Jian - Historical Reality- Chinese Swords & Swordsmanship Series
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- Scott M. Rodell, noted authority on Chinese Swords and Swordsmanship, cuts through the common misconceptions and dojo-lore surrounding Chinese swords, presenting Qing Jian (double edged straight swords) in their historical context using period examples. #chineseswords #chineseswordsmanship #jianfa #jianshu #chineseswordfighting #chineseswordplay #scottmrodell #daoistswordarts #duanbing #historicalswordsmanship #daoistswordsman #taijisword #taijijian #taichisword #qinghistory #劍法 ＃中國劍法＃劍術＃太極劍
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Jian swords are by far my favorite sword design. They just look so damn good. So minimalistic and doesn't have all those fancy features that I find ugly. (Hand guards, curved blades, tapered blades)
Thoughts on the han styles of jian/dao?
As anesthetically pleasing as they are, id argue the dao would be more minimalistic as it is single edged and thus easier to make
@@plussum3255 more minimalistic sure, but I like the double edged look more.
The Jian are symmetrical, and that appeals to the eye by default. That doesn't mean Jian wasn't in some cases very "fancy." All it took was money and a great swordsmith to create a Jian of incredible "fanciness" and artistic beauty.
@@plussum3255 The Han era dao was about as simple as an edged weapon could possibly be. It was essentially a very beefy, very long kitchen knife. A great cutting weapon suited to slashing and swiping lightly armored enemies.
Great to see Chinese Swordsmanship (Jianfa) moving back to historical reality. It is unfortunate that real swords are not legal in China today. Martial artist training there are stuck using thin, overly flexible blades.
When it comes to swordplay, wood and steel keep it real.
That statement in the video is just patently untrue. I live in beijing and its very easy to get a real non hyper flexible blade sharpened or un sharpened delivered right to your door. You can easily search taobao.com for swords. Many different sellers including smiths who will take custom orders and are very affordable. You can practice in your yard or parking lot of your apartment unbothered. Most people here seem to believe flexibility is a good attribute in a modern martial art sword. The majority of chinese people dont know anything about historical chinese swords or sword fighting.
@@papageorgio123123 I think that with modern martial arts swords, they're made super flexible for safety. As far as I know, these swords aren't used for text cutting or even serious sparring, so by making them really flexible it makes them safer for light sparring and for preventing accidents.
@@papageorgio123123 Good to hear.
@@papageorgio123123 yeah its easy to find unsharpened full weight Jians. But you have to look really hard for quality craftsmanship.
It's nice to see well researched Information on Chinese swordsmanship made available. There is far too much misinformation out there from the influence of sport "wushu" and kung fu movies.
Thanks Dai, what video would you like to see next?
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969 I really like that you are making another video for the short jian, after that it would be great to see something on the two handed jian, and then hopefully a similar series of videos on the dao (saber).
@@DaiAndrews, this for the ideas. Yes, thinking we will need to do one on the two-handed jian to round things out.
Really. So you imagine Mr. Rodell or yourself know more about jian application than the Yuen clan, and Woo-ping in particular? If you understood guoshu, you'd know that the meaning of the applications is in the forms, if one has put in sufficient time with a qualified master. Rodell never did. (Hint: those pretty circular movements that generate power for cuts are actually counters that set up the cuts-the deep art all takes place from inside, is 99% pris de fer, and entirely relies on controlling the opponent's blade to cut cleanly.)
I like the information dump, very informative, easy to understand, useful to beginners and those that know some things about swords.
But I LOVE the fact that an American stretches himself to universal units.
Excellent informative video, great explanations and awesome collection.
Thanks.
You should consider getting in contact with the channels Scholagladiatoria and Skallagrim and work on doing colabs with them. Both are HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) related channels but they also delve into the swords and weapons of other cultures occasionally. Lately, both have been covering reproductions of Chinese swords, proper, sharpened versions, and your channel (and theirs) would benefit from a collabaration.
Really fascinating history snippets. Your descriptions put a great historical perspective on why these swords have minor variations.
Episode 2 of Chinese Swords & Swordsmanship drops tomorrow morning at 10 AM.
@@mugenGRTC
Awesome, thanks for the heads up!
Very educative and informative as always, your videos really deserve far more views.
Thanks for your support!
Thanks again to Greg Wolfson at Borderline Media Company for shooting and editing another great video.
Great production quality, thanks.
Thanks Greg!
Nice to see a sudden revival of ancient Chinese weapons and armor.
Thanks.
Nice one Scott, very informative. Looking forward to a companion episode on dao.
Thanks, a Chinese Dao (sabers) video is in the planning...
Excellent informative video
Thanks, more coming...
Very nice Scott!
Thanks for sharing all this information, keep on the good job!
Thanks. What would you like to see next?
Great stuff! Thanks for making this. If you are ever willing I would love to see a similar video talking about the evolution of common dao types especially talking about what we can know about the context in which different blade types where typically used/made for as well as a little info about what we just don't/can't know.
Thanks, I will keep that in mind. Was thinking of an overview of Qing dao (saber) types, going into some of the less common types.
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969 I would also be highly interested in that!
Hey! I know that jian! Great video Laoshr!
Damn, now I guess I have to give it back.
Great video. It's always good to get some quality information on swords from different cultures. I'd love to see a video on any polearms, too. My personal favorite is the dagger-axe. I only know what I can find on the internet, but I think the correct term for the variant that I like the best is the ji.
i love jian so this informative vid was awesome! i love seeing the diff designs 👁 u have a v nice collection
Great stuff. I hope we see more videos like this from you if and when you get the time.
Thanks, we have several more videos in the planning stage. Is there anything in particular you would like to see?
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969A similar video about dao would be nice.
@@Stephen_Curtin, Thanks for your input. Thinking of a video that focus on different types of Qing Dao (sabers), including the less common types.
New video out tomorrow morning at 10 AM...
I seen that on Facebook but thanks for thinking to tell me about your upcoming video. Looking forward to it.
Let me know what you would like to see in our future videos?
A video on Ming Dynasty Swordsmanship with Jian and Dao
More on how the reality of weapons historically shaped the practice of empty hand
- and some of the misconceptions of empty hand “applications” that actually apply to weapon based combat of that time
Excellent video, Scott!
Love the historical educative & information. Thank you Laoshi Scott ! 😁
My pleasure. Let us know what you would like to see in the future.
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969 Personally, I love to see the Historical Chinese Dao Swords & Swordmanship in the future.
But I love and very welcoming other Educative and Historical interesting subject.
@@ivankovchannel0172, thanks for your input. A video on dao is in our future plans...
That last sword is gorgeous
I found it very interesting !! 👍
I subscribed so I don't miss 1 video in the future.
Thanks, a new video just dropped this morning.
Excellent video ! In fews minutes, I did learn a lot, thank you.
Thanks, we appreciate your support. And please let us know what you would like to see in future episodes.
Great video. Can tell you are the 'real deal' by the way you addressed your student's question!
Very good study of the Jian!! A good feed to my hunger.
72cm blade length matches my assumption, I hope you can talk a bit more about the balance point.
New Video Just out >>> Qing Provincial Jian: ua-cam.com/video/M7g3DjGVRUI/v-deo.html
This was very informative. Thank you.
I was curious about something, though: I notice that lots of practice jian have the seven stars of the Big Dipper on them as a decoration. Is there a particular significance to that, or is it just a common artistic motif?
Yes, the Seven Star Constellation points to the Pole Star. There, according to daoist religion, is where the deity that controls the time of a person's death dwells.
Check out our new Chinese Swords & Swordsmanship: Duanjian, the Chinese Short Sword video tomorrow morning at 10 AM for the answer to that question. Rodell discusses the Seven Stars design in his new video.
Outstanding presentation. Thanks so much for sharing
Thanks for your support!
Very cool video, thanks for putting it out there for your UA-cam fans! Super informative, great examples for us to see, and expert historical commentary as always!
You are welcome, & thanks for your support!
@@mugenGRTC I know this is a "niche" category of history, but I am very grateful that content like this is made available to those of us who have a keen interest in it. So let me say again, thank you, and well done sir!
What a great video! I have 3 Jians. Not antique but real replicas and genuine swords. I’ve made and collected swords since 1973. You have a really nice collection.
First time I have seen your channel. I subscribed.
Thank you 🙏
Thanks Scott. Very informative. Would be cool if you did a video on Tang Dynasty swords. Did you reference any books or articles which cover the Qing Jian and its length? I couldn't find anything online about 29" being standard for Qing Jian?
Great knowledge. Thank you
I honestly enjoy your presentation. I like your personality too. You remind me of the actor David Caradine. I believe you can read, write and speak Chinese as well which is not easy for westerners. I am looking forward to watching more your presentations.
Thanks, I appreciate your support. My Mandarin is not bad, but unfortunately I cannot read fluently. I have more video projects planned for the future, so stay tuned…
EXCELLENT INFORMATION AS ALWAYS ! ! BASED IN REALITY -
Thanks!
Een uitermate informatieve video zonder "dojo-lore". De moeite waard voor iedere serieuze beoefenaar van Jianfa.
Thank you Sifu I really appreciate this.
Insightful and well presented, great video Laoshi.
Thanks for your support Richard.
Brilliant Sifu, no other words I can think of.
Thanks, we appreciate the support!
Excellent video. I love your videos, Scott.
Thanks, we appreciate everyone's support!
Thanks brother.
Thanks, very informative. Much appreciated
This was really well done, thank you. I will be watching the rest of your series sir.
Thanks for Supporting the Art!
Well done Scott.
woah, the quality of informations in this vid' is pretty amazing.....did not expect youtube to throw this up on me :D but im defenetly glad it did.....
...hmm "swordfight in a bathroom", extremely like that metaphor....
Thanks, I appreciate your support. I hope you subscribed. We are planning 10 new videos for 2021. Already recorded the first two.
hey Scott been a while, great to see some more videos :)
In that camera view it actually comes to your ear bottom level.
Thank you for this video, laoshi. I've always been far more interested in dao and other curved blades around the world, but y am beginning to also like jian.
My pleasure. We will be working to keep a high standard in both content and production quality.
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969 I greatly look forward to seeing your future content! I also hope I can travel to train with you someday, as I'm not too far from your center.
@@sylvanstrength7520, you are always welcome, here in Virginia or at a seminar.
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969 Thank you, laoshi. Main thing is to get finances in order :)
I also live in Virginia, but near Lynchburg about four hours away.
@@sylvanstrength7520 It might be easier for you to come to a seminar where you can get an entire weekend's training in. Regular
Class is only 2 hrs.
stopped by bc i recognized you from that Man At Arms episode lol
very informative . . . thank You
Thanks, we appreciate the support. Two more new videos are in editing...
These swords are so beautiful...why don't we ever see it in films..
One thing to consider is that swords from other dynasties do have a tendency to be longer, for example, Han dynasty swords tend to be closer to 30 inches. There have also been rather light Jian reproductions that do manage to be very solid cutters, but certainly less so than one that has more heft to it.
Keep in mind that the Han was thousands of years before the Qing.
Thank you for making and sharing this video! After watching it, I have a small question. It seems like most of the jians nowadays are around 100cm at full length. Which is more the standard of Ming Dynasty (三尺) 3 feet. And most of them with welded steel blade are around 1kg to 1,3kg. Does it mean that most jians are too long and heavy? And therefore to my experience uncomfortable to handle?
I've missed you so much, Shifu
Well, come out to a seminar...
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969 do you have any in Florida? South Florida, to be specific?
The last jian was beautiful!
I studied how to cut with a katana for a good while, but was never interested in the history or martial applications. The jian, on the other hand, evokes much interest in both.
My cutting jian is arriving at 1000g, which I thought was a bit heavy but maybe it's closer to some historical examples afterall. Thanks for sharing.
would be interesting to hear about older ones would be much more fascinating than this super recent stuff seeing as some form of jian has been around for 2500 years
Thanks for the idea. The problem is getting hold of period pieces that are more than 200 years old.
Thanks for the video. Appreciated it! ^_^
And thanks for your support.
Interesting video
Agreed!
Thanks.
😊👍
His Seal(signet) is engraved six characters-長江道家之印 in ancient Chinese style.
Yeah, because he's a cosplayer, teaching a degraded form of what he calls "swordsmanship."
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I've only managed to get one really decent sword in China. Most are just performance swords sadly
Fairly rare piece, yep we got that the way you moved it as if it was the holy graal 😁
Happy New Year!
Very interesting
Thanks.
我比较喜欢春秋战国时期的青铜剑 很霸气 很厚重 设计也有艺术感
This is really cool, thanks.
My pleasure.
Could you please make a video on the dao in the same way you made this video for the jian. Would be much appreciated.
They are in the works...
Great video. Out of curiousity have you ever dared to flex the twistcore blade? It might be too precious but I just wonder how its flexibility compares to others in the video. It should be fairly stiff.
Yes, though it has been polished repeatedly, it still retains its structural integrity. Please let us know what you would like to see in the future?
Scott M. Rodell GRTC I think a video like this one on dao would be a great place to start.
Scott M. Rodell GRTC Just had another idea for a video. One about the artistic motifs of sword fittings and scabbards would be very nice. There is not much english language material available about it on the internet.
@@thescholar-general5975 I was thinking of something on the Export Guards that were sent from China to Japan during the early Qing.
Will you do a video on the beautiful matchlock guns.? When you compare them to European matchlock guns you find the European examples are often very crude comparatively
I would if I could get my hands on several Chinese matchlocks...
Excellent video! Sorry to bother you. I would like to ask you if, based on your knowledge, can you explain to me why there are Chinese jian swords (especially from the late dynasty) that have downward or upward handguards? I once heard that they were one for military use and one for civilian use. So is? Thanks for all the information you can provide. thanks and regards.
Thanks for your question and support. Unfortunately there is quite a bit of nonsense dojo-lore passed around Chinese martial arts circles as fact. The idea that the direction the guard faces indicates military or civilian use has no basis in historical reality, it was simply a stylistic choice. Remember, by the late Ming, jian were rarely carried by soldiers and those that did were upper ranks. The jian was not a military regulation pattern weapon during the Qing.
My question is like why did they use dual blade swords jian when there are single blade sabers which are easier to use and less likely to cause intended harm?
Or what is the trade-off that has to be made and why did they choose to use jian?
Thanks awesome! What are those brass circular spots stamped into the blades? Is that to reduce weight and was it common for Qing dynasty stuff?
Believe they represent seven stars. Probably for the big dipper (iirc).
I have a question. Why do Moorish Jineta / Gineta straight swords look so much like Jians and Gims?
Have you tried out the any of the Han Jian or Han Dao from LK Chen by any chance?
My 1st shifu (Lin Chun-fu), said the base of the blade was sharpened like an axe and rest of the length was sharpened like a surgeon's scalpel. The jian forms I've learned focused on nicking the wrists, poking the throat and parrying (not clashing) with another sword or wooden staff. So the jians could have some flexibility and not need the "sturdiness" of say a knightly sword.
Arming swords and broadswords and the like are indeed flexible, just a lot less so (this i more to prevent the sword from cracking when it strikes).
Thank you for the information in you posting. Are you familiar with the Han dynasty styled Jian being made by LK Chen?
Can anyone tell me something more about the sword racks?
There's plenty to find online on Edo period Japanese sword racks, but not so much on Qing dynasty Chinese ones.
What are sword racks typically called in Chinese? I tried using the 漢字 they use in Japanese (刀掛) in combination with words like 清代 but I hardly get any relevant hits.
Very interesting video and beautiful swords by the way! Thank you!
There are 22 Images of Chinese Sword Racks in the Album Rodell Laoshi created at: facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1085967308114968&type=3
@@mugenGRTC Beautiful! Thank you! m(_ _)m
@@TIMOTHEVS No worries.
Great video. I got interested in Jian when I picked up one from an estate sale. Nothing exciting, a modern reproduction. It is a lot larger than the ones you have, more like a broadsword
I checked its length, 32 inch blade and 10 inch hilt, haven't weighed it yet
What do you think on jian replicas that made by lkchen? Especially Roaring Dragon and Magnificent Chu… Thanks!
They're not bad, but the company has had some consistent quality control problems. One jian a personal friend of my received had a plastic bag shoved in the end of the scabbard because it was made to short and the bag was there to cushion the blow of the sword being re-scabbarded. Also on the examples I tested, the fittings were made by stock removal. Overall not bad, but I prefer The Art of Fire and Iron. There's not a great difference, but the fit and finish of their jian is just a bit better.
Is there a good place to buy high quality Jian swords online that won't snap off the handle like the sword like objects most websites sell?
Try LKChen. You're going to pay about $500, though.
Third jian, why you no give name? Picked it up and showed but I want to know date and name please.
Yeahhhhhhhh ! I am a Manchurian~!!! hello every one
👍
Thanks.
What would you recommend for a high quality tai chi sword?
The Rodell Cutting Jian- www.sevenstarstrading.com/store/p/ovn08n6bv3vjzzdjc9wa6j6w3qpnxm
If you're doing wudang technique, why would the weapon collide with another weapon? Answer: it wouldn't. It would come around the other way to guide it offline and set up the riposte. This is because *real wudang* never goes force-against-force.
But, of course, real wudang didn't emerge until after the medieval era of heavy armored combat. It seems to have arisen as a response to outdated, force-against-force medieval fighting, no longer relevant for unarmored dueling.
Early days 時候 ， swords客是保衛家園不給別人過來，就是些壞人！我們要保衛自己的土地和財務！
Places to buy a Jians?
Please see: sevenstarstrading.com/site/huanuo/
im looking at a Han Jian Damascus Steel Blade , is that still gonna have a flexible blade?
Usually not, they have a very different cross section. May I ask why a Han Jian? Han swordsmanship died out thousands of years ago and there is nothing but a very few tomb paintings of figure holding swords to even make a guess at how they were wielded.
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969 I don’t really like that everyone’s got ketana I wanted a different model an I researched that han jian it was pretty cool I like the style & it’s less common
@@BasedNj Han Jian seem to be in fashion these days. The odd thing is people "recreating" Han Swordsmanship because the dynasty was 2000 years ago and there are no written records describing any details at all about the sword art at that time.
@@mugenGRTC I didn’t know that at all , I’m looking for a solid sword that won’t break having hard time picking between the demascus n the folded but I’m glad u shared with me it’s interesting . I would like a really old one rather then something new
Where i can buy this gorgeus sword
These are all antiques. You can try contacting Seven Stars Trading Co. to see what they have available.
I've seen you in men at arms.
What is the difference between a Jian and a Tai Chi Sword?
"Tai Chi Sword" is a common misnomer for a jian. Historically speaking, there never was any specific type of sword in China referred to as a "Tai Chi Sword."
@@mugenGRTC Is the "error" from simply its usage in some Tai Chi fighting forms?
So would these be called longquan swords?
No, Longquan is a town where swords were made in China, but not the only place by far. Since it was a famous place, many smiths marked their swords as being Longquan, or imitated the style of their fittings, but they were made elsewhere.
@@scottm.rodellgrtc2969 ok, that makes sense. Thank you 🙂
Hermit swords 😳
What do mean by Hermit Swords?
@@mugenGRTC there's a game called shadow fight 2 in which one of the bosses has these Chinese Swords...
@@paperlabarts6042 OK, have to check that out... I hope the boss with the Chinese sword prevailed ;)
I am going to have to check that out…
Thanks.
May buy a 19th C CHINESE JIAN SWORD WITH BONE HANDLE
Has inscription on the blade
Some of those are "tourist" sword. Might want to have an expert look at it for you before making a purchase.
Soul Calibur game to see swords of the world in action.
Had a steel jian sword from Prof. Huo in the 1970's. Cost a grip. Measured from my navel to the tops of my feet. Had a wooden scabbard with a snake skin cover and an amber beard.
Chinaboos RISE UP
Thjk hghhj hovuvivu感謝您阿育王的物品
Technically there still were really flexible swords. But they are considered exotic and are paired with very specific ways to use them, not a standard type of sword.
Have you ever seen an antique example that has been verified by an expert on the topic? Rodell Laoshi has handled over 3,000 antique Chinese weapons and never encountered one. These very flexible "belt swords" appear to be nothing more than dojo-lore.
Great video but ffs why is that hard to put size in metric somewhere.
It is official sientific measuring system for whole world. Please use it