Chris,
I think you are correct and that is exactly what I was saying: in the absense of original codified manuals on how to use the "Oriental " saber ( sorry for the term, but it is just a matter of convenience), we resort to European sources. The latter placed heavy weigth on " swordplay" and that might not have been true for the "Oriental" usage.
We know from contemporary travelers that "Orientals" often astonished them by their feats of whole body evasion ( jumping, shifting etc) and we also know that shields were in use in the "Orient" until very recently. This would suggest that fencing as we understand it was not developed; the techniques were reliant on one slashing cut rather than on sophisticated array of parries, ripostes, lunges etc.
what we need is a reliable description of the "Oriental" saber use, akin to multiple European manuals. Even gleaning a snippet of info here and a hint there would not be enough: too much will be filled by the compiler's bias, enthusiasm and imagination.
We need to see a Rosetta Stone of Oriental fencing: a true manual!
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