In Saudi Arabia funnily enough, curved swords are a-ok, but straight double edged swords are considered more dangerous and as such banned from entry. Just goes to show how stupid this whole sword banning thing is.
I wish the "traditionally made" criterion was a thing for guns and missiles too: "sir, this trunnion has clearly been milled by a hand operated machine, according to the tradition of PKM manufacturing"
I've got an Iranian hand crafted sagger. Post revolutionary antique. I've also got a pre-revolutionary F-14 thats been lovingly restored by aircraft artisans.
This is the law in Poland. Black powder type firearms don't require permit. Not even revolvers. I don't think they even need to be registered, and there wasn't a single case of these weapons being used criminally for at least 10 years. Flamethrowers and swords also don't require permit. In fact you can walk around with a shatpened sword in the public for no reason. Police can only ask you for ID so they know who was walking around with a sword, should a sword attack happen later on, but they have no right to penalise you for carrying a sword in public. Also, in every bigger supermarket there is a shop with locking knifes and Rambo knifes, and there's no legal age restriction. Yet there's maybe 200 'dangerous tool offences' a year among 38 million people, whilst in London alone it's thousands if I remember.
Oooo, I have lots of thoughts about these swords. The Song Zhan Ma Dao (the two handed square looking sword) is a design that's pretty common in the Far East: a long but not too long handle with a long chopping blade, and it kinda reminds me of European two-handed falchions/war cleavers. The design of the Da Dao (the modern revivalist sword used against the Japanese empire) was apparently specifically chosen due to its ease of manufacture and fairly simple use. You can find manuals of arms issued by the old military specifically detailing how to use it against a Japanese bayonet charge (which they were rather fond of...a bit _too_ fond of). I've heard, but don't know for sure, that as the army retreated inland, they cannibalized their railroads to forge into Da Dao. Given how chaotic that time period was and the...less-than-honest reporting on the wars of the time, it's hard to tell how effective they were, but it definitely tells just how desperate the situation was to issue swords to your soldiers to use against a mechanized and industrialized enemy. Remember, the Chinese army fought against the Japanese empire continuously for *eight years*
They did tear down some railroad in northern China, but mostly for disrupt transportation of Japanese army, I don't think making sword is their motivation
Chiang lost A LOT of his best equipment reserves in the battle for Beijing in 37, so it was definitely desperation mode for a few months after, cranking out dadaos so dudes would have at least something to use. Another thing is that Dadao's are probably descended from heavy brush clearing peasant tools, and having an army equipped with them means you can clear space for camp in even the heaviest forests very fast. The thing is like an ax, machete and sword in one!
There were already Warlords with entire regiments decked out with Dadao even before the 2nd Sino-Japanese War. One such Warlord even made extensive use of the Dadao during the Defence of the Great Wall against the Japanese invaders. The Dadao because of its design (The Shorter Blade, longer handle) also made it a C&C monster, especially in confined spaces and against bayonets & standard-issue Gunto.
@@Rob_Fordd My understanding is that very few came back from those engagements, but many of those who did passed their knowledge on. *Chinese sword art is an extant tradition, not reconstructed.* Legit Chinese sword masters are not guessing about how these weapons are used. And you can definitely get someone up to speed on hacking fairly quickly, and for that technique, strength is more important than skill.
I've been practicing the heavy Dadao for 12 years and I would have to say, it would be quite effective if used as a close in melee weapon against the rifle bayonet. Remember the WW2 era Arisaka were bolt action. In a closed in thrust, the heavy Dadao could easily parry the bayonet thrust and then sliced back to take off a head. In battle, there is no guarantee, but a dadao could be quite effective.
@nehcooahnait7827 The Song Dynasty relied on long spears and heavy infantry to slow down the attack of enemy cavalry, and then sent their own cavalry to attack from the flank. As for Zhang Ma Dao, unfortunately, this was only the last resort. Once this weapon was used, it marked that the war was about to lose
It's awesome to see you excited about these swords! I hope I can offer a little clarity on some things, the 大刀 dadao used famously in the second Sino-Japanese war hearkens back to two things - 1. Song era dao and 2. polearms. There are many polearms in China from the Ming-Qing era that resemble the dadao but a much longer grip. The Song era weapons held a special place in many Han Chinese minds as that was the last dynasty that was Chinese ruled before steppe folks finally conquered them all (Mongols). Some Ming dynasty sabers have a similar tip, also as a kind of Song-era nostalgia. Back to the 1900s, that I think played a big role in the choice of manufacturing this blade, from a symbolism perspective - on top of battlefield concerns and economics. The khitan liao dao, "twin peak" is fascinating and I'd love to handle someday, it has a form factor reminiscent of later 偃月刀 yanyuedao or sometimes called guandao. I don't know if it's related. The Khitan are a paraMongolic group who dominated Mongolia, Manchuria, and north China for a time, battle with the Song and later Jurchens. They had a dualistic system united by a ruler and his Ordu - elite cavalry force, loyal to himself, using lances, maces, and such dao. The Khitans preferred using dense heavy cavalry formations. Supporting this elite core, from the north was drawn the tribal cavalry, and from the south sedentary people provided infantry and siege capabilities. So the Song, Jin, Tanguts, and Khitan all emphasized a core of very heavy cavalry - analogous to cataphracts, though with stirrups. It's in this era many of these two handers and hefty polearms become very popular - probably due to armor. In contrast the many Turkic tribes and Mongols tended to fight much lighter using horse archery, complex maneuvers, and attrition... Keep up what you do, love seeing this stuff
I don't know about the Turkic tribes but I would like to point out the Mongols fighting with lighter equipment as opposed to others isn't really accurate, perhaps that was true in the very beginning of Mongolian militarism but they did quite rely on heavy cavalry from what I read 40% of the Cavalry was heavy cavalry.
@@eagle162 yup good point. I'm taking about the early days. That said even when later on they had more access to armor it was still the lighter horse archer around which their battle tactics revolved around. As for the heaviness of their armor, I've read it would've been considered medium heavy cavalry by the standards of their foes, possibly due to limitations on their horses - so that's where my comment comes from. Turks likewise got "heavier" with more interaction with Islamic world, but would be considered lighter if I'm not mistaken
The Khitan people are not Mongols. The ancestors of the Mongols were the Xiongnu and Rouran in the northern Han Dynasty. The Khitan people are the Daur people of present-day China
My Tai Chi instructor said the, tassel in our case, on the pummel was their to teach you the dynamic motion. The tassel had to move gracefully, or you were doing it wrong.
Indeed. Tassel makes wielding the sword, and practicing with it, significantly more difficult. You have to control not just the blade, getting inertia where and when you want it, but the pommel, so that there's not excess energy in the tassel. In the same way a light "floppy" sword lets us know were getting all of the energy into the tip for a prick or thrust, too much energy in the tassel movement lets us know we're losing energy in the back of the weapon. (I"ve also been able to wrap a pole arm with a tassel, to pull it off line while simultaneously slicing, but that's sort of "fancy" and I'd stick to much simpler techniques if it was for real:)
19:40 The form of Da Dao came directly from similar cleavers in the late Qing dynasty, and during the Sino-Japanese war it's formalized as a pattern. On the other hand, you could also argue that the form was inspired by Daos in the Song dynasty but with an extra long handle.
There are some who would argued that the design of the Dadao existed all the way from the Song Dynasty and were primarily used as executioner blades or by brigands.
the sword it self was originated in China not influenced by Japanese katana, it is called horse cutter in China, However when we fought with Japanese we were intrigued by the Japanese technique of using katana and decided to absorb some of those techniques for the horse cutter. combined with Chinese techniques of course.
@@赵子豪-v6x okay yeah sorry I don't know how I forgot that so quickly. I would like a point something out however the miao dao was actually influence by the nodachi this recorded and even its original name(wodao) give that away, here is some stuff to read. Old or New? The Miaodao and Invention in Chinese Martial Arts by Kung Fu Tea. Chinese long sabers of the Qing dynasty by Peter Dekker from Mandarin Mansion. 苗刀之祖，明朝长刀、单刀和倭刀（上）
@@eagle162 The Miaodao is purportedly descended from the earlier Changdao, which was purportedly influenced by the Japanese nodachi. Currently, the Japanese origin is in dispute because Mongolians/Steppe Nomads were already using blades not dissimilar to the Katana/Nodachi during the Yuan and earlier. In any case, the Republican-era Miaodao is rather different from the Katana/changdao and was designed to overcome the perceived shortcomings of the katana design. The Blade is more forward-leaning compared to the Katana (Which leans back for slashing), lighter and with a point of balance closer to the hilt.
I'm really appreciative of your enthusiasm in this video. Great work thank you for sharing these beauties with us. Can't wait to see the test cutting. Cheers!
One of the earliest two handed swords used in the West could just as easily be described as a polearm, which is the falx. It was used as kind of a forward curving glaive, that the Dacians and Thracian who also used them would use the curve to cut into their opponents around their shield, aiming in particular for their heads, right arms and shins. The Dacians who used it were a distinct culture by around 500BCE. Not sure when they started using falx in their army, or when it had developed to what we would recognise as a two handed weapon (there were one handed versions), but they used them against the Romans in the early second century with enough success that the Romans altered the design of their armour to better protect themselves from the falx by reinforcing their helmets, adding armour to the right arm, greaves and switching from the lorica segmenta to chain or scale armour, lorica hamata and lorica squamata, respectively.
I have the older LK Chen Dadao, before they had their fire. It's more the military style with a brown leather grip and steel fittings. The blade looks longer and wider on mine. That thing is a giant butcher's knife. I've had a sweet spot for the dadao since I was kid. I really like those massive choppers though!
@@Rob_Fordd I assume you are referring to the dadao. In which case I respectfully disagree. Could it it be used as such, absolutely, but I think the design has deep cultural precedents as a weapon. As mentioned by Matt. This thing was always designed cleave through bodies. If anything it evolved out of large butcher knives.
Great for building strength. Spend a few hours working with one of those without putting it down and your tendons will get strong! (You'll also get "swole" which is nice too-much more useful than a pretty machined body:)
@@itinerantpoet1341 For sure. I have used my basic Condor dynasty dadao for hours of relatively heavy yard work. the tip has gotten worn down from occasional stones among tree roots and such, but other than that it hasn't even needed re-sharpening yet lol.
Now you're speaking my language! Love greatswords and all of these are on the wishlist (except the Miao Dao, I already have that one). Thanks for the hands on!
His collection is impressive, and he's a serious collector, of antiques as well as replicas, but for people interested in what cosplayers call "swordfighting" and real practitioners call "fencing", it's better to have one sword or sword analog and really know how to use it, than to have a lot of swords and be meh.
I could certainly see those two-handed "horse-cutter" swords being used against cavalry alongside polearms. While not as long as a polearm, it could inflict a devastating, instantly crippling wound to a horse if you can get into range, and when supported by spearmen that might not be as hard. A spear thrust might make it harder for a horse to move as it wants and eventually bleed it out if you hit in the right place, but that cleaver-like blade you showed looks like it might be able to straight up cut straight through a horse's leg, especially if the horse is moving, effectively felling it on the spot and from what is still a decent distance away.
I remember someone mentioning that LK chen or another bladesmith explained that the zhan ma dao wasnt for horsecutting. the name means that it would have execptionally good cutting abilities/great sharpness that it could slay a horse (methaphorically) which makes more sense. For horses you would want spears etc not really greatswords.
@@superrobotmonkeyhyperteamf3194 I think the idea is not that the sword is for killing the horse, but for killing the guy on top of the horse. Your buddies with pikes (changqiang) get the horse to stop, your guy with the big sword charges forward and strikes the horseman.
@@hanliu3707 you are right there are some reports apparently. Seems like several different weapons were called zhanmadao. one of them was apparently indeed for horse cutting. Wrote more in the comment up.
My understanding was that while the zhan ma dao was experimented with in the Tang dynasty, it became much more prominent during the Song dynasty against the Jurchen Jin dynasty. The Song had significant trouble dealing with the increasingly heavily armored and better quantity and quality calvary of the Jurchen. There were even reports of the Jin chaining their heaviest calvary together to form an iron wall to crush infantry formations before them, though there is some dispute there. So the zhan ma dao was deployed along side spearmen, who engaged and stopped the enemy calvary. At which point the zhan ma dao wielders would move up and chop into the stationary horses’ legs or the riders. So the Song cleaver like zhan ma dao is a specialized chopper while the Tang zhan ma dao is a more general use weapon.
My guess for the usefulness of the ribbon on the end of the cleaver dao would probably be as a distraction to confuse the enemy on where the blade is positioned, which would make it harder to defend against.
It also adds a little drag, so you know where your hand is when using certain styles of sword handling ( the circular moves the Chinese tend to favor, specially) Really useful little thing, as is the shape of the grip for edge alignment. It's actually more about helping with your peripheral vision than "distracting" the opponent.
Masters teach that it's for distraction, but that the main use is to wipe blood from the handle. (Sabers are not capable of "single drop of red", the ideal in straight sword fencing, where the opponent dies from internal bleeding. See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Reles although, with a flexible straight sword, you get to the brain from under the chin, not through the skull like in modern wuxia fantasy novels;) Therefore, real combat with single edged curved swords would have been bloody.
@@AriMalatesta Cloth is also good at catching points, which could disrupt the opponent's sword, but I wouldn't want to depend on that. See my other comment for the main use.
Theres something attractive about the brutalist aesthetic of straight edged Chinese blades. Its a shape uncommon among swords and lends it almost like an industrial modern look. It also somehow looks more formidable, like it will really fuck shit up.
An antique was shown and reviewed in some Chinese video. Then LK copied that one which he likes and produces this modern copy. At least he likes it enough to mass produce it. Now, see how many will like it and own it, use it.
I really like the comparison Matt makes to a medieval European glaive, to be used in tight fashion by an armored fighter. Just based on the look and posted stats I saw when it first interested me, that was my suspicion. And if so it's *exactly* what I want.
@@MtRevDr What's sadly ironic is just how often it takes exposure to another people's example of material culture to appreciate overlooked or disparaged examples in one's own. Nowadays most people into medieval/Renaissance European swords/HEMA would laugh at discounting single-edged and/or curved blades, but *I* remember not all that long ago when there was a super-parochial looking down noses in the same subculture at anything but the straight, double bladed sword being "European." And there is still can be, regarding semantics of whether something is a "real sword." Where if someone like me were to point out the Twin Peaks dao handles like a glaive, the response is to sniff and say "but a glaive isn't a *sword.* Me, I care little for semantics. But it's nice that (a) it looks like in the historical Chinese context there isn't such hair-splitting (no pun intended 😉); and (b) that Matt's impressions echo that, hey, as a "glaive" it's really cool and just fine.
@@thechroniclesofthegnostic7107 - You are a special one. Not long ago, many acclaimed masters insult me for not taking their bookwork as the only canon and gospel. Chinese can pick on items and elements of other culture and use them as Chinese, just as using Hellman's and Worcester sauce for Chinese dim sum. For some people they just have to be rigid. It is like saying in the World of fire arms English must be using English made guns, and only Germans use German guns.
I don't know how damage claims work in the UK when it comes to customs/border control... But if allowed you need to file a claim. That tip damage wasn't from shipping, it was from a customs agent dropping it. neither the box nor the accompanying blade were damaged at all, and the only other place it could have been damaged is at LK Chen before shipping.
the second one start became popular at beginning of song dynasty. museum and collector piece show earlier examples often has dawn forward concave blade. later ming examples shows mostly straight one. I suggest you also get an earlier song version that has concave blade. that thing is more intimidating than straight one. I tried on old ww2 helmet before. if land on tip and landed solid, the beak like tip can punch open the helmet plate.
Customs is always difficult. It's not their fault. They're always asked to do too much with too little but to not do it too much. Those are awesome. Looking forward to the full review.
No, it is their fault when they choose to enforce laws that go against the rights of mankind. Humanity has the right to defend itself. Humanity has the right to own what it wishes.
karambit ring is a very roung finger ring. This large Chinese ring serves many purpose including for quick attachment of the handkerchief(also called knife color).
The flat tips might be to prevent the blades from penetrating. These are primarily anti Calvary weapons. If you stab someone on horseback you rather knock them off the horse rather than having your blade over penetrate and getting stuck in your target and losing your weapon.
Very fair with the transfer of tech between China and Japan and vice versa. Really appreciate the impartiality and attempt to be as historically accurate as poss.
I like that fourth one the best. I'm not super fond of the weird pommel and I wish the blade was slightly longer, but it has the best guard and the best blade shape and the simple wooden hilt is nice too. Cloth wrapped hilts may be more comfortable, but the wrap will loosen and ware over time and absorb a lot of sweat and oils from your hands.
Best for what use? Plain wood is the best handles are the best in my experience, but most won't practice with the weapons enough not to need the handicap of some kind of grippy material to maintain their hold. If you can learn to wield the sword calmly like wudang (including when you're moving at lightening speed), sweating profusely will eventually not be a problem. For performance swords, one typically sees lacquered handles, which make the grip treacherous if you're sweating too much. (Which is why we like them;) With the contemporary wushu players you tend to see grippy material because they're doing a lot of super-strenuous and aerial work, and it all pretty much external. But external sword technique is not considered to be very good compared to internal sword technique.
@@WILDMUSTANGX soft vs hard styles, soft are small precise movements that aim at slicing tendons, hard are powerful movements that aim at cleaving. i'm just guessing
Is there a name for the "points" on the spine of the glaive like one? I find myself wanting to describe them but lack the proper word. The closest I can find is yellman, but that's only for Middle Eastern swords. Also perplexed as to why it has more than one of them.
When zombies attack Matt's first problem will be hordes of people swarming his place looking for weapons. Then once that's dealt with the zombies will be the next problem.
Against Zombies I'm going to favor a lead pipe-one hit brain death is the key. 99% of the techniques of sword won't be that effective against a zombie, and stuff like hacking off limbs or the head takes a lot of skill (which almost no one who plays at using swords actually has;) And even if you cut off the legs or head of the zombie, the head can still bite you. Therefore, three words: "Blunt force trauma"
@@itinerantpoet1341 Lead is soft. The pipe will deform over time, become weakened. It's also heavy to carry around. Baseball bat would have similar issues. I would say a mace would be good, except that it's so close range that you risk getting bitten. If you could trap zombies behind a fence, gate, or bars then the best weapon would actually be a spear. Thrusting through the skull, maybe with a twist at the end to sever a lot of connections, that's where it's at. Don't underestimate the classic pointy stick, especially with a hardened steel spike at the end. For swords you would want thrusting potential for the same reason, not to cut off limbs but to stick through the eye socket and out through the back of the skull. Or up, through the roof of the mouth. Again, a little twist at the end would do extra damage. A riot shield would do wonders for defense. Chain nail would be good for armor also. Gotta don that coif!
Disc guards actually also appear in China around 9th to 10th century during Liao- Song era, there is also evidence shows some Tang dynasty(7th - 9th century) weapons such as 鐵鞭 iron whip also has disc guards.
Hi Matt, hope you see this. Wanted to know your thoughts on Windlass shutting down their UK division and what it implies to the Royal armouries project....thanks......apologies for jumping on the LK Chen .... cool horse cutters!
Random person: Don't you think you have enough swords? Matt (and his subscribers): Enough swords? 🗡 Is there such a thing? ⚔️ I love your collection, Matt. 👍
When Matt swings the swords around, I can’t help but get excited and nervous at the same time, especially after seeing Ryan Higa almost lop off his own nose. 😅
THE last one is from a jin dynasty（1115-1234） heavy cavalry tombs,Its a horseman weapon......The Song dynasty one--"white handle" ,should be Hollow Grind to Reduce weight,for the real "pudao" blade spine would be 1cm+ thick,can flip over use as blunt weapon against Heavy armour（ joint，neck,etc） ,...the shape of disk call "桃镡" -- peach disk. this two da dao would be fight against each other in 12th century China
An explanation for the tape would be that the customs opened the curved swords and dropped it. Then sealed it again without their special tape to cover their asses hoping the retape job wasn’t noticed Then opened and taped the straight swords And used their special tape to give impression that they’d opened that box only
I will say that the silk is very eye catching and my eyes tended to unconsciously follow it instead of the blade. So if looking for a practical reason that might be enough.
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight again this is guessing at a possible practical use(even if this has nothing to do with the original reason). Having the tassel at the end of the spear can trick the eye into subconsciously underestimating the range of the spear. The tassel stands out much more than the point and, when distracted, could throw off a person's judgment of the range.
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight Also just to be clear this is me guessing at possible practical uses. Most of the examples of tassels on spears and silks on swords that are used are very entwined with martial arts specifically. These arts practices often have a heavy spiritual, self development, and/or showmanship aspect that are all reasons enough to add flashy tassels. Therefore its possible that there is no practical reason and its is just something that was done.
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight One of my guesses is to prevent overpenetration. The tassels are located at the base of the spearhead, where the width is the same as the shaft. Beyond that point there's nothing to add friction and stop the thrust if you got that far into the target. So the bulging of the tassles could make the thrust stop at that point, much like the wings on a winged or boar spear. The case for the sabers is different though. Sabers have silk clothes like instead of tassels, and they definitely help with the spinning movements by creating drag. That slows it a bit and gives you more control on the spinning without the added weight of a larger pommel. I practice kung fu and use dao regularly, and it is noticeable when you use one without the silk clothes. The distraction theory is also valid in my opinion, and that's why they generally com in bright colors like red. But I feel that's a secondary reason.
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight my understanding is that the tassel at the base of the spearhead is to stop blood from running down the shaft, thus making it slippery
Great video, those swords look absolutely terrifying. You mentioned your oily rag (I don’t think there is an innuendo there) What oil do you use/recommend to protect your sword blades?
I worked for FedEx a few years ago, and for much of it unloading trailers. First of all even if they did allow the shipping I don't think you'd want to ship with them because there's a good chance the weapon would get damaged. Now it may be different in the UK because of better worker laws but in the US you're working in a building with hardly any insulation with machinery running at all times (the heat during the summer was oven like) and you're being yelled at to hurry up by jackasses who are also yelled at for the same thing by bigger jackasses. This brings me to the reason why the British (and possibly worldwide) FedEx doesn't ship knives, swords and probably axes. The walls of stacked product are prone to collapse while unloading (loading too sometimes) which is already extremely dangerous without instruments designed specifically to cut and or thrust. Ironically though, FedEx, at least in the US, will still ship highly volatile and or toxic chemicals.
The curved sword bans were down to a number of people using cheap shitty katana replicas to attack people, most notibley MP Andrew Jones. So curved swords went onto the offensive weapons list. What that means is that it is up to you to prove you have a valid reason for owning and not the CPS to prove you are going to use it for harm.
So now we're entering the era of amateurs attacking people with nice, razor-sharp replicas 🤣 At least attempting a mass casualty event with a sword requires more work than these *holes that buy overpowered firearms with high-capacity magazines, then open fire in crowds or on subway cars. It's offensive how easy it is for mentally ill people with no skill and little strategic acumen because cosplayers who fantasize about armed rebellion have to have their lethal toys.
For your opponent, yes. But tassels on the end of Chinese sword serve multiple purposes. Them being a distraction in a duel is a more modern interpretation, but historically, warriors would put tassels on the end of their swords just for decoration. Swords and spears weren't just weapons, they were also accessories. You wear them and walk around with them to be fashionable, to show off your wealth and rank, so it's good to have.
It's not just a tassel they're supposed to be for tying to your forearm same as our European cavalryman, it's difficult to extract the blade when striking from horseback without losing your grip
The 4th blade is short because, like most Chinese blades, it's meant to slice from inside the guard, as close as body to body. You lever the opponent's blade off-line to get inside and twist the waist to cut from inside. We like the broad blades because you can actually press the blade into the opponent's body with the off-hand on the blunt back, although you'd do that more with blades with a one-hand grip. A good example is looking at bagua great saber forms, and understanding it's mostly fighting from extremely close range. One of the common misconception about use of these blades, even from people with wudang training who don't really understand the use, is that the pretty circles used to generate power for cuts is for cutting from outside the opponent's guard. Those circular motions are actually "countering" (parrying) the opponent's blade, to "capture" (envelop) and slice from inside their guard without the possibility of reply. Real Chinese fencing is 99% pris de fer because that's the only viable strategy over time (multiple engagements). Hoping to hit the opponent and not get hit *without first controlling their blade definitively* is non-viable, and why amateurs get hit so much when sparring.
Do you know Matt, I think the material ribbon/flag attached to the back of the sword whilst mesmerising, and maybe because of that, looks that it would be extremely distracting to an opponent lined up in opposition. A definite possible advantage in a fight.
Heard and saw on video some very good things about both their miao dao and Song Hand dao.. If I were not saving up for a home, I would own both already.
The tape being on the other box could be that they had a the new person tape the boxes who was told to tape the curved ones with the boarder force tape and not the other one, but got them switched.
Chinese word "dao" is just such a versatile classification. A messer? That's a dao. A machete? A dao. Saber? Dao. Cutlass? Dao. Kopis? Dao. Falchion? Another dao.
To the laymen maybe (I doubt ESL'ers can explain the differences between sabers and cutlasses, and we don't crucify them for saying "sword"), but Chinese word building doesn't work like that. "Dao" is the sound a character, when spoken alone without context the sound means nothing. We add characters before "dao" to clarify its nature, look or purposes.
Everybody knows that slash dmg from curved swords is much more dangerous against leather or cloth armor. Makes total sense. We are just using video game logic. Im glad to hear the uk laws are as sensible, easy to understand and thought out as the german ones. Im off now, buying myself a bunch of health potions. Just in case i get attacked by someone using curved blades.
As far as I understand (yes, context, haha) the straight ones, specially the second one with the hemp wrapped hilt, were not as used against cavalry as we think of now, but chariots, widely used at that time in history in China. So, yes, it was used against cavalry, but in the sense of how do you confront a tank instead of mobile, agile mounted bowmen or light cavalry. If a chariot is heading in my direction, that's the weapon I'd like to be wielding, for sure.
Ok. Noted and appreciated (i meant that in earnest) Nonetheless.... In front of a charging man on a horse I still would stick to wielding one of these...
Hitting someone with the blunt back is a nice gentle way to take them off the board, similar to hitting with the flat of a straight sword to be nice. But with those curved swords which have the last few inches sharpened on the back, you can also do some nice backhanded jabs.
The 'glaive' sword at the end probably handles like the Japanese nagamaki sword/weapon (I own one) and is probably used for the same tasks, bodyguards like you said.
I appreciate the fact that the UK government apparently have the same sensibilities about curved swords as Skyrim Nords.
Me: Buys a curved sword
UK border customs: You've commited crimes against Skyrim and her people. What say you in your defence?
🤣🤣
In Saudi Arabia funnily enough, curved swords are a-ok, but straight double edged swords are considered more dangerous and as such banned from entry.
Just goes to show how stupid this whole sword banning thing is.
@@Mosamania it comes down to the Crusades and what side your region was on.
@@xAxCx but at the time Arabs also mostly had straight double edged swords, until the turks came and supplanted their own weapons in the region.
I like how Matt reacts to these weapons with all the stuff he has seen and owns he's still excited like a kid on Christmas day.
Because, sword. It used to not belong to him and now it does, lol.
I wish the "traditionally made" criterion was a thing for guns and missiles too: "sir, this trunnion has clearly been milled by a hand operated machine, according to the tradition of PKM manufacturing"
that would be delightful ngl
I've got an Iranian hand crafted sagger. Post revolutionary antique. I've also got a pre-revolutionary F-14 thats been lovingly restored by aircraft artisans.
@@iivin4233 what are you going to do if uncle Sam requires you to repay your war debt? Guess how to use a rifle?
Your honor, this not simply an "improvised explosive device", it is a traditional, hand crafted nail bomb, which is in accordance with UK law.
This is the law in Poland. Black powder type firearms don't require permit. Not even revolvers. I don't think they even need to be registered, and there wasn't a single case of these weapons being used criminally for at least 10 years. Flamethrowers and swords also don't require permit. In fact you can walk around with a shatpened sword in the public for no reason. Police can only ask you for ID so they know who was walking around with a sword, should a sword attack happen later on, but they have no right to penalise you for carrying a sword in public. Also, in every bigger supermarket there is a shop with locking knifes and Rambo knifes, and there's no legal age restriction. Yet there's maybe 200 'dangerous tool offences' a year among 38 million people, whilst in London alone it's thousands if I remember.
Oooo, I have lots of thoughts about these swords. The Song Zhan Ma Dao (the two handed square looking sword) is a design that's pretty common in the Far East: a long but not too long handle with a long chopping blade, and it kinda reminds me of European two-handed falchions/war cleavers. The design of the Da Dao (the modern revivalist sword used against the Japanese empire) was apparently specifically chosen due to its ease of manufacture and fairly simple use. You can find manuals of arms issued by the old military specifically detailing how to use it against a Japanese bayonet charge (which they were rather fond of...a bit _too_ fond of). I've heard, but don't know for sure, that as the army retreated inland, they cannibalized their railroads to forge into Da Dao. Given how chaotic that time period was and the...less-than-honest reporting on the wars of the time, it's hard to tell how effective they were, but it definitely tells just how desperate the situation was to issue swords to your soldiers to use against a mechanized and industrialized enemy. Remember, the Chinese army fought against the Japanese empire continuously for *eight years*
They did tear down some railroad in northern China, but mostly for disrupt transportation of Japanese army, I don't think making sword is their motivation
Chiang lost A LOT of his best equipment reserves in the battle for Beijing in 37, so it was definitely desperation mode for a few months after, cranking out dadaos so dudes would have at least something to use. Another thing is that Dadao's are probably descended from heavy brush clearing peasant tools, and having an army equipped with them means you can clear space for camp in even the heaviest forests very fast. The thing is like an ax, machete and sword in one!
There were already Warlords with entire regiments decked out with Dadao even before the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
One such Warlord even made extensive use of the Dadao during the Defence of the Great Wall against the Japanese invaders.
The Dadao because of its design (The Shorter Blade, longer handle) also made it a C&C monster, especially in confined spaces and against bayonets & standard-issue Gunto.
@@Rob_Fordd My understanding is that very few came back from those engagements, but many of those who did passed their knowledge on. *Chinese sword art is an extant tradition, not reconstructed.* Legit Chinese sword masters are not guessing about how these weapons are used.
And you can definitely get someone up to speed on hacking fairly quickly, and for that technique, strength is more important than skill.
I've been practicing the heavy Dadao for 12 years and I would have to say, it would be quite effective if used as a close in melee weapon against the rifle bayonet. Remember the WW2 era Arisaka were bolt action. In a closed in thrust, the heavy Dadao could easily parry the bayonet thrust and then sliced back to take off a head. In battle, there is no guarantee, but a dadao could be quite effective.
I've come to the realisation that two-handed Chinese swords are my aesthetic. I just fall in love with each and every one I see.
Republic and Han are the best eras of Chinese swords and just swords in general 10/10
Those swords are beautiful! I will definitely check out the full reviews, looking forward to seeing these in action.
Song dynasty swords are terrifying. They look like such brutal cleavers that are probably a blast to cut with.
If there is a such a sword that could bisect a man vertically, it would be that flipping cleaver.
@@PJDAltamirus0425 it was used for chopping of horses' legs
@nehcooahnait7827 The Song Dynasty relied on long spears and heavy infantry to slow down the attack of enemy cavalry, and then sent their own cavalry to attack from the flank. As for Zhang Ma Dao, unfortunately, this was only the last resort. Once this weapon was used, it marked that the war was about to lose
It's awesome to see you excited about these swords!
I hope I can offer a little clarity on some things, the 大刀 dadao used famously in the second Sino-Japanese war hearkens back to two things - 1. Song era dao and 2. polearms. There are many polearms in China from the Ming-Qing era that resemble the dadao but a much longer grip. The Song era weapons held a special place in many Han Chinese minds as that was the last dynasty that was Chinese ruled before steppe folks finally conquered them all (Mongols). Some Ming dynasty sabers have a similar tip, also as a kind of Song-era nostalgia. Back to the 1900s, that I think played a big role in the choice of manufacturing this blade, from a symbolism perspective - on top of battlefield concerns and economics.
The khitan liao dao, "twin peak" is fascinating and I'd love to handle someday, it has a form factor reminiscent of later 偃月刀 yanyuedao or sometimes called guandao. I don't know if it's related. The Khitan are a paraMongolic group who dominated Mongolia, Manchuria, and north China for a time, battle with the Song and later Jurchens. They had a dualistic system united by a ruler and his Ordu - elite cavalry force, loyal to himself, using lances, maces, and such dao. The Khitans preferred using dense heavy cavalry formations. Supporting this elite core, from the north was drawn the tribal cavalry, and from the south sedentary people provided infantry and siege capabilities.
So the Song, Jin, Tanguts, and Khitan all emphasized a core of very heavy cavalry - analogous to cataphracts, though with stirrups. It's in this era many of these two handers and hefty polearms become very popular - probably due to armor. In contrast the many Turkic tribes and Mongols tended to fight much lighter using horse archery, complex maneuvers, and attrition...
Keep up what you do, love seeing this stuff
I don't know about the Turkic tribes but I would like to point out the Mongols fighting with lighter equipment as opposed to others isn't really accurate, perhaps that was true in the very beginning of Mongolian militarism but they did quite rely on heavy cavalry from what I read 40% of the Cavalry was heavy cavalry.
@@eagle162 yup good point. I'm taking about the early days. That said even when later on they had more access to armor it was still the lighter horse archer around which their battle tactics revolved around. As for the heaviness of their armor, I've read it would've been considered medium heavy cavalry by the standards of their foes, possibly due to limitations on their horses - so that's where my comment comes from. Turks likewise got "heavier" with more interaction with Islamic world, but would be considered lighter if I'm not mistaken
"God, on a long pole that would make for a really awesome glaive"
*Laughs in guandao*
@@imstupid880 100%😁
The Khitan people are not Mongols. The ancestors of the Mongols were the Xiongnu and Rouran in the northern Han Dynasty. The Khitan people are the Daur people of present-day China
My Tai Chi instructor said the, tassel in our case, on the pummel was their to teach you the dynamic motion. The tassel had to move gracefully, or you were doing it wrong.
Indeed. Tassel makes wielding the sword, and practicing with it, significantly more difficult. You have to control not just the blade, getting inertia where and when you want it, but the pommel, so that there's not excess energy in the tassel. In the same way a light "floppy" sword lets us know were getting all of the energy into the tip for a prick or thrust, too much energy in the tassel movement lets us know we're losing energy in the back of the weapon.
(I"ve also been able to wrap a pole arm with a tassel, to pull it off line while simultaneously slicing, but that's sort of "fancy" and I'd stick to much simpler techniques if it was for real:)
19:40 The form of Da Dao came directly from similar cleavers in the late Qing dynasty, and during the Sino-Japanese war it's formalized as a pattern. On the other hand, you could also argue that the form was inspired by Daos in the Song dynasty but with an extra long handle.
There are some who would argued that the design of the Dadao existed all the way from the Song Dynasty and were primarily used as executioner blades or by brigands.
the sword it self was originated in China not influenced by Japanese katana, it is called horse cutter in China, However when we fought with Japanese we were intrigued by the Japanese technique of using katana and decided to absorb some of those techniques for the horse cutter. combined with Chinese techniques of course.
Are you talkin about the miao dao?, that's sword wasn't shown here.
@@eagle162 it is the second sword shown in the video.
@@赵子豪-v6x okay yeah sorry I don't know how I forgot that so quickly. I would like a point something out however the miao dao was actually influence by the nodachi this recorded and even its original name(wodao) give that away, here is some stuff to read.
Old or New? The Miaodao and Invention in Chinese Martial Arts by Kung Fu Tea.
Chinese long sabers of the Qing dynasty by Peter Dekker from Mandarin Mansion.
苗刀之祖，明朝长刀、单刀和倭刀（上）
@@eagle162
The Miaodao is purportedly descended from the earlier Changdao, which was purportedly influenced by the Japanese nodachi.
Currently, the Japanese origin is in dispute because Mongolians/Steppe Nomads were already using blades not dissimilar to the Katana/Nodachi during the Yuan and earlier.
In any case, the Republican-era Miaodao is rather different from the Katana/changdao and was designed to overcome the perceived shortcomings of the katana design.
The Blade is more forward-leaning compared to the Katana (Which leans back for slashing), lighter and with a point of balance closer to the hilt.
@@possumsam2189 okay I'm going to make this short none of that is true, please look at the Articles mention.
I'm really appreciative of your enthusiasm in this video. Great work thank you for sharing these beauties with us. Can't wait to see the test cutting.
Cheers!
Matt, you look so happy, i love that
One of the earliest two handed swords used in the West could just as easily be described as a polearm, which is the falx. It was used as kind of a forward curving glaive, that the Dacians and Thracian who also used them would use the curve to cut into their opponents around their shield, aiming in particular for their heads, right arms and shins. The Dacians who used it were a distinct culture by around 500BCE. Not sure when they started using falx in their army, or when it had developed to what we would recognise as a two handed weapon (there were one handed versions), but they used them against the Romans in the early second century with enough success that the Romans altered the design of their armour to better protect themselves from the falx by reinforcing their helmets, adding armour to the right arm, greaves and switching from the lorica segmenta to chain or scale armour, lorica hamata and lorica squamata, respectively.
I love that you open these boxes containing large fancy weapons with a super basic Opinel flip knife. The most reliable all-purpose basic knife ever.
(11:12) 13th century was the Song Dynasty (960 - 1276)
Nice video. I appreciate your genuine excitement!
I would love to see some experiments done with these swords as to their ability to deal with horses. They look absolutely brutal
I am in love with the first sword you unboxed that just looked definitely my favorite to date Chinese Great sword
I have the older LK Chen Dadao, before they had their fire. It's more the military style with a brown leather grip and steel fittings. The blade looks longer and wider on mine. That thing is a giant butcher's knife. I've had a sweet spot for the dadao since I was kid. I really like those massive choppers though!
yeah, it's like a sword, axe, and machete all in one! You can definitely tell it descends from heavy brush clearing peasant tools.
@@Rob_Fordd I assume you are referring to the dadao. In which case I respectfully disagree. Could it it be used as such, absolutely, but I think the design has deep cultural precedents as a weapon. As mentioned by Matt. This thing was always designed cleave through bodies. If anything it evolved out of large butcher knives.
Great for building strength. Spend a few hours working with one of those without putting it down and your tendons will get strong! (You'll also get "swole" which is nice too-much more useful than a pretty machined body:)
@@itinerantpoet1341 For sure. I have used my basic Condor dynasty dadao for hours of relatively heavy yard work. the tip has gotten worn down from occasional stones among tree roots and such, but other than that it hasn't even needed re-sharpening yet lol.
Dude, nice swords. Can't wait for the reviews.
Now you're speaking my language! Love greatswords and all of these are on the wishlist (except the Miao Dao, I already have that one). Thanks for the hands on!
Those are gorgeous swords. I envy your collection.
His collection is impressive, and he's a serious collector, of antiques as well as replicas, but for people interested in what cosplayers call "swordfighting" and real practitioners call "fencing", it's better to have one sword or sword analog and really know how to use it, than to have a lot of swords and be meh.
I could certainly see those two-handed "horse-cutter" swords being used against cavalry alongside polearms. While not as long as a polearm, it could inflict a devastating, instantly crippling wound to a horse if you can get into range, and when supported by spearmen that might not be as hard. A spear thrust might make it harder for a horse to move as it wants and eventually bleed it out if you hit in the right place, but that cleaver-like blade you showed looks like it might be able to straight up cut straight through a horse's leg, especially if the horse is moving, effectively felling it on the spot and from what is still a decent distance away.
I remember someone mentioning that LK chen or another bladesmith explained that the zhan ma dao wasnt for horsecutting. the name means that it would have execptionally good cutting abilities/great sharpness that it could slay a horse (methaphorically) which makes more sense. For horses you would want spears etc not really greatswords.
There are some military record of them used for chop horse legs though, usually the legs are not heavily armored
@@superrobotmonkeyhyperteamf3194 I think the idea is not that the sword is for killing the horse, but for killing the guy on top of the horse. Your buddies with pikes (changqiang) get the horse to stop, your guy with the big sword charges forward and strikes the horseman.
@@hanliu3707
you are right there are some reports apparently. Seems like several different weapons were called zhanmadao. one of them was apparently indeed for horse cutting.
Wrote more in the comment up.
My understanding was that while the zhan ma dao was experimented with in the Tang dynasty, it became much more prominent during the Song dynasty against the Jurchen Jin dynasty. The Song had significant trouble dealing with the increasingly heavily armored and better quantity and quality calvary of the Jurchen. There were even reports of the Jin chaining their heaviest calvary together to form an iron wall to crush infantry formations before them, though there is some dispute there. So the zhan ma dao was deployed along side spearmen, who engaged and stopped the enemy calvary. At which point the zhan ma dao wielders would move up and chop into the stationary horses’ legs or the riders. So the Song cleaver like zhan ma dao is a specialized chopper while the Tang zhan ma dao is a more general use weapon.
Wow, thanks for sharing these weapons. Each looks awesome!
That first sword is an elegant monster!
The 20th century Dadao became famous for being used by the 29th Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army(國民革命軍第二十九軍)...
Jeez Matt way to make a man jealous.
In all seriousness those weapons are gorgeous and fearsome looking
Holy smokes! That first one is mighty impressive! 😱
And the second one as well!!
The third one is really pretty! 🥺
The fourth one seems like an absolute whacker, and a fast one at that! 😮
My guess for the usefulness of the ribbon on the end of the cleaver dao would probably be as a distraction to confuse the enemy on where the blade is positioned, which would make it harder to defend against.
It also adds a little drag, so you know where your hand is when using certain styles of sword handling ( the circular moves the Chinese tend to favor, specially) Really useful little thing, as is the shape of the grip for edge alignment. It's actually more about helping with your peripheral vision than "distracting" the opponent.
Masters teach that it's for distraction, but that the main use is to wipe blood from the handle.
(Sabers are not capable of "single drop of red", the ideal in straight sword fencing, where the opponent dies from internal bleeding. See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Reles although, with a flexible straight sword, you get to the brain from under the chin, not through the skull like in modern wuxia fantasy novels;)
Therefore, real combat with single edged curved swords would have been bloody.
@@AriMalatesta Cloth is also good at catching points, which could disrupt the opponent's sword, but I wouldn't want to depend on that. See my other comment for the main use.
Theres something attractive about the brutalist aesthetic of straight edged Chinese blades. Its a shape uncommon among swords and lends it almost like an industrial modern look. It also somehow looks more formidable, like it will really fuck shit up.
Have had my eye on that last one for a little while! Will look forward to your review of it.
An antique was shown and reviewed in some Chinese video. Then LK copied that one which he likes and produces this modern copy. At least he likes it enough to mass produce it. Now, see how many will like it and own it, use it.
I really like the comparison Matt makes to a medieval European glaive, to be used in tight fashion by an armored fighter. Just based on the look and posted stats I saw when it first interested me, that was my suspicion. And if so it's *exactly* what I want.
@@thechroniclesofthegnostic7107 - Very good to have Matt's comparative studies/review.
@@MtRevDr What's sadly ironic is just how often it takes exposure to another people's example of material culture to appreciate overlooked or disparaged examples in one's own. Nowadays most people into medieval/Renaissance European swords/HEMA would laugh at discounting single-edged and/or curved blades, but *I* remember not all that long ago when there was a super-parochial looking down noses in the same subculture at anything but the straight, double bladed sword being "European."
And there is still can be, regarding semantics of whether something is a "real sword." Where if someone like me were to point out the Twin Peaks dao handles like a glaive, the response is to sniff and say "but a glaive isn't a *sword.*
Me, I care little for semantics. But it's nice that (a) it looks like in the historical Chinese context there isn't such hair-splitting (no pun intended 😉); and (b) that Matt's impressions echo that, hey, as a "glaive" it's really cool and just fine.
@@thechroniclesofthegnostic7107 - You are a special one. Not long ago, many acclaimed masters insult me for not taking their bookwork as the only canon and gospel. Chinese can pick on items and elements of other culture and use them as Chinese, just as using Hellman's and Worcester sauce for Chinese dim sum. For some people they just have to be rigid. It is like saying in the World of fire arms English must be using English made guns, and only Germans use German guns.
I don't know how damage claims work in the UK when it comes to customs/border control... But if allowed you need to file a claim. That tip damage wasn't from shipping, it was from a customs agent dropping it. neither the box nor the accompanying blade were damaged at all, and the only other place it could have been damaged is at LK Chen before shipping.
the second one start became popular at beginning of song dynasty. museum and collector piece show earlier examples often has dawn forward concave blade. later ming examples shows mostly straight one. I suggest you also get an earlier song version that has concave blade. that thing is more intimidating than straight one. I tried on old ww2 helmet before. if land on tip and landed solid, the beak like tip can punch open the helmet plate.
23:29 No. The disk-like thingie appeared very early, in Zhanguo, Chunqiu period.
Why did I enjoy watching you open a box so much.. I gotta get some work done lol
I'm planning buy a big nylon Zhan Ma Dao next month, what a coincidence
Matt Easton has an Opinel. I feel very validated by his choice.
Love the enthousiasm!
Oh yes that 4th one! I've been eyeing that one on their site for months 😅
The puzzled look after unboxing the straight ones is priceless
On the dadao sword, file the point out and then refile the edge with a small rattail file. just a suggestion.
Customs is always difficult. It's not their fault. They're always asked to do too much with too little but to not do it too much.
Those are awesome. Looking forward to the full review.
No, it is their fault when they choose to enforce laws that go against the rights of mankind. Humanity has the right to defend itself. Humanity has the right to own what it wishes.
Always nice to see an opinel in the wild, beautiful design! As they say, the French copy nobody, and nobody copies the French.
the ring pommel was also independently invented in South East Asia on the Karambit.
karambit ring is a very roung finger ring. This large Chinese ring serves many purpose including for quick attachment of the handkerchief(also called knife color).
Gorgeous blades, i believe that plate-like pommel is the end of the full tang? Looks like it would have to be
Seems like a copy of Liao dao during the Song dynasty timeframe.
@@JSharap i think i've seen that one, how was the pommel constructed on them? Looks like it would have to be the end of the tang
The "mushroom" type pommel is from "Khitan empire".
I am impressed by the blades ive seen from LK Chen!
The flat tips might be to prevent the blades from penetrating. These are primarily anti Calvary weapons. If you stab someone on horseback you rather knock them off the horse rather than having your blade over penetrate and getting stuck in your target and losing your weapon.
Very fair with the transfer of tech between China and Japan and vice versa.
Really appreciate the impartiality and attempt to be as historically accurate as poss.
I like that fourth one the best. I'm not super fond of the weird pommel and I wish the blade was slightly longer, but it has the best guard and the best blade shape and the simple wooden hilt is nice too. Cloth wrapped hilts may be more comfortable, but the wrap will loosen and ware over time and absorb a lot of sweat and oils from your hands.
Best for what use? Plain wood is the best handles are the best in my experience, but most won't practice with the weapons enough not to need the handicap of some kind of grippy material to maintain their hold. If you can learn to wield the sword calmly like wudang (including when you're moving at lightening speed), sweating profusely will eventually not be a problem.
For performance swords, one typically sees lacquered handles, which make the grip treacherous if you're sweating too much. (Which is why we like them;)
With the contemporary wushu players you tend to see grippy material because they're doing a lot of super-strenuous and aerial work, and it all pretty much external. But external sword technique is not considered to be very good compared to internal sword technique.
@@itinerantpoet1341 Please explain 'external' VS 'internal'?
@@WILDMUSTANGX soft vs hard styles, soft are small precise movements that aim at slicing tendons, hard are powerful movements that aim at cleaving. i'm just guessing
That explanation at the beginning makes me happy to live in the US as a sword collector
Nice Opinel, dude! I have one of their "Carbone" No. 8 models as my lunch knife. Nothing *that* inexpensive slices apples and cheese like an Opinel.
Yo fam, I love how hard you geeked out on those swords ^_^
The bright red ribbon attached to the short sword may have utility in distracting or confusing the opponent during combat!
Is there a name for the "points" on the spine of the glaive like one? I find myself wanting to describe them but lack the proper word. The closest I can find is yellman, but that's only for Middle Eastern swords. Also perplexed as to why it has more than one of them.
That's a good question just commenting in case someone knows the anwser.
idk the answer either but they look swag
is there a video for that first blade that was shown? that, along with these of course, was badass AF
ua-cam.com/video/WkOKntYoNiI/v-deo.html
Those are freaking amazing!
When zombies attack Matt's first problem will be hordes of people swarming his place looking for weapons. Then once that's dealt with the zombies will be the next problem.
He will recruit the cream of the crop to join his brute squad. That's the FIRST order of business. Gotta build that army!
he can definitely provide equipment for a small army, and offer some training for them
Or Evil Dead II ...excellent gear for head chopping!
Against Zombies I'm going to favor a lead pipe-one hit brain death is the key. 99% of the techniques of sword won't be that effective against a zombie, and stuff like hacking off limbs or the head takes a lot of skill (which almost no one who plays at using swords actually has;) And even if you cut off the legs or head of the zombie, the head can still bite you. Therefore, three words: "Blunt force trauma"
@@itinerantpoet1341 Lead is soft. The pipe will deform over time, become weakened. It's also heavy to carry around. Baseball bat would have similar issues. I would say a mace would be good, except that it's so close range that you risk getting bitten. If you could trap zombies behind a fence, gate, or bars then the best weapon would actually be a spear. Thrusting through the skull, maybe with a twist at the end to sever a lot of connections, that's where it's at. Don't underestimate the classic pointy stick, especially with a hardened steel spike at the end. For swords you would want thrusting potential for the same reason, not to cut off limbs but to stick through the eye socket and out through the back of the skull. Or up, through the roof of the mouth. Again, a little twist at the end would do extra damage. A riot shield would do wonders for defense. Chain nail would be good for armor also. Gotta don that coif!
Gorgeous swords!
Disc guards actually also appear in China around 9th to 10th century during Liao- Song era, there is also evidence shows some Tang dynasty(7th - 9th century) weapons such as 鐵鞭 iron whip also has disc guards.
that's a serious chisel you have there
That swird on a stick in the end looks awesome
Hi Matt, hope you see this. Wanted to know your thoughts on Windlass shutting down their UK division and what it implies to the Royal armouries project....thanks......apologies for jumping on the LK Chen .... cool horse cutters!
Random person: Don't you think you have enough swords?
Matt (and his subscribers): Enough swords? 🗡 Is there such a thing? ⚔️
I love your collection, Matt. 👍
When Matt swings the swords around, I can’t help but get excited and nervous at the same time, especially after seeing Ryan Higa almost lop off his own nose. 😅
Didn't you have a video on the Maori Patu club in the background?
THE last one is from a jin dynasty（1115-1234） heavy cavalry tombs,Its a horseman weapon......The Song dynasty one--"white handle" ,should be Hollow Grind to Reduce weight,for the real "pudao" blade spine would be 1cm+ thick,can flip over use as blunt weapon against Heavy armour（ joint，neck,etc） ,...the shape of disk call "桃镡" -- peach disk. this two da dao would be fight against each other in 12th century China
Those Subjects Groom Up so well!
just a note 13th century china would had been song/jin/yuan dynasties, tang dynasty ended a few centuries earlier
6:30 "So sharp it could chop a horse" sounds like "so hungry I could eat a horse"
Always like to see an Opinel on your Channel :)
Love seeing these videos
An explanation for the tape would be that the customs opened the curved swords and dropped it.
Then sealed it again without their special tape to cover their asses hoping the retape job wasn’t noticed
Then opened and taped the straight swords
And used their special tape to give impression that they’d opened that box only
Beautiful blades by the way
Listening to the changes in your voice while playing with your new 'toys' I'd say there were at least three sworgasms.
I will say that the silk is very eye catching and my eyes tended to unconsciously follow it instead of the blade. So if looking for a practical reason that might be enough.
I’ve seen tassels on Chinese spears, but attached on the spearhead side rather than the back end. Why do they have tassels?
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight again this is guessing at a possible practical use(even if this has nothing to do with the original reason). Having the tassel at the end of the spear can trick the eye into subconsciously underestimating the range of the spear. The tassel stands out much more than the point and, when distracted, could throw off a person's judgment of the range.
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight Also just to be clear this is me guessing at possible practical uses. Most of the examples of tassels on spears and silks on swords that are used are very entwined with martial arts specifically. These arts practices often have a heavy spiritual, self development, and/or showmanship aspect that are all reasons enough to add flashy tassels. Therefore its possible that there is no practical reason and its is just something that was done.
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight One of my guesses is to prevent overpenetration. The tassels are located at the base of the spearhead, where the width is the same as the shaft. Beyond that point there's nothing to add friction and stop the thrust if you got that far into the target. So the bulging of the tassles could make the thrust stop at that point, much like the wings on a winged or boar spear.
The case for the sabers is different though. Sabers have silk clothes like instead of tassels, and they definitely help with the spinning movements by creating drag. That slows it a bit and gives you more control on the spinning without the added weight of a larger pommel. I practice kung fu and use dao regularly, and it is noticeable when you use one without the silk clothes.
The distraction theory is also valid in my opinion, and that's why they generally com in bright colors like red. But I feel that's a secondary reason.
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight my understanding is that the tassel at the base of the spearhead is to stop blood from running down the shaft, thus making it slippery
Great video, those swords look absolutely terrifying. You mentioned your oily rag (I don’t think there is an innuendo there) What oil do you use/recommend to protect your sword blades?
Any oil will do. Even vegetable oil.
That sounds about right, the main purpose of oil is to be a spreadable film that rejects water from a steel surface
I worked for FedEx a few years ago, and for much of it unloading trailers. First of all even if they did allow the shipping I don't think you'd want to ship with them because there's a good chance the weapon would get damaged. Now it may be different in the UK because of better worker laws but in the US you're working in a building with hardly any insulation with machinery running at all times (the heat during the summer was oven like) and you're being yelled at to hurry up by jackasses who are also yelled at for the same thing by bigger jackasses. This brings me to the reason why the British (and possibly worldwide) FedEx doesn't ship knives, swords and probably axes. The walls of stacked product are prone to collapse while unloading (loading too sometimes) which is already extremely dangerous without instruments designed specifically to cut and or thrust. Ironically though, FedEx, at least in the US, will still ship highly volatile and or toxic chemicals.
I was paid 13 dollars an hour btw
10:00 i love how much fun you're having. Borderline speechless. I'd feel the same unwrapping this early Christmas present!
Ohh so thats why "Ninjato"s exist. Its the Pistol Brace/Bump-Trigger/Unrifled barrel of the sword world to get around UK law.
The curved sword bans were down to a number of people using cheap shitty katana replicas to attack people, most notibley MP Andrew Jones. So curved swords went onto the offensive weapons list. What that means is that it is up to you to prove you have a valid reason for owning and not the CPS to prove you are going to use it for harm.
I think it was actually Nigel Jones, and it wasn’t a cheap Chinese one, it was a war time original that the attackers father had owned.
So now we're entering the era of amateurs attacking people with nice, razor-sharp replicas 🤣
At least attempting a mass casualty event with a sword requires more work than these *holes that buy overpowered firearms with high-capacity magazines, then open fire in crowds or on subway cars.
It's offensive how easy it is for mentally ill people with no skill and little strategic acumen because cosplayers who fantasize about armed rebellion have to have their lethal toys.
matt is very good at swinging the sword with tassel
Great job Matt.
Thanks
Y'know, to an untrained person that ribbon DOES draw your eye away from the blade end. I imagine that's probably a bad thing in combat, right?
For your opponent, yes. But tassels on the end of Chinese sword serve multiple purposes. Them being a distraction in a duel is a more modern interpretation, but historically, warriors would put tassels on the end of their swords just for decoration. Swords and spears weren't just weapons, they were also accessories. You wear them and walk around with them to be fashionable, to show off your wealth and rank, so it's good to have.
@@camrendavis6650 TIL much. Thank you.
It's not just a tassel they're supposed to be for tying to your forearm same as our European cavalryman, it's difficult to extract the blade when striking from horseback without losing your grip
The 4th blade is short because, like most Chinese blades, it's meant to slice from inside the guard, as close as body to body. You lever the opponent's blade off-line to get inside and twist the waist to cut from inside. We like the broad blades because you can actually press the blade into the opponent's body with the off-hand on the blunt back, although you'd do that more with blades with a one-hand grip. A good example is looking at bagua great saber forms, and understanding it's mostly fighting from extremely close range.
One of the common misconception about use of these blades, even from people with wudang training who don't really understand the use, is that the pretty circles used to generate power for cuts is for cutting from outside the opponent's guard. Those circular motions are actually "countering" (parrying) the opponent's blade, to "capture" (envelop) and slice from inside their guard without the possibility of reply.
Real Chinese fencing is 99% pris de fer because that's the only viable strategy over time (multiple engagements). Hoping to hit the opponent and not get hit *without first controlling their blade definitively* is non-viable, and why amateurs get hit so much when sparring.
Do you know Matt, I think the material ribbon/flag attached to the back of the sword whilst mesmerising, and maybe because of that, looks that it would be extremely distracting to an opponent lined up in opposition. A definite possible advantage in a fight.
The main use is for wiping blood from the handle because killing with these types of swords is bloody, and disemboweling is a core technique.
@@itinerantpoet1341
Thanks, interesting
And you wonder where anime/manga got the idea of the mahoosive board like blades? Looks like they were not exaggerating by much!
Those are thick af through.
Heard and saw on video some very good things about both their miao dao and Song Hand dao.. If I were not saving up for a home, I would own both already.
Other dao looks like fun too, just have yet to see or hear much about that one.
That red ribbon is to tie it to the wrist to prevent getting off
The tape being on the other box could be that they had a the new person tape the boxes who was told to tape the curved ones with the boarder force tape and not the other one, but got them switched.
I typed this about 5 seconds before Matt said it 😂
That first one is very similar to the big war knife in the Morgan Bible
Chinese word "dao" is just such a versatile classification. A messer? That's a dao. A machete? A dao. Saber? Dao. Cutlass? Dao. Kopis? Dao. Falchion? Another dao.
To the laymen maybe (I doubt ESL'ers can explain the differences between sabers and cutlasses, and we don't crucify them for saying "sword"), but Chinese word building doesn't work like that. "Dao" is the sound a character, when spoken alone without context the sound means nothing. We add characters before "dao" to clarify its nature, look or purposes.
Matt, when are we going to hear about the Ribaldo you worked with him on?
Do LK Chen swords count as being made by traditional hand sword making methods for the sake of UK law?
I would say yes, as they are entirely made by hand, forged and hand polished.
Everybody knows that slash dmg from curved swords is much more dangerous against leather or cloth armor. Makes total sense. We are just using video game logic. Im glad to hear the uk laws are as sensible, easy to understand and thought out as the german ones.
Im off now, buying myself a bunch of health potions. Just in case i get attacked by someone using curved blades.
As far as I understand (yes, context, haha) the straight ones, specially the second one with the hemp wrapped hilt, were not as used against cavalry as we think of now, but chariots, widely used at that time in history in China. So, yes, it was used against cavalry, but in the sense of how do you confront a tank instead of mobile, agile mounted bowmen or light cavalry. If a chariot is heading in my direction, that's the weapon I'd like to be wielding, for sure.
Also, I kept smiling and sharing that sense of pure joy, "wow". I want them now,
Ok. Noted and appreciated (i meant that in earnest) Nonetheless.... In front of a charging man on a horse I still would stick to wielding one of these...
I don't think anyone was still using chariots at the point when the horses were so ridable.
Matt: ...You don't want to hit someone with the blunt back...
Me: ...but I might want to 😂
Hitting someone with the blunt back is a nice gentle way to take them off the board, similar to hitting with the flat of a straight sword to be nice. But with those curved swords which have the last few inches sharpened on the back, you can also do some nice backhanded jabs.
@@itinerantpoet1341 truth
The 'glaive' sword at the end probably handles like the Japanese nagamaki sword/weapon (I own one) and is probably used for the same tasks, bodyguards like you said.
Rhomphaia and Falx where large two handed swords in use about 200 years earlier than these. Maybe made of iron rather than steel though?
like to see some cutting tests, all look promising except the third one, is it property heat treated?