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26th August 2016, 09:20 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 1,857
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A Massive Dha/Daab/Dah/Dao....But From Where???
Here is a lovely old massive dha/daab/dah/dao sword, the likes of which I have never seen. It is 59in. long overall with a 28in. long blade that is 2.25in. wide at its widest point, and 1/2in. thick at the forte. I have put it next to a more average sized dha for comparisons.
The blade style(dao) seems NW. Burmese even into Nagaland, but the long, elegant brass mounted hilt seems a bit refined for Naga blades. The blade shows a nice temper line and a lot of activity when etched, though I doubt little of this was shown in its original form. It has been suggested this was a sparring weapon. I just can't see that. Sparring weapons generally don't have the ability to literally cut a man in half...this does. Comments and opinions regarding this piece's origin are most welcome. |
27th August 2016, 12:32 AM | #2 |
EAAF Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,217
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Looks like a three hander to me....
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27th August 2016, 02:29 PM | #3 |
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,230
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Wow, Charles, another great piece, from your consistently fantastic collection!
Maybe, like the old Japanese Tachi swords ,which were much longer than the katanas, it was used against cavalry. |
27th August 2016, 03:22 PM | #4 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Greenville, NC
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That is a great point Drac2k...and I had not thought of previously. The Chinese had a long handled dao for just that purpose, but the name escapes me.
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27th August 2016, 03:26 PM | #5 |
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Poole England
Posts: 443
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Are you thinking of the Zhanmadao Charles ?
Great sword by the way. Cheers Roy |
28th August 2016, 05:21 AM | #6 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,194
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Great dha Charles. I've seen a few of these massive ones and they could have been used for a number of purposes, some of which have been mentioned here.
As far as where it may have come from, I think it is unlikely to be Burmese. While the arrangement of ferrules resembles Burmese style, the high ratio of length of hilt to length of blade is not a Burmese trait. More likely Northern Thai/Shan or thereabouts IMO. The rounded pommel is consistent with that area also rather than Burman work. Ian |
28th August 2016, 02:21 PM | #7 | |
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Location: Greenville, NC
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