Faceted Tips on Chinese Swords? (Split from HOS Catalogue thread)

[tsubame1]

Originally Posted by josh stout

An interesting thought is that early Ming jain sent to Tibet as a gift from the emperor look Tibetan, perhaps blades sent to Japan look Japanese?

Josh, doesn't work.
At that time (we're talking about 550/650 A.D.) japaneses plainly
copied almost everything from dresses to laws to army organization from
China. They hadn't a proper design for blades yet. They begun to produce
them on their own with the original chinese shape and only around 950 A.D.
they applied curvature to achieve a completely original japanese sword
design, still called with a chinese name, "Tachi".

[josh stout]

This thread has what looks like interesting information, but I don't read Chinese.

http://hfsword.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=17059

There is a very nice example of a Tang dao in excavated condition with a medial ridge. The tip is unclear, but it is rounded in shape. Would a tip have to be a straight line to be considered faceted, or would you consider a separately polished curved tip faceted?
Josh

[tsubame1]

Originally Posted by josh stout

This thread has what looks like interesting information, but I don't read Chinese.

http://hfsword.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=17059

There is a very nice example of a Tang dao in excavated condition with a medial ridge. The tip is unclear, but it is rounded in shape. Would a tip have to be a straight line to be considered faceted, or would you consider a separately polished curved tip faceted?
Josh

I think you refer to the second sword.
Yokote on swords with "fukura" (rounded tip) appeared (in Japan) only after
the straight line ones, but the matter works the same way. The smith places
a different plane on that area when smithing the point.
Polish is a secondary matter. When a blade begin "tired" (too much polishes)
the Togishi (polisher) can place a "cosmetic" only yokote to maintain the
visual appeal, but in origin the Yokote is presernt because of different
planes are put on that area, an id only highlighted by the polisher.
I reality, even if not polished, yokote is there anyway (if the blade is made
in Shinogizukuri style).
Being this chinese I'm not sure it had a yokote even if it has a ridge line.
A close up of the tip possibly would give us some hint, but the conditions
are quiet wrong... Interesting pictures with the "rounded work" ring pommel
that confirm their continental nature...