Chinese swords Single-edged swords

See also

References