Mark on a Vietnamese Guom
 

Can anybody identify the character that was struck on the pommel of this pretty Vietnamese Guom? Also, would anyone care to hazard a guess on the date of this piece?

Just looking at the picture of the sword you would think it is pretty short because the handle offers scale. However, look at the sword in hand and you will see that the grip is actually over-large, almost for two hands.

王 wang (Mandarin, Korean), wong (Cantonese), vu'o'ng (Vietnamese) = king. In Chinese and Korean, as an adjective, "big", "great", "best", "champion". In Vietnamese, also used as a title for some princes.

[Korean "wang mandu", "king dumplings" are pretty big, and pretty tasty.]

I would date this Guom to the late 19th century.

Yes, agree...Wang = king...commonly seen on the lion/tiger head in sino cultures...I have a carved stone tiger with the same character on his forehead...so I wonder to this is some reference as well with the animal being the king of beasts as well.... :D