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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
Hi Fearn,
Thanks very much, and I wasn't aware the Japanese had these too.
Your note on the 'gadgetry' is well placed, as I've ravaged through references here, it would seem that these may well be another of those romanticized notions that have become emplaced in arms literature.
While I'm anxious as well to see if anyone out there has references to these actually being used, or knows of authentic examples, here are some notes on what I have found so far.
In the Wallace Collection (1962, Sir James Mann) #A867, and A868 are 'sword breakers'.
#867 (German c.1600) is described as having 14 deep teeth, each fitted with a spring catch which allow the blade to enter, but not withdraw. The teeth are separately wrought and brazed into the blade. Supposedly the blade would be easily broken with a turn of the wrist...? While it seems that many rapier blades were fragile, it seems also known that these blades were forged to withstand considerable forces, although certainly any flaw might compromise it.
#868 seems to be the example used in several references, one that I found was "Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World" H.L.Peterson, 1968, where it is shown as Plate 51. This example in the Wallace collection is shown as Italian c.1600 and states it is intended for use as a dagger.
It is noted in the text that this example has barbed heads on the teeth that work with springs also, and that the blade has been broken and repaired in the middle.
This brings the next observation. Would these deeply indented blades not be compromised themselves in trying to break a blade, let alone trying to thrust into an opponent?
Sir Richard Burton ("Book of the Sword" 1884, p.138) discusses the entire uselessness of toothed or serrated blades, in particular the toothed bayonet in which if successfully penetrated would become deeply lodged in the victim.
He illustrates several of these 'sword breakers' referring to them as 'so called' suggesting perhaps he questioned the veracity of that potential.
Burton was a well known and respected master of arms, and certainly must have known Egerton Castle, who wrote the following year and described these in the reference I previously cited, in which it is suggested unlikely these were ever used as such.
In "The Smallsword in England" (J.D.Aylward, 1945) the focus is obviously on the smallsword of the 18th century, and apparantly the use of the left hand dagger had fallen out of use in fencing in the 17th, however in his historical references to fencing, in particular disarming opponents, there is no mention whatsoever of the use of sword breakers. He does describe various methods of physical combat in disarming the opponent by grabbing blades etc.
Without a wide number of these unusual daggers being found in numerous collections, and corroborating contemporary description of thier use, it would seem that perhaps Castle may be right in questioning actual use of these.
As Fearn has noted with the Japanese examples, maybe this was just fanciful gadgetry.
Hopefully we can find more ,
All the best,
Jim
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