Nomadic swords

ariel · 21st October 2018, 01:10 AM

Hi Philip,

Thanks for addressing the issue of Tunkou.
I want to pick your brain a little deeper.
First, a seller's pic of a Khazar saber from the Ukraine, allegedly 7-9 century. Hope to have it in my hands within a week or two. Its tunkou is of a traditional early form: long arm goes along the edge.
Next, 2 figs from David Nicolle's book ( presumably Daghestan , 13-14 century), ##645 and 646
One tunkou is just like yours and mine, another is kind of a square with a slit in the middle ( some later Chinese ones have it)
After that Iran, ~1306-1304. Something happened, tunkous flipped over: the long arm goes along the spine, ##626f and 626o.

The last one is a fresco of St. Nikita from Serbian Gracanica church, finished in 1321. Again, the long arm is on the top.

After that all tunkous , both functional and decorative, from Mughals, Iran, Ottoman Empire follow the same pattern.

Seems like the westward migrating Turks changed their Tunkous sometimes ~12-13 centuries, whereas eastward migrating ( China, SE Asia) stayed with the classical pattern. Japanese habaki may be an analog of a plain sleeve-like type.

Any thoughts?

P.S. Sorry, my computer has a mind of his own and the order of pics is mixed. But they are labeled and self-explanatory.

21st October 2018, 01:10 AM	#9
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Hi Philip, Thanks for addressing the issue of Tunkou. I want to pick your brain a little deeper. First, a seller's pic of a Khazar saber from the Ukraine, allegedly 7-9 century. Hope to have it in my hands within a week or two. Its tunkou is of a traditional early form: long arm goes along the edge. Next, 2 figs from David Nicolle's book ( presumably Daghestan , 13-14 century), ##645 and 646 One tunkou is just like yours and mine, another is kind of a square with a slit in the middle ( some later Chinese ones have it) After that Iran, ~1306-1304. Something happened, tunkous flipped over: the long arm goes along the spine, ##626f and 626o. The last one is a fresco of St. Nikita from Serbian Gracanica church, finished in 1321. Again, the long arm is on the top. After that all tunkous , both functional and decorative, from Mughals, Iran, Ottoman Empire follow the same pattern. Seems like the westward migrating Turks changed their Tunkous sometimes ~12-13 centuries, whereas eastward migrating ( China, SE Asia) stayed with the classical pattern. Japanese habaki may be an analog of a plain sleeve-like type. Any thoughts? P.S. Sorry, my computer has a mind of his own and the order of pics is mixed. But they are labeled and self-explanatory. Attached Images Last edited by ariel; 21st October 2018 at 01:20 AM.