Chinese or Korean dao
 

This is an ornate cloisonne dao that at first glance looks like a mediocre Chinese copy of a Japanese sword, made for show.

Close inspection of the blade shows what looks like an inserted edge and a typical uninspiring quality fuller. However, there are several details that make me wonder if it is something more rare.

The blade has a much stronger diamond cross section than is typical. The handle turns up in the same direction as the tip instead of down. The tang is not peened.

All of these could be attributed to an attempt to copy Japanese styles, but then why not make the tip faceted?

Another possibility is that it is Korean. They are so rare, that this must be examined very skeptically. Nevertheless, it would fit the combination of seeming Chinese and Japanese characteristics. The blade shape with a strong diamond section but no faceting fits. The handle construction is also similar to Korean things.

The most convincing evidence is the suspension loops. They are in a style that I don't recall seeing on Chinese examples, and but do appear on Korean examples. There is an example of a gum in the "History of Steel" exhibition catalog, with similar fittings.

Let me know how badly I should kick myself for "the one that got away."

More pics.

From what I am seeing in the pics, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

So you think it is a bad Chinese copy of a Japanese blade? It is certainly not the best workmanship I have ever seen. If it were better, I would have bid higher.

An argument against it being Korean is that they almost never have a fuller.

Not sure what it is, can't tell much from the pics. Since that's all we have and that's what determines bidding, I would assume they put up the best possible pics. Going on that assumption it does not look to be of very high quality. Chinese weapons are not my best area, but I have never seen anything of high quality in a dress like that. I had a friend who had a Korean dao given to him by his Instructor, no fuller, had a hamon and showed lamination's. I don't see anything like that.

Purely decorative/tourist sword-like object with absolutely no ethnographic or historical value whether Chinese or Korean...

My two cents. :shrug:

Josh,
IMHO, you are lucky that some schmuck put a higher bid.

Hmm. Almost 1/3 of the Korean do in the History of Steel exhibition have fullers (4 out of 13), so it doesn't seem that rare.

http://www.arscives.com/historysteel...ction_main.htm

Yes, I agonized over this. As a Chinese sword it is not very exciting, but as a Korean sword it is quite interesting. In terms of design characteristics it fits everything for a Korean sword, but not a Chinese or Japanese sword.

It is missing a habaki/tonku, but this also seems to be a somewhat variable trait.

The primary argument against this sword is its overall "showiness" combined with a mediocre blade.

IMO, the blade looks very modern. As in late 20th or even 21st century, the kind of thing common on modern Chinese-made fake katana/tachi/gunto.