19thc Chinese naval dao - cutlass ??

[M ELEY]

Very nice dao! While not an expert on Chinese weapons, I know from my naval collecting that these types are often referred to as 'river pirate' swords, which might explain why you heard that they were 'naval'. As their guard is indeed cutlass-like, it stands to reason that a sword of this type would be popular on watercraft, where melee fighting was in close quarters and the curved guard served to both deflect blows towards the hand and also to possibly catch an opponent's blade, much as a main gauche does in fencing.

The South China Sea was rife with pirates living in the many rivers and waterways of that region. Their numbers easily dwarfed the size of the country's actual naval forces. It is interesting to note that piracy in these regions were seasonal! In times when the fishing industry was doing well, the fishermen led honest lives, but during the off-season, the locals would often 'put on a different hat' and go a-pirating! Any junk could easily be converted into a menacing ship, just add some swords such as yours and a few swivel guns/lantaka from Macao and you are all set!

Here's an interesting article on these sword types-

https://chinesemartialstudies.com/20...-land-and-sea/