Antique Chinese QiJia Saber

[josh stout]

I agree, it is not what I would call a “Qijia dao”.

‘Qijia” is a collectors’ term referring to sabers with a willow leaf shape and no fullers. As Philip points out, the curved blade shape more likely had its origin in the step peoples, and “Qijia” is an after the fact name to explain early willow leaf blades with a faceted diamond shaped cross section. Examples with good age and a faceted cross section may well be Ming, but they lack faceted tips and the upward angled hilts of Japanese blades. Willow leaf blades without faceting and without fullers are also sometimes called “Qijia”, but they seem to come from the mid to late 19th c..

Thank you Philip for your lovely photos of fullers showing outside influences on Chinese sabers.

Here is an example of what I would call a Qijia dao with a heavy faceted blade. The faceting is worn with age, but it is quite obvious in person. There is no sign of faceting at the tip and the hilt continues the blade profile. It was re-hilted at a later date with typical 19th c. village workmanship, but the blade itself was once very fine and could be Ming.