"I have to sand the pommel, and I use it so much that my sweat ruins the grip" Eastonese for "I absolutely love this sword and am struggling to find bad things to say about it."
@098765 Craper idk didn't the crazy original two handed anti cavalry dao also come from this period. Think its multi purpose. Could also fuck up spearmen. So could a dao but thrusts.
Swords were largely sidearms and not really the primary weapon for war. In China, pole arms, glaive and halberd were the primary weapons and had much more penetrative power.
@@LuffyFanBoy99 That would be my guess. They figured a few thousand in advertising on UA-cam would do more than in putting it into ads that cost more to begin with.
@@LuffyFanBoy99 it is obviously a marketing campaign but goodlord do I not give a fuck given how rare good quality chinese reproductions are. and the price is pretty damn fair too
Free swords. They give you a sword, you review it to your audience, you get views, both sides are happy. It's also a plus that these are high quality and not Raid.
I have a sword from him a few years ago, it's good but not as good, it means he's improving his craft, which is good, I'm glad he now spent more effort to market his stuffs so people would know how those weapons really looks like.
Having trained Chinese Dao forms I can confirm that they really contain stabbing techniques where you use the palm of the left hand on the pommel cap to drive the sword forward.
Odds are that none of the Jian forms practiced in modern Gongfu systems, most of which date back to the Qing Dynasty at the earliest, have much connection to times when Jians were actually used on the battlefield. Daos were still being used when many modern Gongfu styles were being developed, so there is more of a chance that a Dao form reflects actual historical usage.
@@CrossingFist The modern wushu system, essentially acrobatics, was invented in the 1970s by the PRC to suppress martial arts. You'll find very little in there resembling techniques used in actual combat.
This was one of the other swords I ordered from LK Chen at the start of the year and I can confirm it is a truly wonderful thing to wield. Unfortunately Covid got the better of shipping to the UK but LK were very careful to keep me updated on the process. I've yet to cut in anger but from dry practice it's just utterly incredible. The work LK Chen are doing right now belies their price point and I'm looking forward to their future works.
The cut at 19:48 looks really impressive. Well done, Matt. Besides, this two-handed jian is a piece of beauty. I can't tell what it is, but this particular sword looks aesthetically pleasing and also intimidating to me.
"It's completely plausible that the hand was sometimes placed on the butt..." Matt. 12:39 Really glad you're reviewing LK Chen - I am very pleased with the Flying Phoenix Han jian and Frontier Tang dao. I appreciate that LK Chen is going for historical accuracy based on antiques and discloses instances where they offer non-historical lengthened handles on some models. Some Oakeshott type 19 European swords have a similar light weight and narrow blade - to paraphrase a point you make: because of armor they needed a long stabby thing.
I've been putting a lot of energy into figuring out how to convince my wife I need one of these LK Chen swords... Not sure how I'd use it in the garden or etc...
I use a Cold Steel 'so called' Nodachi to fend off the Yew hedge, at 57 inches I don't have to risk using a ladder to reach the top. Ladders are dangerous. Hope this helps your argument.
I’ve been doing research on the Jian for a few years now there aren’t many manuals available and less in English. Jack Chen has a really nicely translated manual for the two handed Jian, and there’s some good comparisons in there. For that cross guard though, I can say from personal experience that your hands have to be guarded by skill, not armor or guard. Though strangely a lot of European styled fighters hit that tiny piece of metal with a strange regularity.
They did. There was some tempered long swords that existed in Europe by then and before. I remember reading about a Germanic sword found in the Ryan that dates back to 900 BC and was able to flex. The Germanic & Celtic (mosly Germans like Nordics) people were making some tempered swords that can flex, some being as long as 52 inches! That's longer then some Long Swords in the medieval Ages!
@@Reactionary_Harkonnen I heard that Celtic longswords were longer than spatha (and later migration period and Viking era sword), but it's notoriously known for bending. So to know that some of them could flex is new information for me. Could you please give us the source that states it? it would be very interesting for me.
Great video as always! According to my very limited understanding on chinese sword (from having practiced a few years of Kung-Fu back in the day) Chinese blades are meant to be used with very fast cleaving arching cuts (taking advantage of the lightness) so that the centrifugal force straightens the blade while in motion. That is in contrast to western swords which are stiffer and suited for drawing and push cuts as well. I just leave it here in case you want to experiment with this bit of info. Cheers!
Same day as Skallagrim's another LK Chen sword review! These swords are making a splash in the pan within the community. This sword cuts water bottles very well! I would say horizontal zwerchaus are pretty hard for test cuttings as even though the tip speed generated is fairly high initially from twisting the blade, it's fairly hard to follow through with the cut due to human anatomy. I do find diagonal zwerchaus easier (some call these low schielhau) for cutting practices, as you can actually step in and have the space to follow through. Maybe zwerchaus are supposed to be harassing cuts or surprising cuts as they are quite unusual in sword fights perhaps? Not meant to cleave someone's face off.
I thought I'd be able to get the zerchau through, but I didn't want to use up too many bottles because I have lots more reviews to do soon. And I neither teach nor really do zerch/twerch very often because I am a Fiore/Vadi guy.
Very informative review. Thanks! On a semi-related note, I just recently watched God of War, and enjoyed it greatly. Inspired by the Ming dynasty's campaigns against coastal pirate bands in the 1500's, the film shows a much more realistic view of Chinese warfare than most films have before. Lots of combined arms, integrating matchlock firearms, cannon, and shield tactics. Still a little too cinematic, but less stylized than your typical Wuxia film.
The bulletproof rattan shields (they could be resistant against bullets but were still highly vulnerable against firearms and heavy arrows at closer ranges) was a glaring flaw imo. Wokou swordsmen charging into shield walls without any form of tactics or ranged support while wearing robes was also rather funny to see.
Thank you for sharing this with us. Very impressive sword and fascinating that the original was 2200yrs ago. I am curious how steel and bronze swords interacted in a fight back when both were used. Maybe someone in UA-cam land wants to make a test video?
It’s great the depth you’re able to go through in understanding these things. Seeing this I’m curious if there is a comprehensive visual connecting the blades/assortments of weapons to the armors/clothes they are designed for going up against? It would be pretty interesting to get to see a smattering from across the board of such pairings spanning multiple time periods & regions.
Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor, carried a sword like this. The sword was so long that when he was attacked by an assassin he was unable to draw the sword to defend himself. A courtier reminded him to carry the sword on his back so he could draw it. He did that and was able to draw the sword, with which he fatally wounded the assassin.
@Tango Zulu nodachi were worn on the back sometimes over the shoulder. Depending on the actual scabbard no its not impossible just not with typically scabbards. Imagine a loop holding the blade relatively bare.
I was taught some sword play by a Chinese National Champion of the 2 handed long sword, his name is Xu Dingyuan. It's not often seen, but the late Grandmaster of Chinese wushu, the Chinese National sport, with over 100 people enjoying it, Pan Qingfu, teaches some to his American student, Mark, in the film, Iron and Silk. Both Mark and Qingfu play their own roles in the movie depiction of the true story of how they met. It's free on UA-cam and well worth at least one viewing. Also, one of my former Coaches of wushu, Jonathan Staples, who does some reenactments, was taught wushu by the women's national champion of China, Teacher Li, I think. Nice video.
It's really nice to learn the technical sword terminology. I'll remember... er... wibble. It's this akin to when Mr. Humphreys was talking about wibbly wobblies?
I find it facinating that the Chinese had long, slender, tempered steel longswords before Europe had even entered the Medieval period. Beautiful sword, would like to see a video directly comparing this sword to a 15th or 16th century era European longsword.
I dont like the way he explained it. It was an anti infantry weapon for officers as Chinese soldiers were usually leveed peasants with spears or pykes. The is designed to deal with masses of spears and pykes and allow you to keep the distance and be light enough to quickly deal with spear thrusts. Its designed for an officers at the front of the battle line to deal with several peasants charging at you with their spears. It's not a weapon for individual combat or self protection, its a heavy infantry weapon. Its creation had nothing to do with armor and everything to do with allowing a trained skilled swordsman to deal with several peasants with spears in the middle of the battle line.
@@zeitgeistx5239 In fact, there are two drafting systems used in Chinese history. One of them is mandatory military service. For example in the Western Han dynasty, all able-bodied male entering the age of 20 will be sent to train in the local commandary for 1 year, and then they will be either sent off to the imperial army or the frontline for another year, before they went home. During times of war, they will be called to join forces with the military again. This mandatory military service will end at the age of 56 for some and 60 for most of the people. Most of the time, this alone is not enough to deal with border threats, so the emperors sent migrants to the border provinces and build cities and garrisons and man them permanently as holdouts at the frontier. And then there is the other system, the voluntary military service. During the Eastern Han dynasty, for example, frequent warfare and land annexation by the rich had left many people without land. So these disenfranchised people sought military as their profession. By that time, mandatory military service had largely failed and the drafting system transitioned into volunteer military service. This trend continued into the Three-Kingdoms period when warlords began recruiting their personal armies. A separate warrior class was created by both the kingdoms of Wei and Wu. One man from each "warrior family" called, 军户, would become a soldier and will only be replaced by another man in that same family if he was either dead or too old to fight. These two systems had alternated for much of the history of China. This is an inevitable fate because land annexation always happen. It is a natural economic phenomenon.
@@zeitgeistx5239 second, I don't think a sword could win against several spears. In fact, according to the Han dynasty record, it is the other way around. In their words, swords and shields are often defeated by long spears and halberds on level ground. It is only on hilly grounds where no one can go back and forth will swords and shields have the edge over spears and halberds.
It’s also interesting that Chinese swords had European style cross guards in the Medieval era. They looked almost identical to arming swords except the quillions are curved. Here’s a painting from the 13th century: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei#/media/File:Four_Generals_of_Song.jpg
I really admire your longsword technique. You have very graceful movements. I've seen others doing longsword forms and cutting and they seem off balance or clumsy to me idk.
Hey man, I'm a massive fan of the channel! As a very enthusiastic beginner to longsword who's hema club has been canceled due to the current plague, I'm pretty bummed about not learning new techniques or exercises every week. I was wondering if you'd ever consider doing a video going over some of the cut exercises and solo drills you were doing around the 14 minute mark. I wanted to try your quarantine cutting videos, but I don't have a sharp sword. I only own a feder. If you've already made a solo drill video, then I'll just have to keep looking; but if not, I'd really like to see one. Whether you see this or not, I love the educational content and look forward to more!
I can understand why the manufacturer may not sharpen the sword as fully. Its something one can do oneself to preference without exposing LK Chen to too much liability just in case the purchaser isn't quite familiar how to handle blades.😄
When I received my sword, it came with certification that it was able to cut through paper with a single slice from the manufacturer. I saw it do exactly that in their testing videos. But when I had it, it couldn't quite do that. I wonder how much the violence of international travel can dull the edge - it's still sharp, but it's not razor-sharp anymore. People throwing packages and vibrations in the plane cargo hold are probably not great for it!
Matt, it's really interesting that you frequently talk about sharpness out of the box. Could you say something about why it's more desirable that greater sharpness should be provided? I would have thought that a less sharp edge is better for transit and unpacking, and that you can add the edge you want when the blade is safely delivered and unpackaged. As ever thanks for the sheer amount of information and insight in what remain really quite short videos.
@@BS-cc4ks nah, india didnt have blast furnace, which is a staple Chinese invention that allowed the Chinese to produce much better steel than the rest of the world
@@hiimryan2388 Damascus steel is actually steel from India. Because of meteors that landed in India in prehistory, they had sources of iron naturally mixed with nickle and other stuff. The steel made from it was incredibly famous in the middle ages. China did not have anything similar.
@@BS-cc4ks not exactly, I’m assuming your referring to Indian wootz steel with your reference to the Damascus steel. And funnily enough China DID have a steel similar to it called “bintie” it is so similar that some say that it’s wootz steel however it’s likely locally produced as wootz still were called “Hindustan steel” in China.
Is it safe to assume that the early development of lamellar/scale armour and the decline of shield sizes in East Asia might have been the reason for why 2 handed weapons were so popular?
I would love to hear your thoughts on the frontier tang dao and the hidden hilt dao, especially since you are a saber guy. I feel like those are the Chinese equivalents.
Yeah I'd also like seeing some Dao reviews, though since it seems it's LK Chen who's sending the swords for review, I guess it mostly depends on him for now. But yeah there's been quite a few reviews of the jian and not much on the dao
I will be interested in Mr. Easton's opinion on the White Arc if he gets his hand on it. I saw Skallagrim's review and, while he was quite positive about it, it is the first LK Chen to give me pause. It is ridiculously thin-bladded. He ended up putting a permanently set bend in the blade and was so concerned about putting more stress on the thin blade that he didn't want to try too hard to fix it. Yes, he did apparently go after some thin tree limbs with it as well as tatami, but he also made at least one wonky cut in the tatami and thought that cut could also have been what caused the set because of the extreme flexibility of the the blade! I believe (but my memory is notorious) that the WA is one of the LK Chens that are based on one specific historical find and I am curious as to whether perhaps that specific sword was not meant to be a battlefield weapon or perhaps suffered corrosion to a greater degree than was assumed by LKC. A second opinion would be interesting.
You did not talk about or show balance point. I am not familiar with Chinese swords, but I assume this one to be more like katana/sabre than medival long sword right?
Hey Matt, I know you probably wont see this on such an old video and I'm also aware of you sharpening tutorial. All that said I would greatly appreciate a video on sharpening LK Chen swords given they're convex edge and pattern I'm a little scared to try to sharpen my magnificent chu up
I think spears already do that job perfectly. But I think it's possible, or even likely, that people using these swords worked together in teams with people using spears and other weapons.
@@scholagladiatoria Are you suggesting that this was the primary weapon of the people working alongside spear/other weapon users? If so I would be somewhat surprised since it seems like such a small weapon to be used as a primary weapon without a shield.
I think there are two critical facts about these swords that point to usage: 1). They are generally good weapons for a variety of situations that can also be worn, and 2). They are very expensive. A sword this long that can cut and thrust would be useful fighting cavalry, and if you are a fully armored warrior, would also be good fighting opponents with spears, shorter swords and shields, and most other weapons. And, since it could be worn, you could also use a crossbow or bow for ranged combat, and then switch to the sword more easily than you could a spear (since you can't really carry a spear and bow/crossbow at the same time very easily). It is also important to note the price: LK Chen said at one point that because of the construction (two edges, the fullers, etc), that the price of Jians was more "yacht like" whereas Dao were more "car like" (there is a lot of historical price information for Chinese military and other matters. There is even a genre of poetry that is about very expensive things). This is going to be especially true for a big one like this. So when you combine this, I think you have something used for special tasks, defending standards (maybe artillery), guarding or taking bridges, maybe assaulting special locations (since you can wear it and thus climb somewhere). It would also make an excellent bodyguard weapon, since you could have your hands free most of the time (to move people around, carry things, etc), but still be well armed to deal with most close in kind of threats. Certainly, you could move in an out of buildings more easily than a spear armed person could.
@@maxbachvaroff1967 He covered this in the video. They didn't need shields because they we wearing essentially coats of plates. Rhino Hide armor was apparently nearly as good vs the weapons of the time as the steel plate used much later were in thier envirnment. -Especially considering the greatest use of shields was for protection from missle fire. These coats were more than adequate.
@@unexpectedparolemadwerewol6565 He didn't cover it in the video. He stated that they were heavily armored, however that does not explain why this would be someone's primary weapon. I like Lee Chertel's explanation a decent amount, but that doesn't necessary agree with Matt Easton's comment. This weapon does not seem to be as good as a longsword at stabbing less armored gaps since it's so flexible. A really good thrust from a stiff, pointy longsword might burst some mail rings, so one might try to use that and stab at the gaps between plate armor. Perhaps the armor of the warring states period was different, maybe the gaps between rhino hide were covered by something less protective than mail, like nothing, or light cloth armor. In that case, maybe the flexibility would not prevent the jian from doing that job, while the length and lightness of the blade would be useful for fighting unarmored combatants. It really does seem to me like an all purpose sheathable weapon, but as I said before, Matt might have an alternate explanation to offer that, you know, actually considers more sources. I wish he talked more about purpose in the video.
I think the blade thickness is good. It makes for a quicker sword in the heat of battle! They grew up and trained on these and my guess is that they had no problem with perfect cuts.
There is another reason why the Chinese started to make longer blades. Their skill at metallurgy improved. For example, some historians say that the Qin dynasty produced better bronze than their neighbors. This allowed them to make longer swords that wouldn't bend and have an advantage on the battlefield. It is also the reason why Mediterranean civilizations used short swords during the bronze age. The metal was more malleable so a long blade would have bent.
The Qin kingdom didn't necessarily have the best metallurgical or sword making skills overall though. I've read the Kingdom of Chu had the best iron & steel making industry and their swords were famed in the Warring States era.
How dare you not do you best Kung Fu impression with them! And please please please, do a commentary on youtube videos on Kung Fu forms of Chinese longswords. I would really like to know whether you recognize good fundamentals in these forms and whether you think that doing these Kung Fu forms as drills would be beneficial to one's fencing. MATT, I SAID PLEASE THREE TIMES.
right, so the hobby here is learning to cut with it even though it's technically challenging, which is one reason why it should be so fun. Your posture and motions would be really important and it would give you something that's fairly basic but infinitely challenging to practice. (you would succeed right away but have little challenges with new targets, new angles, and new approaches)
Lots of Chinese one handed swords(Jians) from later in the period have blades of similar length to the rapier. they were also thinner and thrust oriented.
havent seen anyone do any vid about ancient Chinese armor yet. From my point of view, the greatest ancient military invention would be the lackermaterials. Which makes crossbows and long-range bows possible, and also, makes those ancient armor quite reliable. Especially those leather armor processed with lacker tech, most of them were stronger than iron ones and much much less weight.
One criticism of your criticism on sharpeness out of the box. Imo, the way that comes out and albion etc. swords is more historical accurate. Obviously, some owners put the extra time and effort on their blades. No doubt about that. But for most people for most of the time during times of actual conflict, I'd say that would be the level of sharpness they'd spend most of their time. It would be neat if companies offered different levels of out of the box sharpness you can just pick, from shaving sharp to nearly blunt "DIY" levels, but the standard of a period replica or period inspired replica should be the way they probably were most of the time imo.
Probably true at least for mass produced weapons, but if your sword is not razor sharp then even a light gambeson can prove very hard to cut and you have to thrust to get through with reliable results.
Two small questions: First, you mentioned discomfort when cutting from the guard, but wouldn't the original wielders have been wearing gauntlets? Thus there would have been no discomfort. Second, you call it a longsword, but from the hilt (in particular) and the way you wielded it, it seems more like a montante / zweihander. Perhaps that also influenced your comments about needing to be thicker at the base?
Quentin Stephens remember “heavy” armor is pretty relative depending on the time period. At the period where this sword served, if you are wearing “heavy” rawhide/leather armor the cover most of your torso, upper arms and waist, you are considered “heavily” armored. Most of the infantry would be wearing basically light body armor made up of thin leather that would only cover the chest so this thing would’ve been rather useful in that situation.
Been dying for a sword with these exact characteristics. So happy somebody has built a strong jian that isn’t mall standard. I prefer Japanese sword tactics but like to strike with both sides but I dislike crossguard tactics and the amazing length of handle makes certain movements very easy and a full tang. It’s perfect for me! I don’t like crossguard tactics because they seem to count too often on the opponent having a crossguard as well. I realize not every crossguard trick needs this but it still gets in my way.
That's a fantastic sword! I'd have thought water bottles were its perfect target though given the ferocious tip speed you can get with its length and lightish weight
I have the striking eagle and out of the 50 swords I own it’s my favorite. It’s a lot like the ablion dane I have, just lighter and somewhat less effective due to low mass. Cheers from Chicago!
China bought NBA, Blizzard and now our HEMA heroes. In the end we should not be sutprised - Matt has already suspiciously changed his mind on spadroons, obviously after being paid or coerced by Big Spadroon complex.
A query, you said in the other video that the wrapping goign up to the disc pommel in Chu swords is attested - do you think a simialr thing might have happened with the cast bronze disc pommeled hilts in Europe? The proportions don't quite look it to me, and some seem to have decorations on the bronze of the hilt so I would assume not
It is possible that these long blades serve a specific purpose on the battle field. If you look at emperor's Qin Shi Huang's army, they were very organized. They had specific formations with different roles and they had specific weapons. A long ass sword like this would suck if you are fighting in a formation. Maybe the soldiers who used these swords had a function, such as to deal with spears, much like the Zeinhander did.
Eh, if it was more for generals or highly favored warriors, especially if it requires masterful precision and skill, would be relegated to more duels between equals as opposed to general battlefield usage
More like Matt far-Easton
Sadface chapeau my friend chapeau
This is, what i would describe, a perfect pun.
Little-known fact: I actually did kung fu before I did HEMA.
Damn, what style did you train, Sifu Matt?
@@DiscRover I do Nam Pai Chian, North-South Fist. Matt needs an Easton-Western Fist style.
A sword for the jiantlemen
i see what you did there heh
An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
10/10
Actually, there was a chinese saying that goes "jians are used by gentlemen, dao are used by warriors"
@@omnomnom5359 And Thor, God of Thunder, uses a hammer.
Oh goodness I already ordered a Magnificent Chu because of your last video and here you are tempting me *again*.
Just wait till you get to him reviewing the Han Flying Phoenix :)
Just ordered this one
"I have to sand the pommel, and I use it so much that my sweat ruins the grip" Eastonese for "I absolutely love this sword and am struggling to find bad things to say about it."
It’s incredible that these were so beautifully and technologically made over 2000 years ago!
Just looking at its speed, flexibility, and weight, this thing was made to really give a mob of unarmored peasants a bad day.
Dynasty warrior type beat
Weird way to observe the use of a weapon.
@@0MVR_0 weapons are best judged by how many peasents they can slay
@098765 Craper idk didn't the crazy original two handed anti cavalry dao also come from this period. Think its multi purpose. Could also fuck up spearmen. So could a dao but thrusts.
Swords were largely sidearms and not really the primary weapon for war. In China, pole arms, glaive and halberd were the primary weapons and had much more penetrative power.
That old Chinese sword design is simply gorgeous! Amazing it is so old and beautiful. I want one! NOW!
我国国内可以买
EVERYONE is reviewing Jians from LK Chen right now! What's in the air right now?
Free swords
@@LuffyFanBoy99 That would be my guess. They figured a few thousand in advertising on UA-cam would do more than in putting it into ads that cost more to begin with.
@@LuffyFanBoy99 it is obviously a marketing campaign but goodlord do I not give a fuck given how rare good quality chinese reproductions are. and the price is pretty damn fair too
Free swords. They give you a sword, you review it to your audience, you get views, both sides are happy. It's also a plus that these are high quality and not Raid.
It is nice to see quality Chinese sword replica enter the sight of historical arms&armors community :)
Im seriously impressed by LK Chen, good replica Chinese swords are just so hard to find, and on top of that they're affordable.
I have a sword from him a few years ago, it's good but not as good, it means he's improving his craft, which is good, I'm glad he now spent more effort to market his stuffs so people would know how those weapons really looks like.
I like your imjin war series. Keep ip the good work
noobzaebot Thank you!
Having trained Chinese Dao forms I can confirm that they really contain stabbing techniques where you use the palm of the left hand on the pommel cap to drive the sword forward.
The question isn't whether it's done today, but whether it was done historically. It probably was, but we'd need textual evidence for that.
Odds are that none of the Jian forms practiced in modern Gongfu systems, most of which date back to the Qing Dynasty at the earliest, have much connection to times when Jians were actually used on the battlefield. Daos were still being used when many modern Gongfu styles were being developed, so there is more of a chance that a Dao form reflects actual historical usage.
@@CrossingFist Forms, yes. But the question is about techniques.
@@CrossingFist The modern wushu system, essentially acrobatics, was invented in the 1970s by the PRC to suppress martial arts. You'll find very little in there resembling techniques used in actual combat.
This was one of the other swords I ordered from LK Chen at the start of the year and I can confirm it is a truly wonderful thing to wield. Unfortunately Covid got the better of shipping to the UK but LK were very careful to keep me updated on the process. I've yet to cut in anger but from dry practice it's just utterly incredible. The work LK Chen are doing right now belies their price point and I'm looking forward to their future works.
The cut at 19:48 looks really impressive. Well done, Matt. Besides, this two-handed jian is a piece of beauty. I can't tell what it is, but this particular sword looks aesthetically pleasing and also intimidating to me.
"It's completely plausible that the hand was sometimes placed on the butt..." Matt. 12:39 Really glad you're reviewing LK Chen - I am very pleased with the Flying Phoenix Han jian and Frontier Tang dao. I appreciate that LK Chen is going for historical accuracy based on antiques and discloses instances where they offer non-historical lengthened handles on some models. Some Oakeshott type 19 European swords have a similar light weight and narrow blade - to paraphrase a point you make: because of armor they needed a long stabby thing.
I've been putting a lot of energy into figuring out how to convince my wife I need one of these LK Chen swords... Not sure how I'd use it in the garden or etc...
I use a Cold Steel 'so called' Nodachi to fend off the Yew hedge, at 57 inches I don't have to risk using a ladder to reach the top. Ladders are dangerous. Hope this helps your argument.
"It is a Chinese pruning/mowning tool, heard it is super good when you get the hang of it, I just need to practice a lot"
Rhubarb harvesting tool or any other large stalked edible
Use it on the wife, free yourself 😎
Does she need to convince you she needs jewellery?
i like how you combined a little historical context with some critique & review of this modern blade product!
I’ve been doing research on the Jian for a few years now there aren’t many manuals available and less in English.
Jack Chen has a really nicely translated manual for the two handed Jian, and there’s some good comparisons in there.
For that cross guard though, I can say from personal experience that your hands have to be guarded by skill, not armor or guard. Though strangely a lot of European styled fighters hit that tiny piece of metal with a strange regularity.
Just came here from one of Skallagrim's LK Chen reviews. If Matt and Skall collaborated would it be Skallagladiatoria or Scholagrim?
Skallascholagrimagladiatoria duhhh
Scholagrim has the better ring.
It would be epic
SkalLindyShadiaTronia. Let's get them all together!
Scholagrim! In the not so distant future, there is only sword.
Very nice looking sword. Gotta get me one of their blades. Excellent review Matt.
2200 years ago, this sword existed. imagine if you had one this then.
They did.
There was some tempered long swords that existed in Europe by then and before. I remember reading about a Germanic sword found in the Ryan that dates back to 900 BC and was able to flex. The Germanic & Celtic (mosly Germans like Nordics) people were making some tempered swords that can flex, some being as long as 52 inches! That's longer then some Long Swords in the medieval Ages!
@@Reactionary_Harkonnen sources?
@@Reactionary_Harkonnen I heard that Celtic longswords were longer than spatha (and later migration period and Viking era sword), but it's notoriously known for bending. So to know that some of them could flex is new information for me. Could you please give us the source that states it? it would be very interesting for me.
Great video as always!
According to my very limited understanding on chinese sword (from having practiced a few years of Kung-Fu back in the day) Chinese blades are meant to be used with very fast cleaving arching cuts (taking advantage of the lightness) so that the centrifugal force straightens the blade while in motion. That is in contrast to western swords which are stiffer and suited for drawing and push cuts as well. I just leave it here in case you want to experiment with this bit of info.
Cheers!
Same day as Skallagrim's another LK Chen sword review! These swords are making a splash in the pan within the community. This sword cuts water bottles very well! I would say horizontal zwerchaus are pretty hard for test cuttings as even though the tip speed generated is fairly high initially from twisting the blade, it's fairly hard to follow through with the cut due to human anatomy. I do find diagonal zwerchaus easier (some call these low schielhau) for cutting practices, as you can actually step in and have the space to follow through. Maybe zwerchaus are supposed to be harassing cuts or surprising cuts as they are quite unusual in sword fights perhaps? Not meant to cleave someone's face off.
I thought I'd be able to get the zerchau through, but I didn't want to use up too many bottles because I have lots more reviews to do soon. And I neither teach nor really do zerch/twerch very often because I am a Fiore/Vadi guy.
Fascinating. Until this and your previous video I had no idea they were making swords of this quality that far back in history.
Very informative review. Thanks!
On a semi-related note, I just recently watched God of War, and enjoyed it greatly. Inspired by the Ming dynasty's campaigns against coastal pirate bands in the 1500's, the film shows a much more realistic view of Chinese warfare than most films have before. Lots of combined arms, integrating matchlock firearms, cannon, and shield tactics. Still a little too cinematic, but less stylized than your typical Wuxia film.
The bulletproof rattan shields (they could be resistant against bullets but were still highly vulnerable against firearms and heavy arrows at closer ranges) was a glaring flaw imo. Wokou swordsmen charging into shield walls without any form of tactics or ranged support while wearing robes was also rather funny to see.
That movie is full of errors. As a history lover, I can't really stand it.
What a beautiful sword. Very impressive. And, as always, great video, Matt Easton.
Damn, I think Lucy should be worried. Looked like Matt is planning to marry the thing :)
Thank you for sharing this with us. Very impressive sword and fascinating that the original was 2200yrs ago. I am curious how steel and bronze swords interacted in a fight back when both were used.
Maybe someone in UA-cam land wants to make a test video?
Big respect for the Nirvana shirt.
It’s great the depth you’re able to go through in understanding these things.
Seeing this I’m curious if there is a comprehensive visual connecting the blades/assortments of weapons to the armors/clothes they are designed for going up against?
It would be pretty interesting to get to see a smattering from across the board of such pairings spanning multiple time periods & regions.
If you use reddit consider joining r/scholagladiatoria
Thanks, I'll take a look :-)
Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor, carried a sword like this. The sword was so long that when he was attacked by an assassin he was unable to draw the sword to defend himself. A courtier reminded him to carry the sword on his back so he could draw it. He did that and was able to draw the sword, with which he fatally wounded the assassin.
So he was attacked by an assassin twice then?
@@Likexner Only once. Please refer to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jing_Ke
Jinhan Cai: The wrong use of "carry' ,u should have said "moved" the sword to his back. Very informative ,thanks
@Tango Zulu nodachi were worn on the back sometimes over the shoulder.
Depending on the actual scabbard no its not impossible just not with typically scabbards. Imagine a loop holding the blade relatively bare.
@Tango Zulu hes also a scam artist if im not mistaken.
That scabbard is lovely, the green detailing really pops out
Thank you for improving your pronunciation Matt!
I was taught some sword play by a Chinese National Champion of the 2 handed long sword, his name is Xu Dingyuan. It's not often seen, but the late Grandmaster of Chinese wushu, the Chinese National sport, with over 100 people enjoying it, Pan Qingfu, teaches some to his American student, Mark, in the film, Iron and Silk. Both Mark and Qingfu play their own roles in the movie depiction of the true story of how they met. It's free on UA-cam and well worth at least one viewing.
Also, one of my former Coaches of wushu, Jonathan Staples, who does some reenactments, was taught wushu by the women's national champion of China, Teacher Li, I think. Nice video.
It's really nice to learn the technical sword terminology. I'll remember... er... wibble. It's this akin to when Mr. Humphreys was talking about wibbly wobblies?
Great cuts, Matt!
Thank you for that review. You covered everything I was wondering about it and more.
When you said that blade wasn't very forgiving you weren't kidding. It clearly demands focus to master it. Reminds me of some horses...
interestingly, these kinds of swords were indeed used by ancient Chinese infantry to kill enemy cavalry :)
Fascinating! I'm so used to one-handed jian, but I've never seen the two-handed ones
I find it facinating that the Chinese had long, slender, tempered steel longswords before Europe had even entered the Medieval period. Beautiful sword, would like to see a video directly comparing this sword to a 15th or 16th century era European longsword.
I dont like the way he explained it. It was an anti infantry weapon for officers as Chinese soldiers were usually leveed peasants with spears or pykes. The is designed to deal with masses of spears and pykes and allow you to keep the distance and be light enough to quickly deal with spear thrusts. Its designed for an officers at the front of the battle line to deal with several peasants charging at you with their spears. It's not a weapon for individual combat or self protection, its a heavy infantry weapon. Its creation had nothing to do with armor and everything to do with allowing a trained skilled swordsman to deal with several peasants with spears in the middle of the battle line.
Zeitgeist X pretty risky charging a group of spearman that just keep poking without a shield
@@zeitgeistx5239 Yea well without really good armor you'll end up a pin cushion from several peasants.
@@zeitgeistx5239 In fact, there are two drafting systems used in Chinese history. One of them is mandatory military service. For example in the Western Han dynasty, all able-bodied male entering the age of 20 will be sent to train in the local commandary for 1 year, and then they will be either sent off to the imperial army or the frontline for another year, before they went home. During times of war, they will be called to join forces with the military again. This mandatory military service will end at the age of 56 for some and 60 for most of the people.
Most of the time, this alone is not enough to deal with border threats, so the emperors sent migrants to the border provinces and build cities and garrisons and man them permanently as holdouts at the frontier.
And then there is the other system, the voluntary military service. During the Eastern Han dynasty, for example, frequent warfare and land annexation by the rich had left many people without land. So these disenfranchised people sought military as their profession. By that time, mandatory military service had largely failed and the drafting system transitioned into volunteer military service. This trend continued into the Three-Kingdoms period when warlords began recruiting their personal armies. A separate warrior class was created by both the kingdoms of Wei and Wu. One man from each "warrior family" called, 军户, would become a soldier and will only be replaced by another man in that same family if he was either dead or too old to fight.
These two systems had alternated for much of the history of China. This is an inevitable fate because land annexation always happen. It is a natural economic phenomenon.
@@zeitgeistx5239 second, I don't think a sword could win against several spears. In fact, according to the Han dynasty record, it is the other way around. In their words, swords and shields are often defeated by long spears and halberds on level ground. It is only on hilly grounds where no one can go back and forth will swords and shields have the edge over spears and halberds.
scholagladiatoria: keeping Coke and Pepsi in business since 2007 ;)
@19:19 .... I guess that's what years of training do. You make it look so easy!
well, now I know what that one famous sort from that one franchise had it's design based on off. That handle/grip design is unmistakable.
So glad you take the time to pronounce Chinese words correctly.
Gotta say, that's beautiful sword handling action. Incredible weapon.
I hope someday LK Chen can expand his range into Yuan/Ming/Qing/Modern Chinese weapons...good accurate reproduction of those are quite rare too.
Would you say that even swords from higher-end Chinese smiths or longquan forges tend to fall short in terms of quality?
The extreme flexibility is a plausible feature, using the blade similar to a whip and cutting on the withdraw.
Clicking on a video from Matt, having a 5 minute commercial from Shad in front 😄
That rising cut at about 20 mins in tho 👌🔥
How do you hide that under a overcoat when you're on your way to duel other Immortals…?
Such a blade shouldn't be hidden away!
Always appreciate a Highlander reference
Scott mcleod
Cut down all in your way
It’s also interesting that Chinese swords had European style cross guards in the Medieval era. They looked almost identical to arming swords except the quillions are curved. Here’s a painting from the 13th century:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei#/media/File:Four_Generals_of_Song.jpg
I really admire your longsword technique. You have very graceful movements. I've seen others doing longsword forms and cutting and they seem off balance or clumsy to me idk.
Hey man, I'm a massive fan of the channel! As a very enthusiastic beginner to longsword who's hema club has been canceled due to the current plague, I'm pretty bummed about not learning new techniques or exercises every week. I was wondering if you'd ever consider doing a video going over some of the cut exercises and solo drills you were doing around the 14 minute mark. I wanted to try your quarantine cutting videos, but I don't have a sharp sword. I only own a feder. If you've already made a solo drill video, then I'll just have to keep looking; but if not, I'd really like to see one. Whether you see this or not, I love the educational content and look forward to more!
I can understand why the manufacturer may not sharpen the sword as fully.
Its something one can do oneself to preference without exposing LK Chen to too much liability just in case the purchaser isn't quite familiar how to handle blades.😄
When I received my sword, it came with certification that it was able to cut through paper with a single slice from the manufacturer. I saw it do exactly that in their testing videos. But when I had it, it couldn't quite do that. I wonder how much the violence of international travel can dull the edge - it's still sharp, but it's not razor-sharp anymore. People throwing packages and vibrations in the plane cargo hold are probably not great for it!
Was that five or six cuts on that first milk bottle. Outstanding swordsmanship.
I have been waiting for this day for a long, long time.
Matt, it's really interesting that you frequently talk about sharpness out of the box. Could you say something about why it's more desirable that greater sharpness should be provided? I would have thought that a less sharp edge is better for transit and unpacking, and that you can add the edge you want when the blade is safely delivered and unpackaged. As ever thanks for the sheer amount of information and insight in what remain really quite short videos.
Thumbs up for mentioning Swordsage!
It's interesting how the Chinese got into the iron/steel age relatively late, but quickly managed to surpass everyone metallurgically.
They didn't. India made the best steel in the world until the Middle Ages.
@@BS-cc4ks nah, india didnt have blast furnace, which is a staple Chinese invention that allowed the Chinese to produce much better steel than the rest of the world
@@BS-cc4ksinteresting, can you explain
@@hiimryan2388 Damascus steel is actually steel from India. Because of meteors that landed in India in prehistory, they had sources of iron naturally mixed with nickle and other stuff. The steel made from it was incredibly famous in the middle ages. China did not have anything similar.
@@BS-cc4ks not exactly, I’m assuming your referring to Indian wootz steel with your reference to the Damascus steel. And funnily enough China DID have a steel similar to it called “bintie” it is so similar that some say that it’s wootz steel however it’s likely locally produced as wootz still were called “Hindustan steel” in China.
2 handed swords were particularly common in North-East Asian cultures when compared to the rest of the world.
Is it safe to assume that the early development of lamellar/scale armour and the decline of shield sizes in East Asia might have been the reason for why 2 handed weapons were so popular?
I would love to hear your thoughts on the frontier tang dao and the hidden hilt dao, especially since you are a saber guy. I feel like those are the Chinese equivalents.
Yeah I'd also like seeing some Dao reviews, though since it seems it's LK Chen who's sending the swords for review, I guess it mostly depends on him for now.
But yeah there's been quite a few reviews of the jian and not much on the dao
A red wrapping on the handle would look even cooler.
Thanks for making this video
First. I have an old antique Jian. Nice sword :)
I will be interested in Mr. Easton's opinion on the White Arc if he gets his hand on it. I saw Skallagrim's review and, while he was quite positive about it, it is the first LK Chen to give me pause. It is ridiculously thin-bladded. He ended up putting a permanently set bend in the blade and was so concerned about putting more stress on the thin blade that he didn't want to try too hard to fix it. Yes, he did apparently go after some thin tree limbs with it as well as tatami, but he also made at least one wonky cut in the tatami and thought that cut could also have been what caused the set because of the extreme flexibility of the the blade! I believe (but my memory is notorious) that the WA is one of the LK Chens that are based on one specific historical find and I am curious as to whether perhaps that specific sword was not meant to be a battlefield weapon or perhaps suffered corrosion to a greater degree than was assumed by LKC. A second opinion would be interesting.
What an absolute unit of a sword.
You did not talk about or show balance point.
I am not familiar with Chinese swords, but I assume this one to be more like katana/sabre than medival long sword right?
Hey Matt, I know you probably wont see this on such an old video and I'm also aware of you sharpening tutorial. All that said I would greatly appreciate a video on sharpening LK Chen swords given they're convex edge and pattern I'm a little scared to try to sharpen my magnificent chu up
I have seen that chrome plated sword in person (I believe it was displayed in Chicago) and is is magnificent.
Matt is it possible that these big two handers were anti cavalry swords ?
I think spears already do that job perfectly. But I think it's possible, or even likely, that people using these swords worked together in teams with people using spears and other weapons.
@@scholagladiatoria Are you suggesting that this was the primary weapon of the people working alongside spear/other weapon users? If so I would be somewhat surprised since it seems like such a small weapon to be used as a primary weapon without a shield.
I think there are two critical facts about these swords that point to usage:
1). They are generally good weapons for a variety of situations that can also be worn, and
2). They are very expensive.
A sword this long that can cut and thrust would be useful fighting cavalry, and if you are a fully armored warrior, would also be good fighting opponents with spears, shorter swords and shields, and most other weapons. And, since it could be worn, you could also use a crossbow or bow for ranged combat, and then switch to the sword more easily than you could a spear (since you can't really carry a spear and bow/crossbow at the same time very easily).
It is also important to note the price: LK Chen said at one point that because of the construction (two edges, the fullers, etc), that the price of Jians was more "yacht like" whereas Dao were more "car like" (there is a lot of historical price information for Chinese military and other matters. There is even a genre of poetry that is about very expensive things). This is going to be especially true for a big one like this.
So when you combine this, I think you have something used for special tasks, defending standards (maybe artillery), guarding or taking bridges, maybe assaulting special locations (since you can wear it and thus climb somewhere). It would also make an excellent bodyguard weapon, since you could have your hands free most of the time (to move people around, carry things, etc), but still be well armed to deal with most close in kind of threats. Certainly, you could move in an out of buildings more easily than a spear armed person could.
@@maxbachvaroff1967 He covered this in the video. They didn't need shields because they we wearing essentially coats of plates. Rhino Hide armor was apparently nearly as good vs the weapons of the time as the steel plate used much later were in thier envirnment. -Especially considering the greatest use of shields was for protection from missle fire. These coats were more than adequate.
@@unexpectedparolemadwerewol6565 He didn't cover it in the video. He stated that they were heavily armored, however that does not explain why this would be someone's primary weapon. I like Lee Chertel's explanation a decent amount, but that doesn't necessary agree with Matt Easton's comment. This weapon does not seem to be as good as a longsword at stabbing less armored gaps since it's so flexible. A really good thrust from a stiff, pointy longsword might burst some mail rings, so one might try to use that and stab at the gaps between plate armor. Perhaps the armor of the warring states period was different, maybe the gaps between rhino hide were covered by something less protective than mail, like nothing, or light cloth armor. In that case, maybe the flexibility would not prevent the jian from doing that job, while the length and lightness of the blade would be useful for fighting unarmored combatants. It really does seem to me like an all purpose sheathable weapon, but as I said before, Matt might have an alternate explanation to offer that, you know, actually considers more sources. I wish he talked more about purpose in the video.
"ehi Matt, can you help open this bottle?"
"i got you fam" 20:08
I think the blade thickness is good. It makes for a quicker sword in the heat of battle! They grew up and trained on these and my guess is that they had no problem with perfect cuts.
There is another reason why the Chinese started to make longer blades. Their skill at metallurgy improved. For example, some historians say that the Qin dynasty produced better bronze than their neighbors. This allowed them to make longer swords that wouldn't bend and have an advantage on the battlefield.
It is also the reason why Mediterranean civilizations used short swords during the bronze age. The metal was more malleable so a long blade would have bent.
The Qin kingdom didn't necessarily have the best metallurgical or sword making skills overall though. I've read the Kingdom of Chu had the best iron & steel making industry and their swords were famed in the Warring States era.
Is sharpening accounted for in the tapers?
How dare you not do you best Kung Fu impression with them! And please please please, do a commentary on youtube videos on Kung Fu forms of Chinese longswords. I would really like to know whether you recognize good fundamentals in these forms and whether you think that doing these Kung Fu forms as drills would be beneficial to one's fencing.
MATT, I SAID PLEASE THREE TIMES.
Is there a UK dealer!
Can’t wait to get this sword 🎉
Amazing videos Matt! Could you do a review on the Khanda please? Cheers!
right, so the hobby here is learning to cut with it even though it's technically challenging, which is one reason why it should be so fun. Your posture and motions would be really important and it would give you something that's fairly basic but infinitely challenging to practice. (you would succeed right away but have little challenges with new targets, new angles, and new approaches)
I revert to using long sword-esque techniques with any longish stick-like objects, and I’ve never trained hehe
So basically any sensible sword shape could potentially be found in any period among most cultures that had metallurgy.
sadly not most culture and not most blade type.
I love it, awesome wife is getting me one for Christmas can't wait.
I was greatly surprised at how easily it cut. It looked like you were also.
What is the music at the end?
Beautiful art work. It looks quite light and agile compared to the medieval longsword. Weight?
Edit: see 8:15
Do you think the jian would eventually evolved into a rapieresqe sword if the pressures were right?
Lots of Chinese one handed swords(Jians) from later in the period have blades of similar length to the rapier. they were also thinner and thrust oriented.
The Jian survived on the battlefield until about the 1500s, and then the Dao took over as the favored weapon.
havent seen anyone do any vid about ancient Chinese armor yet. From my point of view, the greatest ancient military invention would be the lackermaterials. Which makes crossbows and long-range bows possible, and also, makes those ancient armor quite reliable. Especially those leather armor processed with lacker tech, most of them were stronger than iron ones and much much less weight.
This directly lead to the end of the "sword" story in ancient China, and Blade 刀(and tons of other different cold/hot weapons), took it's place.
One criticism of your criticism on sharpeness out of the box. Imo, the way that comes out and albion etc. swords is more historical accurate. Obviously, some owners put the extra time and effort on their blades. No doubt about that. But for most people for most of the time during times of actual conflict, I'd say that would be the level of sharpness they'd spend most of their time. It would be neat if companies offered different levels of out of the box sharpness you can just pick, from shaving sharp to nearly blunt "DIY" levels, but the standard of a period replica or period inspired replica should be the way they probably were most of the time imo.
Probably true at least for mass produced weapons, but if your sword is not razor sharp then even a light gambeson can prove very hard to cut and you have to thrust to get through with reliable results.
Beautiful sword! 😍
Two small questions:
First, you mentioned discomfort when cutting from the guard, but wouldn't the original wielders have been wearing gauntlets? Thus there would have been no discomfort.
Second, you call it a longsword, but from the hilt (in particular) and the way you wielded it, it seems more like a montante / zweihander. Perhaps that also influenced your comments about needing to be thicker at the base?
Gauntlets weren’t common and mostly were fingerless Demi’s. The actual guards would have been a bit rounder, and likely filed to personal preference.
@@Ashrom87 I thought Matt said that these swords were used by people in heavy armour? Surely that implies gauntlets?
Quentin Stephens remember “heavy” armor is pretty relative depending on the time period. At the period where this sword served, if you are wearing “heavy” rawhide/leather armor the cover most of your torso, upper arms and waist, you are considered “heavily” armored. Most of the infantry would be wearing basically light body armor made up of thin leather that would only cover the chest so this thing would’ve been rather useful in that situation.
Been dying for a sword with these exact characteristics. So happy somebody has built a strong jian that isn’t mall standard. I prefer Japanese sword tactics but like to strike with both sides but I dislike crossguard tactics and the amazing length of handle makes certain movements very easy and a full tang. It’s perfect for me!
I don’t like crossguard tactics because they seem to count too often on the opponent having a crossguard as well. I realize not every crossguard trick needs this but it still gets in my way.
That's a fantastic sword! I'd have thought water bottles were its perfect target though given the ferocious tip speed you can get with its length and lightish weight
I have the striking eagle and out of the 50 swords I own it’s my favorite. It’s a lot like the ablion dane I have, just lighter and somewhat less effective due to low mass. Cheers from Chicago!
So both Skallgrim & Matt release two different Chinese Longsword videos today lel
China bought NBA, Blizzard and now our HEMA heroes. In the end we should not be sutprised - Matt has already suspiciously changed his mind on spadroons, obviously after being paid or coerced by Big Spadroon complex.
Spadroon conspiracy confirmed.
Alex Jones was right! It fa chineseee!
A query, you said in the other video that the wrapping goign up to the disc pommel in Chu swords is attested - do you think a simialr thing might have happened with the cast bronze disc pommeled hilts in Europe? The proportions don't quite look it to me, and some seem to have decorations on the bronze of the hilt so I would assume not
The difference between this and a longsword is that with this, you'll have to throw the pommel like a frisbee.
Very nice, but will it keel?
The sharpening stone you swear by is the Fallkniven CC4? It's not an issue sharpening large swords with a small stone?
>Whole milk
A man of culture!
awesome review. Can you do their Dao's as well?
It is possible that these long blades serve a specific purpose on the battle field. If you look at emperor's Qin Shi Huang's army, they were very organized. They had specific formations with different roles and they had specific weapons.
A long ass sword like this would suck if you are fighting in a formation.
Maybe the soldiers who used these swords had a function, such as to deal with spears, much like the Zeinhander did.
Eh, if it was more for generals or highly favored warriors, especially if it requires masterful precision and skill, would be relegated to more duels between equals as opposed to general battlefield usage