Burmese dha use question

[Ian]

Hi Peter:

The politics of the Shan people and the Burmese Government are complicated, and many Shan who live in the Shan States of Burma have been seeking independence for a long time. They reside also in neighboring Yunnan and northern Thailand. As you note, the Shan are excellent silversmiths and they make fine blades as well. Typically, their blades have no fuller. The blades with fullers and koftgari work are Burman in origin, and the koftgari art was likely introduced to Burma by Indian craftsmen in the 19th C or perhaps earlier. [Longstanding trade between India and Burma is documented, and during the British occupation of Burma in the 19th and 20th C it was administered by the Viceroy of India.]

The dha examples with extensive silver koftgari often depict historical tales from Burmese mythology, while others show more abstract designs with flowing vines and leaves. The more elaborate versions have silver koftgari the whole length of the blade. These high quality swords are sometimes called Mandalay dha, after their assumed place of manufacture. They were produced mainly in the second half of the 19th C. and first 20–30 years of the 20th C.

Related to these fine swords are inferior examples featuring brass-covered hilts and scabbards that appeared in the early 20th C. Early examples were fair quality but they quickly deteriorated into cheap tourist items. They have coarser koftgari work and the blades are of poor quality, often untempered--these are entirely for display and are sometimes referred to as "story dha." Examples of these inferior forms show up online fairly regularly.

Attached are pictures of two high quality, 19th C dha with silver koftgari work that were exhibited in the Museum of Macau's History of Steel.


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[Peter Dekker]

Thanks for sharing, Ian! I recall these from the catalog of that exhibit.

Over the years I also own and have owned some of these finer silver overlaid dha and my research has lead me to the village of Mindan in Yamethin district. Several gazetteers mention Mindan as the only place where such work was done at the time.

Some excerpts:

"The inlaid dha and dagger blades of Mindan near Yamèthin are well-known. The dhas are inlaid in gold, silver and brass."

-Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan states. 1901.

And:

"Of the 26,221 workers and dependents shown in the census returns under the head of workers in iron and hardware, few can have been capable of executing anything more than the coarsest blacksmith's work. An exception must, however, be made in favour of the forgers of the inlaid knife-blades produced in Yamethin District, some of whose work is really meritorious."

-Imperial Gazzetteer of India, Provincial Series, Burma Vol 1. 1908.

Here's an article I wrote about one of the makers, Maung Pyo who was the 7th generation worker in the art, which was handed down from father to son:

https://www.mandarinmansion.com/glossary/saya-pyo

Assuming roughly 20-30 years for a generation, it started about 120-180 years prior, from around the 1720s to 1780s perhaps.

Now when looking at the nature of the koftgari, what strikes me is that on the Burmese dha the entire surface is crosshatched and the designs are then drawn with mostly silver wire after which the surface is blackened for contrast. Classic Indian work tends to only crosshatch that area which is to be covered with gold, not the larger surface.

The crosshatching of larger surfaces and then "drawing" with the wire was quite common on the cartouches on Ottoman swords, and they use the same blackening to make the design stand out. In the early 18th century, many Burmese port officials were in fact Armenian. (See for example "The Muslims of Burma" by Moshe Yegar, 1972.) So I wonder whether it may have come from that angle instead.

I agree most of the later ones are only a faint reflection of what they used to be in Yamethin's heydays. That 1928 dated dha I had however was still decently made and still had a pretty heavy "user" blade, showing the manufacture of serious dha for local consumption did carry on for decades into the 20th century.

[Ian]

Thanks Peter. Your research is very interesting. I have read your article previously. Ottoman and Indo-Persian koftgari are subtle in their differences, but as you say there may have been some Ottoman influence at work in Burma. I believe that I read in Scott's writings on the History of Burma, and his time as an administrator there during the 19th C, that Indian influence in various Burmese arts and industries was longstanding also. However, it's some time since I read Scott and my recollection may be off.

I do think that the production of high quality Burman dha with silver or gold koftgari (and occasional niello), while never highly prolific, reached its height in the mid-late 19th C perhaps due in part to an increased demand from affluent British residents. Most of the examples we see appear to have been made in the second half of the 19th C and early 20th C. Older examples are hard to identify conclusively, although there are probably well documented pieces in Myanmar. Unfortunately, it is not the easiest place to visit and explore the history of dha. I tried unsuccessfully to obtain a visa 20 years ago and again 12 years ago.

I note that Yamethin district is within the Mandalay Region, so your information fits with the attribution of these swords to Mandalay.

[JeffS]

Thanks Peter. I enjoy your site and have learned much reading the articles.

The quote from Sir Charles Alexander Gordon (1877) from the link you posted indicates, at that time, the dha was anecdotally commonly used in local disputes. He seems to be including Burmese across the range of social status in the statment. In this case the "fancy" dha would continue to function as a weapon intended for use rather than just as a fashion or cultural prop. How much this would change from late 19th to early 20th C is not clear to me but perhaps the decline in dha quality follows a decline in the acceptability or stronger legal consequences for using dha as a weapon during disputes.

[Peter Dekker]

I do think that the production of high quality Burman dha with silver or gold koftgari (and occasional niello), while never highly prolific, reached its height in the mid-late 19th C perhaps due in part to an increased demand from affluent British residents. Most of the examples we see appear to have been made in the second half of the 19th C and early 20th C. Older examples are hard to identify conclusively, although there are probably well documented pieces in Myanmar.

I agree, those I've seen with dates on them all seem to be made circa 1880-1930. I've only had one such dha of which everything seemed to indicate it was a quite a bit older than the rest. Bicolor blade overlays, the handle completely made of iron (it was magnetic throughout). Also the hilt shape with its more pronounced b end in the hilt itself felt earlier. How early, I have no idea, but my gut says it could be late 18th to early 19th century. I add a photo.

What we are observing is perhaps survivor bias: Their manufacture was well known among the British by the last decades of the 19th century. Many were probably purchased or even commissioned by them to bring home as souvernirs. I've had one with the name of a British surgeon that served in Burma from at least 1882 to his retirement in 1908. Not coincidentally, almost all of these dha today can ultimately be traced back to the UK antique art market where they still keep turning up.

(Dha making was probably as prolific in neighboring Thailand but without as many foreigners working and residing there, very few were brought to the Western world and local humid climate and neglect probably did the rest.)

perhaps the decline in dha quality follows a decline in the acceptability or stronger legal consequences for using dha as a weapon during disputes.

Yes, quite possibly. Also, the use of large swords like that seemed to have declined throughout Asia with the coming of more affordable firearms.

[Peter Dekker]

Forgot to add the dha pic!
Here goes.

[kronckew]

That is a beautiful undamaged hi-status upper crust sword made to a high standard and quality for someone of sufficient rank that it was probably never used even if it's owner actually attended a battle, tho it could have been if his side was losing. He had people who did the sweaty work for him. Too rich for my humble self. Great for a Noble display of wealth and power of its owner.

I personally prefer the more mundane ones used by the front line troops, with maybe a little decoration.

On a similar note, regarding the apparently shortened blade with the fuller to the tip - During WW2 the Japanese acquired swords locally either by capture of stocks, surrendered weapons, or purchase from local collaborators. The Dutch klewang for instance, they acquired a number of these from various sources and cut the already short blades down even shorter, modified the guards, and issued them to their sergeants and military police. We call them Hei-ho.

I've heard that in Burma similar acquisitions of Dhas were sometimes cut down and even hand handles shortened, so they could be hung from a belt vertically without it poking them in the armpit when walking. They did that to their own katanas that were not samurai heirlooms as well.

This dha of mine, with a bit of koftgari decor at the forte of the un-fullered blade like the OP's above, was liberated by a Chindit in Burma from a Japanese Officer who didn't need it any more due to lead poisoning. The grip appears to have been redone with a large diameter rimmed cartridge, around 25mm dia. and the scabbard was in poor condition & field repaired. I aquired it from the Chindit who was in London. He figured it should go to someone who appreciated it, as his family didn't want it.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by JeffS

... perhaps the decline in dha quality follows a decline in the acceptability or stronger legal consequences for using dha as a weapon during disputes.

Jeff, I don't think so. The "quality" of dha used for fighting is different from the"quality" we see in these high end, decorative examples. The blades of "fighting dha" vary widely, but are generally much lighter than these fancy decorative ones--particular care is given to tempering and sharpness of the blade, and the hilts are utilitarian aimed at the overall balance of the weapon and maintaining a good grip. Given a choice, someone engaged in a duel would choose a "fighting dha" rather than one of these beautiful pieces. That's not to say that these decorative examples are not usable for defense, but they are not what I would stake my life on if given a choice.

[Peter Dekker]

I would beg to differ in terms of usability.

These well-decorated dha come in several different classes and by the late period, a thinner, not so good blade is very often seen. We're talking about the 1920s onwards, mostly. The silver overlay also tends to become indifferent in this period.

Back to these earlier silver overlaid dha, quite a few of them are no less utilitarian than the average "fighting dha", they just have a better finish. Steel construction is usually an outer casing of high-carbon steel, much like the kobuse construction among Japanese swords, and also like Japanese swords they may exhibit a fine hamon when polished although they were never finished to show this aspect off traditionally.

As for weight it is a matter of personal preference. 600-900 grams is pretty much the weight range you see for sabers of all cultures, from Europe to Japan, and you also see this weight range among practical dha.

The dha I posted with silver, copper and brass inlays is a fully-fledged fighting piece. Here some numbers:
Overall length 86.9 cm / 34.2 inch
Blade length 62.2 cm / 24.5 inch
Blade thickness; forte 7 mm, middle 5 mm, near tip 4 mm.
Blade width; forte 35 mm, middle 33 mm, widest 35 mm, near tip 25 mm.
Weight; 816 grams

Well-tempered, with a gentle hum going through the piece when tapping the pommel.

[Ian]

Hi Peter,

It depends whose fighting and the style they use. We are talking about mainly foot soldiers, not mounted cavalry, and the dha was considered a lighter and faster sword than many European or Indopersian swords. That said there were heavier swords used by the Burmese, Thai, Cambodians, etc.

The issue, I think, is not so much one of weight as of balance. Dha have longer hilts than most European sabers. When the British and other Europeans adapted them for their own use, they often cut the hilt down to better conform with their notion of a comfortable hilt. A longer hilt helps move the balance point back towards the hilt, thereby giving the blade a lighter and quicker feel. Most dha were used in a single hand, gripped down towards the blade, although two-handed use was also possible. Many fighting dha were quite short, with blade lengths of 17–22 inches, although longer forms were used also. The shorter blades were advantageous for close quarter fighting and the short blades also reduced the overall mass of the sword. In some Thai martial arts a sword is used in each hand.

I'm no expert on the martial arts of mainland SE Asia, but I'm told the techniques and skills do not involve many heavy bladed swords.

When I have made note of the balance point of the beautifully decorated dha, some of which have been shown here, I have found the balance point to be several inches forward of the hilt--as much as 6-8 inches or more in some cases. This makes for a more "blade-heavy" weapon that necessitates a slightly different fighting style.

Thai daab often have hilts longer than Burmese dha, but these are still primarily single handed weapons. The balance point for many Thai daab would be even closer to the junction of hilt and blade, depending on the composition of the hilt.