Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

DaveA · 21st July 2012, 01:16 AM

The pictures below are of my double knife, a "river pirate" weapon that is a variant of the hudiedao.

I believe your dagger is one knife in a matched pair of hudiedao.

River piracy along the Yangtze River was rampant in the 19th century. Pirates battled the military for nearly a century. These swords without guards can be instantly reversed in the hand and used with the back edge to subdue an opponent without lethal cuts. The lack of a hand guard distinguishes the ‘river pirate” type from other hudiedao. The hudiedao were widespread by the 1860’s and their design is thought to be derived from maritime boarding knives. The overall length of each of my knives is 14 ¼ inches and each blade is 10 ¼ inches.

21st July 2012, 01:16 AM	#10
DaveA Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 413	One half of a double knife set - China river pirate The pictures below are of my double knife, a "river pirate" weapon that is a variant of the hudiedao. I believe your dagger is one knife in a matched pair of hudiedao. River piracy along the Yangtze River was rampant in the 19th century. Pirates battled the military for nearly a century. These swords without guards can be instantly reversed in the hand and used with the back edge to subdue an opponent without lethal cuts. The lack of a hand guard distinguishes the ‘river pirate” type from other hudiedao. The hudiedao were widespread by the 1860’s and their design is thought to be derived from maritime boarding knives. The overall length of each of my knives is 14 ¼ inches and each blade is 10 ¼ inches. Attached Images