The Chinese saber is a large two-handed saber from the Qing Dynasty. It was used as an anti-cavalry weapon to cut off the legs of horses, hence the name saber. Like any other Chinese weapon, the saber has a long history. Daojian.org takes you to explore how the Chinese sword evolved into the shape we know today and what makes it unique.
Characteristics of the Sabre
Historically, the saber has taken many forms, but the most famous one is from the Qing Dynasty. The following are the general characteristics of the saber:
Types of Steel
The Qing Dynasty sabers used forged iron blades. Unfortunately, few of them have survived to this day. Today, swordsmiths make replicas using different types of steel, such as 1095 high carbon steel and Damascus steel.
Blade Type and Shape
A saber is a military sword with a long, wide blade and a single edge. It usually has a slight curve to allow it to cut efficiently and have a good amount of curvature. The majority of the length of a saber’s blade is usually straight, with only the last third of the blade being curved.
Length and weight
Compared to other traditional Chinese swords, the saber is relatively long. The Qing Dynasty saber was 168 cm long with a blade length of 119 cm. Of all the long swords of that period, the saber was the thickest, with a blade width of about 5 cm. Traditionally, it weighed more than 10 lbs. But modern replicas may be lighter, depending on the blade material.
Knife accessories
The hilt of the saber was long and suitable for two-handed use. It usually had an iron plate guard, iron handle, and a wooden handle wrapped with braided leather strips. The saber usually had a wooden scabbard covered with leather and lacquer. Today, you can find some replicas with decorative hand guards, handles, and sheaths.
Facts about the Sabre
Throughout Chinese history, the word dao referred to a variety of single-edged weapons, including sabers and long-handled weapons. Here’s what you need to know about the saber:
- The saber was once used as a saber for infantry to fight against cavalry.
Chinese armies typically consisted of front lines armed with shields and spears, melee troops armed with swords and polearms, and mixed formations of crossbowmen and archers. The Southern Song general Yue Fei armed his anti-cavalry with sabers to fight the Jin army.
- The Ming army used a two-handed long sword, called a single sword.
During the Ming Dynasty, long swords were not called zhanmadao, as this term referred to the large blade on the long-handled weapons of the time. Instead, the Ming army generally called their long swords single swords. Soldiers usually used swords with shields, so the name single sword implied that the sword was large and required two hands to use.
- The Chinese also call their long sabers long swords.
The word “long sword” literally means “long sword”, so the Chinese used it to describe some very long sabers. There is no specific length, but most of these types of sabers are generally between 120 and 180 cm, and the handle is always shorter than the blade. Therefore, the later “zhanmadao” belongs to the category of long sword.
- The Chinese used long swords to fight the Japanese pirates.
In 16th century China, Japanese pirates used their extremely long swords to attack coastal China. As a result, General Qi Jiguang urged Ming workshops to create long swords to fight them, many of which were still in use during the Qing Dynasty.
- The saber is one of the long swords of the Green Camp Army.
The Green Camp was a large force in the Qing army that adopted weapons and tactics from the former Ming army, including the use of long swords. They used different types of long swords, including the saber, long-bladed sword, two-handed sword, back sword, and the wato sword. The wato sword was a Japanese-style military sword that remained in the Chinese arsenal long after the battle with the Japanese pirates.
- Some extant zanba swords are similar to the Japanese naginata.
The handle of a zanbatล is very long, so similar weapons include the Japanese naginata, which has an extra-long handle that is almost as long as the blade. However, the so-called Japanese zanbatล technically never existed. Contrary to popular belief, zanbatล is simply the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese zhanmadao.
History of the Sabre
In Chinese, zhanmadao literally means “horse-slaying knife.” However, the name has also referred to a variety of Chinese weapons throughout history.
Han Dynasty
The first saber was a legendary imperial sword. In the 1st century AD Book of Han, the author called it the Imperially-made Horse-Zhanjian or the Shangfang Horse-Zhanjian. However, the name suggests that it was a straight, double-edged sword.
The Shangfang Zhanma Sword was a sword made for the emperor to use for ceremonial purposes and to execute treacherous ministers. Therefore, “Zhanma” refers to the power of the sword rather than its actual use.
Song Dynasty
From 960 to 1279, the saber was the weapon of choice for warfare. The Song army was constantly engaged in battles with the Jin cavalry, which created a need for specific anti-horse weapons. Workshops made good swords for the Song army, although they were not large, measuring about 1 meter or 3 feet in length.
Ming Dynasty
From 1368 to 1644, the slashing saber referred to a large blade on a long-handled weapon. It appears in various Chinese texts, including the Records of the Four Towns and Three Passes, the 1585 Treatise on the Heroic Strategy of the State, and the 1638 Treatise on Military Preparations. It is often written about together with other Chinese long-handled weapons, such as the Guandao and the Yanyuedao.
Qing Dynasty
From 1644 to 1912, the saber developed into the shape we know today. It was one of the famous swords in the Qing Dynasty, commonly known as the saber. The Green Camp Army used the saber, as well as other two-handed swords.
The longest saber in the Qing Dynasty was a long-bladed broadsword, with a total length of less than 180 cm and a blade length of about 115 cm. Therefore, the Chinese called it a long-bladed broadsword.
The two-handed broadsword and back sword are similar to the saber, but shorter. The Japanese wato is even shorter and heavier. Today, Chinese martial artists refer to the wato as the Miao Dao, a name change that may have been intended to disassociate it from the Japanese.
in conclusion
Throughout history, the Zhanmadao has referred to a variety of Chinese weapons, from large blades on long-handled weapons to long swords. Today, it is known as the Zhanmadao of the Qing Dynasty and remains one of the most powerful Chinese weapons.
