Hole in the blade of Chinese dao

Neil · 25th March 2011, 08:56 PM

No doubt, thanks again Tom.

When looking at these old troop photos I wonder how many of those blades had holes in them even though they have a scabbard. I have seen many photos in the past of swords like these, lets call them "military issue dadao" with what appears to be there original scabbard. Presently I can not recall any specific photograph with both a hole in the blade and scabbard present simultaneously. That being said, it caused me to look in my photo collection which turned up some interesting examples. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of "military issue dadao" with blade holes and scabbards together, but here are a couple with holes.

I have also attached two other thought provoking photos. The first one is an illustration that may be familiar to some. Apparently the holes in this case were used for aesthetic embellishment. Clearly the second photograph is interesting in many ways, but related to the question at hand I thought it was unusual to see the way the woman with the arrow pointing at her was carrying the sword.

I am still not any closer to new answers. Although I do a two new questions. Has anyone seen a "military issue dadao" with both its scabbard and a hole in the blade. Also, what do you think the context of the last photo is with the woman and the swords. Being able to read the flag would be a great help. Any other related thoughts generally speaking would be great too. Thanks

25th March 2011, 08:56 PM	#8
Neil Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 114	No doubt, thanks again Tom. When looking at these old troop photos I wonder how many of those blades had holes in them even though they have a scabbard. I have seen many photos in the past of swords like these, lets call them "military issue dadao" with what appears to be there original scabbard. Presently I can not recall any specific photograph with both a hole in the blade and scabbard present simultaneously. That being said, it caused me to look in my photo collection which turned up some interesting examples. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of "military issue dadao" with blade holes and scabbards together, but here are a couple with holes. I have also attached two other thought provoking photos. The first one is an illustration that may be familiar to some. Apparently the holes in this case were used for aesthetic embellishment. Clearly the second photograph is interesting in many ways, but related to the question at hand I thought it was unusual to see the way the woman with the arrow pointing at her was carrying the sword. I am still not any closer to new answers. Although I do a two new questions. Has anyone seen a "military issue dadao" with both its scabbard and a hole in the blade. Also, what do you think the context of the last photo is with the woman and the swords. Being able to read the flag would be a great help. Any other related thoughts generally speaking would be great too. Thanks Attached Images Last edited by Neil; 26th March 2011 at 12:15 AM.