Chinese axes

[Mercenary]

Timo Nieminen
Peter Dekker

Thanks a lot! Excellent and very useful information. I could not find any similar items. On all of pictures are shown with long staff only. Or some photos:

[Peter Dekker]

You're most welcome!

The middle one is the regulation pattern of the Right Wing of the Vanguard of the Eight Banners, carried in the tri-annual Grand Review of the Troops in Beijing.

The top looks like a more daily court item, used for more frequent ceremonial processions and court assemblies. The bottom one seems like a real user that was perhaps carried by certain guards. It is not covered in the official illustrated regulations but it's in good company: A lot of weapons aren't. Lists of varieties actual weapons issued in non-illustrated regulations are far longer than those in the illustrated ones. Unfortunately, often we only have names and don't know what the items looked like.

Peter