Help Identify - Chinese execution sword?

Jim McDougall · 3rd October 2007, 05:13 AM

As Rsword suggests, this is an item probably put together during the Boxer Rebellion period, as forces of various legations there sought souveniers and exotica to recall this great adventure. Chinese martial artists used most dramatic looking weapons and theatrics to impress the foreign powers present as well as to intimidate and appear menacing. Sometimes gruesome executions did take place using such exaggerated weapons, but there was no prescribed weapon form for such events as far as I am aware.

In the Burton book, it seems in research some time ago I discovered that a number of the illustrations and referenced captions were actually in error, the whorled sword that Burton captioned as 'Chinese sabre knife' was actually a Dahomean hwi if I recall. In the list of sources in Burton's book he lists the reference "Illustrated History of Arms and Armour" by Auguste Demmin, London, 1877. With this he grumbles that "...the Oriental notices are deficient, and the translator has made them worse". Unfortunately, by using the 'Chinese sabre knife reference' from the Demmin book, he perpetuated the error.

3rd October 2007, 05:13 AM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	As Rsword suggests, this is an item probably put together during the Boxer Rebellion period, as forces of various legations there sought souveniers and exotica to recall this great adventure. Chinese martial artists used most dramatic looking weapons and theatrics to impress the foreign powers present as well as to intimidate and appear menacing. Sometimes gruesome executions did take place using such exaggerated weapons, but there was no prescribed weapon form for such events as far as I am aware. In the Burton book, it seems in research some time ago I discovered that a number of the illustrations and referenced captions were actually in error, the whorled sword that Burton captioned as 'Chinese sabre knife' was actually a Dahomean hwi if I recall. In the list of sources in Burton's book he lists the reference "Illustrated History of Arms and Armour" by Auguste Demmin, London, 1877. With this he grumbles that "...the Oriental notices are deficient, and the translator has made them worse". Unfortunately, by using the 'Chinese sabre knife reference' from the Demmin book, he perpetuated the error.