Dual Weapons Final Post: Butterfly Swords

Butterfly Swords, or Wùh Dihp Doū (蝴蝶刀) are a special weapon, albeit a more common one, especially among Southern styles of Chinese martial arts, such as Wing Chun (詠春拳), Hùhng Gā Kyùhn (洪家拳), Choi Leí Faht (蔡李佛), and others. (note: in this post I am using Yale Cantonese Pingyam instead of the usual Mandarin Pinyin)

Butterfly swords actually have a variety of different names, depending on the context of both the time period, and the martial arts style using them. For example:

• Wing Chun calls them Baat Jaám Doū (八斬刀 lit. eight hacking knives), 
• Choi Leí Faht calls them Moúhjí Doū (母子刀 lit. mother and child knives)
• Jaū Gā (周家) style calls them Baaū Jaú Doū (包肘刀 lit. wrap elbow knives) 
• and to sailors, pirates, and rebel groups in the late nineteenth century, they were called Hùhng Syùhn Doū (紅船刀 lit. red boat knives).

While there are no official records of Butterfly Swords being standard weapons in the Chinese army, there are records of them being common among local militiamen, especially in the Southern province of Guǎngdōng  (廣東省)

Keeping much in the same tradition of dual weapons, both Butterfly swords are identical, or at least are mirror images of each other. They were designed to be symmetrical, with half-circle handles, so they both could fit into a single scabbard. The longer Dual Sabers or Shuāng Dāo (雙刀) also use this same design. It is possible that this aspect of Butterfly Swords design were based off of earlier Shuang Dao.

an antique pair of Shuang Dao (雙刀)

While most modern types of Butterfly Swords have a very wide profile, most historical versions do not. In fact, most have a very steep profile taper, ending in a very narrow sharp point. Some even had a small secondary edge at the tip. This suggests that in the past, they were more designed for stabbing and slicing, and were actually less effective at hacking and chopping. 

An antique pair of Hudie Dao, likely from the 1860's or earlier

The other historical oddity is that in addition to their profile design being different, their edge geometry was also quite different. I've seen several examples of historical Butterfly swords that have a triangular cross section, or chisel grind, instead of the typical convex or V-grind that you see on modern sharpened Butterfly sabers (this change may have come about because nearly all practice versions used by martial artists today are blunt).

Butterfly swords are single edged, and very short, with their blades being typically between 12-14" in length, although historically they were longer (18-20").  This meant that they were optimized for close quarters combat. Thickness in historical examples varied between 1/3" and 1/2" thick at the base and had a distal taper, unlike modern ones which have a fairly uniform thickness down the entire length of the blade.

Width wise they are 2 1/2" to 3" at the base of the blade. Handle length was around 4".  They typically weighed between 1-2 lbs. for each sword. 

The thing that distinguishes butterfly swords from other weapons, aside from their length, is the design of hand guard they use. It consists of a fully enclosed brass knuckle guard, or D-guard. 

It also had an upward facing prong, placed on the opposite side of the handle. According to martial artists, the prong, or quillon, was designed to catch an opponents weapon, but I believe it may have been designed simply to protect the user's wrist and forearm in a bind. 

But it has also been suggested that the butterfly sword's guard design was loosely based off of sabers, worn by European sailors, who traded with the Chinese at Guangzhou 廣州 (aka Canton) in the 18th and 19th centuries. (note: the quillons of today's butterfly swords are also much longer than they were in the past.)

a British Naval Officer's Saber. 1780

Another myth that has been perpetuated (in Season 2, Episode 3 of the History Channel's Forged in Fire.) is that only the upper two thirds of the edge are sharpened. And they say it is either in order to hold it in a reverse grip, or because the Shaolin monks wanted to be able to deal nonlethal attacks when using the weapon. 

This is untrue on both points. The Shaolin warrior monks from Henan province, never used this weapon historically, as far as I know. By the way, how could you safely hit somebody with only the bottom third of the edge anyway? 

As a side note, I have already heard this same myth, about an unsharpened lower part of the blade, applied to the Chinese Jian, (劍) or double edged straight sword, and it is just as historically untrue in that regard.

The entire edge on any historical Chinese blade is supposed to be sharp. There was no concept of a ricasso (an unsharpened section of blade just before the handle) and wasn't used in China until they started making blades industrially, in the modern Western style. 

Besides, you do not even touch the edge of a Butterfly Sword when you hold it properly in a reverse grip. Here is a GIF that shows the incorrect and correct way to hold a butterfly sword in a reverse grip.

Incidentally, I am in no way condemning the show, Forged in Fire. I am a tremendous fan of theirs. I just hold them to a somewhat higher standard than most, due to my knowledge of weapons and history, among other things. 

This concludes my series on Dual Weapons. Let me know in the comments if you liked this, or if you want to see another series of posts like this in the future.

Dual Weapons Continued: Deer Horn Knives

Deer Horn Knives or Lù Jiǎo Dāo (鹿角刀), which more closely translates as Deer Antler Knives, are rare weapons of Chinese martial arts. They are also known as Mandarin Duck Blades Yuān Yāng Yuè (鴛鴦鉞 ).  They are used, almost exclusively by the soft, internal style, known as Baguazhang.

Deer Horn Knives

Deer horn knives are short, but fast weapons, designed for piercing, hooking and trapping. A deer horn knife refers to the shape of knife, not the material used to make the handle, like some western hunting knives have also been called. It consists of two crescent shaped blades facing opposite directions. Most are symmetrical with four distinct points and nine sharpened edges. Others were asymmetrical with only three points

Asymmetrical Deer Horn Knives

Like the Chinese ring weapons, only the outside edges are sharpened, leaving the hands relatively safe to grip the weapon. Likewise the handle construction is usually very simple, utilizing only a grip wrap. Versions with wooden handle scales do exist, but they are far less common than their wrapped counterparts.

Length and size varied depending on the design of the knives. However, they generally fit into these size parameters. Upper points were around four to six inches in length. Lower points were around were two to four inches in length. Handle length was around seven inches. Each knife typically weighed one pound, or only a few ounces shy of one pound.

Deer Horn Knives are very exotic, and as far as I know, no antiques exist from earlier than the late nineteenth century. It is likely they were exclusively the weapons of  martial artists, and never saw combat beyond the personal duel or street brawl.

The next post will be the last in this series, the Butterfly Swords.

Dual Weapons Continued: Ring Weapons

Ring weapons are an uncommon type of paired weapon in China, and not many styles use them (mainly Tai Chi and Bagua). It is rumored that these weapons were originally brought to China by the Mongols, who would throw them from horseback. I think it is also likely that they have some distant connection to the Chakram, another throwing weapon used in Indian martial arts, as well as historically by Sikh warriors from the Punjab region of India.

Chakram

Ring Weapons in Chinese martial arts are used for both throwing and melee combat. There are several variations, but they mostly consist of a circular band, or ring that has been sharpened on the outside edge. Most have a short, unsharpened section that is wrapped with cloth, leather, or other material, thus forming the handle, or grip.

Heaven and Earth Rings

The two most common types are Wind and Fire Wheels (風火輪), which have flame shaped spikes along the outside edge, and Heaven and Earth Rings (乾坤圈) which have a crescent bladed hand guard. These extra appendages generally help in the weapons ability to block or trap an opponent's weapon as well as hook and stab.

Wind and Fire Wheel

The rings are generally around fourteen inches in diameter and weigh between one and two pounds for each ring.

While it's doubtful that these were ever true battlefield weapons, they nevertheless were derived from actual battlefield weapons and keep at least some of their original aspects.

Next week's post will be about Bagua's Deer Horn Knives.

Dual Weapons Continued: Hook Swords

The Chinese Double Hook Swords, Shuāng Gōu (雙鈎), also called Tiger Head Hooks, Hǔtóu Gōu (虎頭鈎), are weapons that are unique among other Chinese weapons. Typically seen in Kung Fu styles practiced in northern China. However, they have spread to styles across China in recent years.

Despite what others might claim, there are no historical examples of hook swords, dated before the Qing dynasty. They also were never officially used by soldiers, but possibly by local militias, and primarily by martial artists from this period.

Hook swords are almost always seen in pairs. They were not very long, with each blade around twenty inches in length, ending in a hook-shaped tip.

Hook swords typically have a six inch handle, ending in a spike that is almost ten inches long. Each also has a crescent shaped blade, mounted onto two parallel bars which altogether form the hand guard. The handle construction mainly varies between two types. One use only wooden handle scales which were pinned to the tang. The other uses a grip wrap made from silk or other corded material, wrapped on top of slightly thinner handle scales.

An antique Hook sword with Qing style grip wrap

In total, they were around thirty six inches in length, or just barely under one meter, with some variation.

Weight also varied, typically between one and two pounds for each sword.

It's blade geometry looks similar to a double-edged Jian, with a raised central ridge.
Supposedly, traditional hook swords were sharp on both edges, but the majority of those we see today are not sharpened.

It's unclear what use the hook swords had in actual warfare. It may well be that they were only used for martial arts display and street performance. They are certainly intimidating, but highly impractical.

For example, I've never seen a sheath made for them, which would certainly allow them to become dull very quickly, if they ever were sharpened. I'm not saying they weren't deadly. I am saying they were neither easy to carry nor maintain. Both of these aspects make them quite impractical as battlefield weapons.

That's all for now. Next week will be about dual ring weapons.

New Series of Posts: Dual Weapons

The Chinese martial arts have many kinds of melee weapons that are organized into several categories.

One such category is dual weapons. Unlike western traditions, most of these dual weapons are identical in size, weight, and shape.

The first thing I want to talk about is in response to Matt Easton's video Dual-wielding axes - plausible combat style?

He alludes to the possibility that Kung Fu styles use dual axes, but thinks that axe and shield is a more plausible combination. While I somewhat agree that you are more protected while using a shield, the concept of dual wielded axes is still well grounded in history, at least in the Asian tradition.

Dual axes or Shuāng Fǔ (雙斧) supposedly originated in the Song dynasty, but most claims stem from the fictional book, Outlaws of the Marsh aka The Water Margin. Most claims point to Lǐ Kuí (李逵) aka, the Black Whirlwind, who is a fictional character from that novel. He is presumed to be the original user of dual axes.

Historically, they were used by the Qing dynasty's Green Standard Army (綠營), as referenced in the Huángcháo Lǐqì Túshì (皇朝禮器圖式), which may also suggest that it could be found earlier in the Ming dynasty as well. (As a historical side note, the Green Standard Army was originally constructed from remnants of the old Ming army.)

Dual axes were typically short, with a blade about four and a half inches tall, and a handle slightly over one and a half feet long, with each axe weighing in the vicinity of two pounds.

Typically, one axe is used for attack while the other is used for defense, but these roles are not fixed to one hand, and are interchangeable. This act of switching is done for purposes of both adaptability, and the potential to confuse the enemy.

They are used today by many styles of Chinese martial arts, such as Shaolin, Emei, Cai Li Fo, Hung Ga(r), to name a few.

This series will continue next week with a post about the Double Hook Swords or Shuāng Gōu (雙鈎).

The Naginata's Chinese Roots

Now some of you might be wondering why I am talking about a Japanese weapon on a blog about Chinese weapons.

Well, if you didn't know this, many aspects of the old Japanese culture, including their weapons of war, were highly influenced by the Chinese. The katana, or tachi, was merely the latest in an evolutionary chain, linking back to the Chinese Tang Dynasty horizontal saber (唐朝的横刀) that the Japanese called, chokutō (直刀) or more specifically, the straight, angular blade style, kiriha zukuri (切刃造).

a 9th century Tang Dynasty style chokutō from a Japanese collection, with lanyard hole & scabbard suspension mounts

Likewise several other Japanese weapons have Chinese counterparts. One of which is the naginata  (薙刀).

The naginata is a polearm, consisting of a curved, single-edged blade, attached to the end of a long pole. The blade is usually shorter than a katana, typically around 30-60cm. The overall blade shape is somewhat different. However, many of the fittings used on naginata resemble those which are seen on katana, such as the disc-shaped hand guard, or tsuba, and the blade collar, or habaki.

The naginata is a unique weapon among Japanese weapons, because it combines the aspects of both a sword and a polearm. It also has its own implications within Japanese culture. It was originally a weapon of the samurai class, but gradually it became more associated with sohei (Buddhist warrior monks), ashigaru (common foot soldiers), and finally, female samurai.

One might assume that naginata rose to prominence in Japan sometime around or before the 12th century C.E.  Its peak time of use was between the Mid-Kamakura, Nanbokucho, and Muromachi periods. (1192-1573 C.E.)

This of course brings me to its Chinese counterpart, the Mei Jian Dao (眉尖刀)

depiction of a Mei Jian dao from the Wu Bei Zhi manual

The mei jian dao originated sometime during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.) making it analogous to the naginata. The mei jian dao is referenced in at least two official military manuals, namely the Wu Jing Zong Yao, and Wu Bei Zhi.

It bears an uncanny resemblance to the naginata, not only in appearance, but also construction (pinned-tang), function (anti-cavalry), and name.

What I mean by this is that in the Japanese language there are often several different words for expressing the same concept, using different kanji. When one looks up the word "naginata" in a dictionary, these are the typical alternative kanji forms: 長刀、眉尖刀
They all can be read with the same pronunciation, "naginata", and are used to express the same general concept, but the specific meanings of the individual kanji are different. However, the point I am trying to make here is that these kanji (眉尖刀) are used to describe both weapons, (which I believe are essentially the same).

It is also an accepted possibility that the naginata was originally brought over to Japan from China.

Also, as a side note, an alternate reading of the kanji (眉尖刀) is read as "bisentō" which has been described as a ninja weapon of a somewhat similar shape, but with irregularly large proportions. However, I believe it is a doubtful claim, because this weapon has no surviving historical examples, or depictions, nor any real characteristics to distinguish it from the naginata and therefore, it is simply a misnomer.

The one weakness in my theory is that a lot of this is supposition on my part. It's possible that the naginata was invented first, and the mei jian dao is merely a Chinese imitation of it. The mei jian dao was not a common weapon, nor has it been discussed at length among the historical weapons community (possibly because they also don't know what to think about it). Nevertheless, I do think it is interesting to find another close correlation between the weapons of these two different cultures.

Guo Changxi 郭常喜 Preserving Traditional Swordsmithing in Taiwan

A lone man stands between his cultural heritage and extinction. Eagerly he works to preserve a tradition that is centuries old. He is revered among both the martial arts community, and the wuxia film industry. He is one of the last swordsmiths in Taiwan. His name is Guo Changxi 郭常喜.

His claim to fame comes from creating the renowned Green Destiny Sword 青冥寶劍, featured in the movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and it's sequel Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.

Mr. Guo's mission is clear. For more than 35 years he has forged swords in the traditional Chinese style. However, he has also taken trips to Japan, to study other Eastern styles of swordsmithing. His own particular style resurrects an ancient technique usually left out of modern swordsmithing. 

That thing that truly sets him apart from other smiths is that Guo Changxi uses human bones to make swords. Many requests for these swords come from people with deceased family members, whose wish is to have their remains made into a sword, as a memorial. Mr. Guo says that when bones are burned, the phosphorous they leave behind can help to remove impurities from the steel. When the phosphorous mixes with the steel, its color shifts to turquoise. He also says that bones allow spirit to be imbued into the sword. 

For the Chinese Culture the myth this practice possibly stems from is the story of Gan Jiang 干將 and Mo Ye 莫邪. They were two swordsmiths, a husband and wife, who were both apprentices to legendary swordsmith, Ou Ye Zi 歐冶子, who made King Gou Jian's sword. They lived during the Spring and Autumn period (770-45 B.C.E.). The story began when the king of Wu commissioned both of them to make a special sword for him. After months of little success, Gan Jiang fell discouraged as their efforts failed to produce a sword.

As the deadline neared, and out of sheer desperation, his wife, Mo Ye sacrificed herself by throwing herself into the fire. Magically, the fire finally became hot enough to forge the sword. In the end two swords were made, showing both male and female qualities.

Gan Jiang gave the female sword to the king, who was pleased with the sword, but displeased that it was later than the agreed time. When it was found out that Gan Jiang had kept the male sword, the king had him executed. The two swords were named, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, for the two tragic lovers.

In the video, Guo Changxi mentions the Gan Jiang sword as a source of inspiration for his swords.

Now nearing 72 years of age, Guo Changxi's door is still open to apprentices, eager to pass on his skill to a new generation.

Guo Changxi works in the Jiading District 茄萣區 of Kaohsiung City 高雄市, Taiwan. His workshop is there, and nearby there is also a museum, dedicated to his extensive collection of ancient Chinese weapons, which includes Mr. Guo's original Green Destiny sword. Click the link below for more info on the Guo Changxi Knife and Sword Museum.
http://superspace.moc.gov.tw/en/local_culture_page.asp?rid=205