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Originally Posted by josh stout
What makes this a "Manchurian dao"? I can see the resemblance between the examples, but I had not seen that designation before. They are interesting in their similarities, given that most oxtails do not have scabbards and tend to be somewhat varied in appearance given their use outside the regular military. Was there a particular Manchu militia group that used them, or is this more of a collectors designation regarding a recognizable type?
They all look like somewhat late examples. The scabbards made from leather wrapped with wire all look post 1900 to me, and the technique certainly continues into the Republican period. I find such nice examples difficult to date sometimes because i am used to very obvious signs of age, but my guess for a date would be 1900 through the mid thirties.
Josh
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I would agree with the post 1900 date for wire wrap scabbards, it does seem that Chinese swords just as many ethnographic edged weapon forms ,are often remounted and replacement scabbards added. Many of the late Ming blades were remounted in the 19th century in Qing mounts.
The 'Manchurian' designation is indeed confusing, and indeed does appear in the 'Seven Stars' catalog as Gavin has noted, actually in two catalogs on the same sabre. It is interesting that the 'Manchu Dao' designator is used only on this example which is the same in form as standard oxtail sabres, the Nui Wei Dao, which is the designation on these same sabres through all other issues of these catalogs I am aware of.
The text also typically emphasizes that ,
"...the niu wei dao is unique in the history of Chinese sabre designs. Unlike all preceding forms of single edged swords in Chinas steel age history, the nui wei dao is the only type not to have been used as a standard weapon of Imperial Troops. In fact it appears the only sabre which seems to have been developed solely for civilian use".
(Item #1914, Catalog 19, 1999, Seven Stars)
Other entries in these catalogs for nui wei dao, or oxtails, note the civilian use of these, and that they were carried by rebels, martial artists and common men in the last years of the Qing (Manchu) dynasty. There are references to the Boxers (Righteous Fists of Harmony) who supported the Dowager Empress Cixi during the maelstrom of rebellion and chaos taking place 1898-1901.
The Daoist martial art known as Ba Gwa Zhang (Eight Trigrams Palm) was little known until brought to Beijing in the 19th century by Dung Halchuant, and the 'oxtail' with huge blade was favored in 'Ba Gwa' style.
(ref: Seven Stars Cat. 14 1997, #1430).
Perhaps these set the pace for the popularity of these huge bladed sabres in the martial artist and civilian sector.
It does seem possible that despite civilian designation, these may have been also used by the irregular units or militia attached to the Qing military. The references specify these were not used by 'Imperial' troops, which of course excludes these type units I would think.
Cat. 15 (1997) notes that Nui Wei Dao of high quality were made at the famed Longquan in Zheijiang Province (the location of the original seven wells arranged in formation of the seven stars of the bear constellation), and these oxtails were "...prized by martial artists and military men across China".
This note suggests that some sort of use may have existed, but most likely in the irregular units noted.
My question has been, why would the Manchu designation and style have been used by martial artists, who seem to me have typically been associated with the well known secret societies in China who despised the Manchu of the Qing dynasty. Perhaps the term derived from these sabres used by militia type forces for the Qing, and became favored with thier powerful blades easy to use by relatively untrained civilians, and remarkably deadly in the hands of martial artists.
Just some thoughts on the term and use of these fascinating swords,
All the best,
Jim