Looking for info and pics: lang xian and nangseon

[fearn]

Hi Gav,

Thanks for the pic. It's like the earlier one (of a nangseon) except that it doesn't have the overt spearpoint. Thing that's bugging me about both of these pictures is that they look like bamboo, with the exception that there are two stems at each node, not one as in real bamboo.

Maybe I'm naive, but I'm still scratching my head about the utility of copying bamboo leaves and small stems in steel, and sharpening them. It could certainly be done, but that's a lot of work!

What I'd like to see, ideally, is a photo of a real one from a museum or armory. I'm curious if it resembles the illustration or not.

F

[fearn]

Here's one picture, from the muye24ki website. Muye24ki is a traditional korean martial arts group (perhaps properly a reconstructionist group) that practices and performs demonstrations at Hwanseong Fortress in Suwon, South Korea.

They apparently still practice with the nangseon, which can be seen at the extreme left and right of the formation in the picture. They partner with the saber and shield in the formation.

Digging around some more at the above website, I found this second image, another partial picture of one from a martial arts studio (it's the weird thing at the top). This image is almost complete, missing only the spear tip. Notice that it's made from bamboo, and now we can see the side branches better. Not sure if this one is a faithful reconstruction or not, but it does provide a proper scale. That nangseon is a bit of a monster. Does anyone have the wall space to display a 5 meter long bamboo spear?

I've got to admit, the muye24ki do get to play with some neat weapons, and I hope they don't mind my borrowing these pictures.

Best,

F