Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Philip · 22nd November 2007, 08:05 PM

These belong to a set of pole arms commonly seen in Chinese and Vietnamese temples. Usually, there is a rack of eight on each side of the altar in the main sanctuary. They are supposed to be for the use of the guardian spirits of the shrine (in Buddhist temples, guardian statues are often seen in pairs at the entryway, usually standing in martial arts poses with clenched fists, or holding maces).

The heads of the pole arms are patterned after various types of spears, glaives, battle-axes, and even maces. In Vietnam, one often sees long two-handed sabers (guom truong) in these panoplies.

The "weapons" are of various materials, most often of brass, sometimes of gilt and lacquered wood. They vary in quality according to the wealth of the temple's congregation. I've seen matched sets in fine gilt brass with the temple's name engraved on each. (some have ended up minus their poles, mounted on display pedestals at oriental art fairs, with some pretty fancy price-tags attached). Others can be quite cheaply made, and nothing to crow about. Needless to say, they are strictly "for show" and had no military purpose whatsoever.

Similar polearms, but with generally larger heads, were also part of the funeral procession regalia.

I like the "impaled cow", too. Bovines don't figure as much in Chinese popular religion as in India, but the choice of animal may be dictated by the particular temple that it was displayed in. For instance, there is a "Bach Ma Mieu" (White Horse Temple) in Hanoi, enshrining a deified equine, and there are horsey themes in the decoration of not only the building but several of its interior furnishings.

22nd November 2007, 08:05 PM	#4
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	temple regalia These belong to a set of pole arms commonly seen in Chinese and Vietnamese temples. Usually, there is a rack of eight on each side of the altar in the main sanctuary. They are supposed to be for the use of the guardian spirits of the shrine (in Buddhist temples, guardian statues are often seen in pairs at the entryway, usually standing in martial arts poses with clenched fists, or holding maces). The heads of the pole arms are patterned after various types of spears, glaives, battle-axes, and even maces. In Vietnam, one often sees long two-handed sabers (guom truong) in these panoplies. The "weapons" are of various materials, most often of brass, sometimes of gilt and lacquered wood. They vary in quality according to the wealth of the temple's congregation. I've seen matched sets in fine gilt brass with the temple's name engraved on each. (some have ended up minus their poles, mounted on display pedestals at oriental art fairs, with some pretty fancy price-tags attached). Others can be quite cheaply made, and nothing to crow about. Needless to say, they are strictly "for show" and had no military purpose whatsoever. Similar polearms, but with generally larger heads, were also part of the funeral procession regalia. I like the "impaled cow", too. Bovines don't figure as much in Chinese popular religion as in India, but the choice of animal may be dictated by the particular temple that it was displayed in. For instance, there is a "Bach Ma Mieu" (White Horse Temple) in Hanoi, enshrining a deified equine, and there are horsey themes in the decoration of not only the building but several of its interior furnishings.