The ''wodao'' () is a Chinese sword from 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 ...

and

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. 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 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 dynasty, Song China (960–1279). General characteristics The ''zhanmadao'' is a ...

'', ''

tachi A is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and '' uchigatana'' ("''katana''") generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when she ...

'' or '' ōdachi'' in form. Extant examples show a handle approximately long, with a gently curved blade long. The Chinese word ''wo'' literally means "Japanese", so ''wodao'' literally means "

Japanese sword A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1,000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794–1185) to the ...

". 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 ''Wokou'' ( zh, c=, p=Wōkòu; ; Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ; ; literal Chinese translation: "dwarf bandits"), which translates to "Japanese pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century to the 17 ...

'' pirates, a mixed group of Japanese and Chinese who repeatedly looted on 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 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 ...

(1528-1588 AD), a general of the Ming Dynasty, studied ''wokous tactics and Japanese swords to repel ''wokou'' pirates. General Qi also wrote a military book named ''

Jixiao Xinshu The ''Jixiao Xinshu'' () or ''New Treatise on Military Efficiency'' is a military manual written during the 1560s and 1580s by the Ming dynasty general Qi Jiguang. Its primary significance is in advocating for a combined arms approach to ...

'' which depicted, among other things, the detailed usage of the ''wodao''. He also included a wodao branch in his army alongside branches of other weapons. Another Ming general Li Chengxun (李承勋), in his own revised edition of ''Jixiao Xinshu'' of 1588, quoted General Qi as saying that the long sword (believed to be referring to the '' ōdachi'' and ''

'') was introduced into China during the ''wokou'' invasion of the Ming dynasty. The Chinese martial art of wielding the wodao is believed to be a combination of medieval Japanese sword fighting styles and traditional Chinese techniques regarding the use of two-handed weapons. The term ''wodao'' was still in usage in China until the Qing dynasty as evidenced in various Chinese novels at the time. In 1921, the Chinese warlord

Cao Kun General Cao Kun (; courtesy name: Zhongshan () (December 12, 1862 – May 15, 1938) was a Chinese warlord and politician, who served as the President of the Republic of China from 1923 to 1924, as well as the military leader of the Zhili clique ...

created a branch in his army that specialized in wielding two-handed single edged blades and called it the '' miaodao'' branch. Since then, ''miaodao'' became the name for this form of Chinese two-handed single edged blade and the term ''wodao'' is now rarely used. The art of wielding the ''miaodao'' can be traced back to the lineage of ''Jixiao Xinshu''.

References

{{Chinese weapons Chinese martial arts terminology Chinese swords

See also

References