1st January 2015, 11:50 PM | #1 |
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Unusual dha-like sword
This one sold today on our favorite online auction site. Someone obviously thought they knew what it was judging from the price paid. I have my own ideas but will hold back on commenting until others have had a chance to express their opinions. Who made it and where is it from?
Overall length 30" Blade length 23" These are some of the seller's pictures. |
2nd January 2015, 11:34 PM | #2 |
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Hi Ian,
haven't seen the auction, as what it was described? Could be from Yunnan, Husa people. The skulls look strange. Added for selling purpose? Regards, Detlef |
3rd January 2015, 02:59 AM | #3 |
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Yes I agree. The work in particular the handle style is similar to those I have seen made by the Achang, HuSa
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3rd January 2015, 07:31 AM | #4 |
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It was described as from Burma. Here is the listing:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...763750&alt=web |
3rd January 2015, 11:10 AM | #5 | |
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3rd January 2015, 05:53 PM | #6 |
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Thanks guys. Yes, I would agree it is a HuSa dao. Hard to tell how old it is and whether the scabbard is original. The small bone (?) skulls seem like an after thought.
The partial tang has been pinned with what appear to be wooden dowels--an unusual construction on these swords as the examples I have seen previously had metal pins. The checkered horn hilt is also unusual. The decoration on the spine is consistent with other HuSa examples. As far as age, I was thinking the first half of 20th C, but it's hard to say. If the scabbard is original, it appears to have some age. Ian Attached is a web photo of Husa dao taken in Dehong. |
3rd January 2015, 06:49 PM | #7 | |
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I like the distal taper on the blade that & the central fuller together that would make for a highly practical blade! [Assuming the steel is good.} spiral |
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4th January 2015, 12:37 AM | #8 |
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You you guys tell us a little more about these people and where they are located. First of these daos I have seen.
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4th January 2015, 02:35 AM | #9 |
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Here is one of mine Charles, an old example.
105cms long 17mm thick at the base. Gavin |
4th January 2015, 02:43 AM | #10 | |
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4th January 2015, 04:45 AM | #11 |
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Charles:
The Achang people are a Chinese ethnic minority living in Yunnan and have ties with the Shan/Tai peoples of Yunnan/Burma/N. Thailand/Laos. Those living in the HuSa and LaSa areas of Longchuan County in Yunnan Province claim to be of a different lineage to other Achangs. The Achang HuSa and LaSa claim to be descended from soldiers of the Ming Army who intermarried with local Achang women in the 14th–15th century C.E. They are said to speak a different dialect from other Achang and are more Sinicized. This particular group is renowned for their knives and swords, and claim over six centuries of forging and weapon-making skills based on the Imperial methods that have been passed down from the original Ming soldiers. They have a history of making edged weapons and tools used by nearby groups, including the Han, Dai, Jingpo, Tibetan, and Bai. Gavin has kindly provided the geographic location of these groups in relation to Yunnan and Burma. There are probably fewer than 10,000 Achang HuSa and LaSa. Their edged tools and weapons are highly prized by local groups and the styles range from typical Tibetan arms, to the long swords of the Kachin/Jingpo, to Chinese dao. We have discussed these folks before in relation to the "running tiger" mark seen on a few Kachin/Burmese dha. Sometimes there is a Chinese inscription with the name "HuSa" and occasionally other struck marks such as a musket or rifle. Nathaniel is the one who tracked down the attribution of the running tiger mark to this group. Here are some of the other threads about these knives and swords that are collectively called HuSa dao. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=19079 http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18749 http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4917 http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1989 http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001243.html Here is a quote from this website http://en.dehong.gov.cn/Customs/content-102-258-1.html "Achang knife," which is also known as "Husa knife", gets its name because it is made mainly in the Husa and Lasa areas of Longchuan County where many Achangs live. This sort of knife is "well-forged and elaborately made, and very sharp, tensile, durable." Sheaths made of wood, leather, silver and other materials are extremely exquisite, too.Ian Last edited by Ian; 4th January 2015 at 05:12 AM. Reason: Added material |
4th January 2015, 04:27 PM | #12 |
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in LongChuan District/County
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longchuan_County,_Yunnan "Longchuan County (陇川县; pinyin: Lǒngchuān Xiàn) is a county located in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwestern China. Culture Many citizens of Dehong Prefecture belong to the Jingpo-nation ethnic group, an official minority in the People's Republic of China. They are one and the same as the people of Kachin State, the adjacent part of Myanmar, and ethno-linguistic ties are strong." |
4th January 2015, 07:11 PM | #13 |
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Thanks guys, very informative and interesting.
So it the case of the first sword shown(from Ebay) it's not as much about the odd hilt as it is the blade...is that correct?? |
4th January 2015, 07:59 PM | #14 | |
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I would say partly correct! It's the combination from the blade shape, the way the handle is attached to the blade, the engravings on the spine and also the guard. Regards, Detlef |
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