Cross-cultural dha

[Ian]

This one just finished. It has a Shan (Burmese) style three-piece hilt and a blade that is distinctly Chinese with a clipped point and narrow central fuller. There is a brass or copper dot set into the blade a couple of inches from the tip. It also has a Chinese inscription (somewhat faint) and a struck mark at forte that appears to be a musket or rifle of some sort. I don't recall seeing this mark previously but perhaps someone here knows where it comes from.

The Chinese inscription is difficult to read but a translation would be much appreciated.

Ian.

[Nathaniel]

Hello Ian. Lovely piece. You can definitely see the Tai and Chinese influences. The makers mark and written characters are both identifying. It says HuSa in Chinese so the blade is made by the Achang, a Tai minority in Yunnan. Known for their blade quality, blades were traded throughout the region with other Tai groups...so it is not uncommon to find them with different fittings like you see here. Neat piece Thanks for sharing

[Sajen]

Hello Ian,

went it in your collection? Very interesting dha, was on my watch list. Will look nice after some maintenance, hope the corrosion at the edge isn't to deep. Great that Nathaniel was able to pin it down so exactly.

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

Thanks Nathaniel. I was wondering if this was another HuSa example when I saw it on eBay. It should be in hand sometime next week so I will take a careful look at the corrosion on the blade--there does not seem to be very much active oxidation in the picture but hard to tell without closer inspection. The hilt is not in great shape, but I thought it was too interesting a combination of styles to let it pass by.

As Charles noted in another post recently, these cross-cultural pieces are fascinating.

Ian.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hello Ian,

went it in your collection? Very interesting dha, was on my watch list. Will look nice after some maintenance, hope the corrosion at the edge isn't to deep. Great that Nathaniel was able to pin it down so exactly.

Regards,
Detlef

Hello Detlef:

Yes, I could not resist adding this one to my collection. I'm a bit more selective now than I used to be, and try to limit myself to pieces that I find out of the ordinary. This particular combination of a blade that resembles a Chinese niuweidao (ox-tail saber) mated with a Shan/Burmese hilt is uncommon, and one that I have not had much chance to acquire over the years (been outbid a couple of times actually). So I'm pleased to have bought it, even though some of its condition is not optimal.

Ian.