S.E. Asian katana

[Rick]

Maybe one could find such information here:
http://japaneseswordmuseumthailand.com/

[Ian]

Hi Iain,

That's a very lovely and interesting sword. It is obviously influenced by Japanese style but it is, primarily, a very big dha/daab. The hilt with its plain thread-wrapped grip covered with black resin, and the scabbard similarly covered with black resin, point to this being a weapon and not a sword for display or ceremonial purposes. Such large swords were typically wielded by powerful warriors in the vanguard of an attack, cutting down man and beast.

What gives this sword a Japanese flavor is the habaki-like structure at the base of a pierced circular guard (tsuba). It is possible to find similar Japanese influence in swords of Thailand and Vietnam, but I'm less certain about Cambodia, Laos, or Burma.

As you point out, there has been a Japanese presence in Thailand for many centuries, including the employment of Japanese mercenaries. I had a Thai student 40 years ago whose family had been powerful landowners in Thailand for centuries. He told me that his great-great-grandfather employed two Japanese warriors as bodyguards in the mid-19th C.

Given the longstanding links to Japanese martial ways, I think Thailand is the most likely source for your sword, although Vietnam is certainly a possibility. Philip Tom could probably provide more information regarding Vietnam and Japanese influence.

I think your sword is quite old, and probably from the 18th C. Hard to date these, as we have discussed before.

[Spunjer]

Originally Posted by Rick

Maybe one could find such information here:
http://japaneseswordmuseumthailand.com/

thanks for that link, Rick!
that there is my new passion

[Ian]

Iain,

Thanks for showing these Thai-Japanese hybrids. If I recall correctly, some of these have been attributed to the late Ayutthaya/early Rattanakosin period. There are some elegant high end examples from Thai nobility that were posted here on the old UBB Forum (now defunct) and were attributed to that period.

The Rattanakosin period commenced in 1782, which is why I thought your sword may date from around that time (i.e., 18th C). The maximum zone of influence of Rattanakosin included the vassal states of Cambodia, Laos, Shan States, and the northern Malay states. It's possible that Japanese influence diffused through some of the major centers of this region as a result of Thai dominance.

Regards,

Ian

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Ian

Iain,

Thanks for showing these Thai-Japanese hybrids. If I recall correctly, some of these have been attributed to the late Ayutthaya/early Rattanakosin period. There are some elegant high end examples from Thai nobility that were posted here on the old UBB Forum (now defunct) and were attributed to that period.

The Rattanakosin period commenced in 1782, which is why I thought your sword may date from around that time (i.e., 18th C). The maximum zone of influence of Rattanakosin included the vassal states of Cambodia, Laos, Shan States, and the northern Malay states. It's possible that Japanese influence diffused through some of the major centers of this region as a result of Thai dominance.

Regards,

Ian

Hi Ian,

Yes, some of these are Ayutthaya period, some are later. Its important to keep in mind just how influential Japanese mercenaries were at the time, Yamada Nagamasa is perhaps the most famous example in the context of Ayutthaya, however other communities existed across the region including at Phnom Penh and Angkor (multiple Japanese inscriptions have been found there) and of course as I've already mentioned in Vietnam.

So the diffusion of this form as nothing really to do with Thai dominance and very much to do with the network of Japanese traders and ronin across the region in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Issues within Japan itself played a role and many of the Japanese were Christians, who faced increasing pressures at home. These communities then assimilated as there was not a sustained influx of Japanese later in the century.