Interesting Chinese Jian sword

John · 8th December 2004, 12:46 AM

My layman's pinyin & translation of the characters:

Top characters read as Tung (together) Sheng (prosperous).
Bottom characters as Tai (great) He (river).

Perhaps someone more academic could decode deeper.

The 3 symbols are indeed of 3 of the 8 immortals Fearn mentioned. But I'm a little surprised your blade does not have the "7 stars", an important symbol for a Daoist if indeed the Jian has Daoist connection. The blade reminds me of one I had the priviledge of seeing in pictures a few years ago belonging to Bill Marsh, a very nice Jian and restored by the same restorer I think.

8th December 2004, 12:46 AM	#9
John Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Land below the wind Posts: 135	My layman's pinyin & translation of the characters: Top characters read as Tung (together) Sheng (prosperous). Bottom characters as Tai (great) He (river). Perhaps someone more academic could decode deeper. The 3 symbols are indeed of 3 of the 8 immortals Fearn mentioned. But I'm a little surprised your blade does not have the "7 stars", an important symbol for a Daoist if indeed the Jian has Daoist connection. The blade reminds me of one I had the priviledge of seeing in pictures a few years ago belonging to Bill Marsh, a very nice Jian and restored by the same restorer I think. Last edited by John; 8th December 2004 at 12:56 AM.