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Originally Posted by Philip
The only things remotely Japanese-looking about this saber are the disc-shaped guard, and the blade with the facets and ridges on the sides. The blade form is encountered in Korea and Vietnam as well. Blades with these features were made in all these countries (the ridges and facets are also found on Eurasian saber blades from the Middle Ages and on some Mamluk and early Ottoman blades, but that is another story -- I mention it here only to show that these features, in and of themselves, are not a Japanese monopoly).
However, the hilt and scabbard are typically Chinese, specifically the style known as fangshi (angular pattern, from the cross-section of the grip and sheath), which was adopted by the Manchus for most of their regulation-pattern military sabers from the mid-17th cent onwards for about a century or more.
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Philip,
I hope we can agree that blade is a important part of the blade.Compare to other Chinese swords in the similar period,you will get the idea:the sword is indeed is unique in it's own way.
Besides,Ming's Empire of China had imported a massive number of Japanese swords in it's trade with Japan,and Japanese swords is really popular back then.There was poet concentrate about swords from Japan,local craftwork try to copy the form of Japanese swords...
So in this specifically sample,Japanese influence,I belive.
