second look at a Chinese chopper

[josh stout]

I was asked as a digression from another thread to elaborate on this knife.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...LoGrH1o-To.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...aLLb6wYDxQ.jpg

I think I have posted it before, but I have much more information now. I discussed this type of knife with Scott Rodell, Pillip Tom, and Peter Decker, and I think I have a better idea what it is.

This chopper is from a very long line of single-handed Chinese choppers found in Song and Ming illustrations. They were developed from agricultural implements, but are definitely weapons. Late Qing ones might be called guitoedao (demon head knife), mid Qing ones might be called pudao, and Ming ones might be called yanchidao (goose wing knife), yantoudao, or fengshidao (pheonix wing knife). In one Ming text a similar knife is referred to as a shoudao (hand knife), but perhaps simply to differentiate it from the similar looking pole arms. Most examples have much more simple clipped tips, but this is not the only such example I have seen with the wavy upturned tip.

This one may be late Ming/early Qing, or it could be 19th c., it is very difficult to tell. They appear more often in Ming illustrations than Qing ones.

Josh

[katana]

Hi Josh,
do you know whether there is a 'evolutionary' link between this type of chopper and the Kora ?

Regards David

.

[Emanuel]

Hello,

I really do not see the similarity between the two. The kora has a concave edge while this dao has a convex edge. Those protrusions are aesthetic coincidences IMO . In one case they're at the front, in the other they're at the back.

All the best,
Emanuel

[Andrew]

I would tend to doubt any connection other than incidental--kora are sharpened on the concave edge.

[katana]

I should have been more specific (it been a looooong tiring day ) I knew the edges were sharpened concave edge ( kora) etc.

I meant a reference to the end shape with the three 'waves' ......symbolic? cultural? religious?.


Regards David

[Gavin Nugent]

My first thoughts were Kora blade too. I then did note the oval guard which is different to the normal round guard often seen on Chinese sabres and the usual sabre hilt style.

I do wonder about about the ethnic cross overs though, they all shared the same borders and who knows what trade routes there were in times gone by and if a Kora style blade found it's way to being married with a Chinese sabre.

Josh I would be very much interested in what images you have seen and if they are digital, could you share them here please for further research.

Thanks

Gav

[josh stout]

"Iron and steel swords of China" (ISSC) is an excellent book containing many good examples of various antiques including the clipped tip chopper. There are several period manuals that list such weapons, and I think ISSC covers some of the ones I was thinking of.

For immediate gratification, this website has many useful pictures. (http://thomaschen.freewebspace.com/catalog.html)

Go to the Song dynasty stuff to see a chopper that looks just like my Yi one.
(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j6...duation366.jpg)

I suspect that ergonomics and expediency have developed a similar chopping shape used as a farm implement and converted into a chopper in many regions. I have no idea what the origin of the wavy tip is, but it is also not uncommon in clipped tip pole arms.
Josh