Chinese Swords

solarz · Mar 22, 2015

siegecrossbow said:
So-called "civilian masters" are never a match for competent battlefield combatants.

While anybody can call themselves a "master", many martial artists of yore worked as caravan guards, gang enforcers, or outright bandits. In a one-on-one fight, I would put my money on those people than on the average soldier.

HeiTaoHua · Mar 22, 2015

wtlh said:
To my knowledge (I could be wrong), Miao Dao is a modern creation. Modern being during the Republic era. It is called "Miao" because of the katana-like shape of the blade resembling a grass shoot.

Obviously Miao Dao had inspirations from Imperial era weapons, but its particular name and form is a product of the Republic.

To my knowledge Miao Dao was made during Ming Dynasty against the WoKou Pirates. as chinese troops during Ming dynasty didnt really use two handed swords, and were at a disadvantage against the WoKou using nodachi

wtlh · Mar 23, 2015

HeiTaoHua said:
To my knowledge Miao Dao was made during Ming Dynasty against the WoKou Pirates. as chinese troops during Ming dynasty didnt really use two handed swords, and were at a disadvantage against the WoKou using nodachi

Wasn't that the Wo Dao?

HeiTaoHua · Mar 23, 2015

Wo in chinese mean japanese during Ming, so wodao meant japanese sword. MiaoDao is just another name for Wodao. but some sources dictate they are different, so its quite unclear ....sorry cant help clarify much either

SteelBird · Mar 23, 2015

Weapons similar to Miao Dao might exists long time ago; however, I believe the term Miao Dao only emerged during the second Sino-Japanese war. It worth to mention that the term "Miao" means sprout, not ethnic Miao.

wtlh · Mar 23, 2015

HeiTaoHua said:
Wo in chinese mean japanese during Ming, so wodao meant japanese sword. MiaoDao is just another name for Wodao. but some sources dictate they are different, so its quite unclear ....sorry cant help clarify much either

I think Wo Dao could mean both: a captured or bought Japanese sword made by Japanese smiths, or a Chinese made and issued sword in the similar style as the Japanese sword. The mention of Wo Dao in official records mostly existed only during the period of Qi Ji Guang's battles against Japanese pirates.

There have also been a mention of one Ming General having a large collection of Wo Dao---a criminal accusation directed against him by the state during a purge as a "proof" of his intention to raise a private army. It is unclear whether these were Chinese made or imported from Japan.

Lezt · Mar 27, 2015

solarz said:
While anybody can call themselves a "master", many martial artists of yore worked as caravan guards, gang enforcers, or outright bandits. In a one-on-one fight, I would put my money on those people than on the average soldier.

Well, lets put it this way,

if it is a 1-on-1 or a loose brawl, I will bet on the civilian masters,

if it is a siege, shield wall formation, pike formation, barrage fire, or any type of centurion sized unit or up, i would bet on career soldiers.

solarz · Mar 27, 2015

Lezt said:
Well, lets put it this way,

if it is a 1-on-1 or a loose brawl, I will bet on the civilian masters,

if it is a siege, shield wall formation, pike formation, barrage fire, or any type of centurion sized unit or up, i would bet on career soldiers.

Yup, totally agreed. Warfare started as just combat between two groups of individuals, but as time went on, it became more and more specialized. If you're in a war zone, you'd probably want a squad of marines protecting you. If you're getting accosted on the street, you would prefer to have a UFC fighter watching your back.

siegecrossbow · Mar 27, 2015

wtlh said:
I think Wo Dao could mean both: a captured or bought Japanese sword made by Japanese smiths, or a Chinese made and issued sword in the similar style as the Japanese sword. The mention of Wo Dao in official records mostly existed only during the period of Qi Ji Guang's battles against Japanese pirates.

There have also been a mention of one Ming General having a large collection of Wo Dao---a criminal accusation directed against him by the state during a purge as a "proof" of his intention to raise a private army. It is unclear whether these were Chinese made or imported from Japan.

Wo Dao were Japanese swords. During the Ming Dynasty they were obtained through both legitimate (tribute) or illegal (smuggling) means. When minister Yan Song fell out of favor with the Emperor, his son Yan Shifan was executed for aiding Wokou Pirates (essentially treason). Apparently he had a large stash of Japanese swords.

no_name · Mar 28, 2015

solarz said:
Yup, totally agreed. Warfare started as just combat between two groups of individuals, but as time went on, it became more and more specialized. If you're in a war zone, you'd probably want a squad of marines protecting you. If you're getting accosted on the street, you would prefer to have a UFC fighter watching your back.

If I am getting accosted on the street, I wouldn't mind a squad of marines helping me out.

Chinese Swords

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