Insights into Chinese ring pommel swords

[Neil]

Wow! I really appreciate the great response. I am glad I could contribute a topic that people are interested in. One thing I was musing about was the question of who used these swords, and what was their station in society. Do we know if they were found throughout China or only regionally. Also, why would one use, choose, or be issued this type of sword over a liuyedao and yanmaodao etc. To narrow the time-line down a little I was thinking particularly about the last few centuries, which I believe includes many of the examples collectors and enthusiasts like ourselves have in their possession today. Maybe the answers to some of these questions might enrich our perspective on the original question. Honestly, I do not have any solid answers at this point so I look forward to the information others can offer.

[Maskell]

Gentleman,

A few ring pommel swords from my collection. The one on the far left is inscribed in Chinese "FEB 1943 Made". The tallest one in the image towards the right has been ID as being 2nd to 5th century AD by a very knowledgeable collector.

Best,
Jerry

[Neil]

Thanks for sharing the picture. There are definitely some interesting pieces. I am curious about others thoughts on the dates of the swords 4 through 8 from the left. This is relative to my previous question of who would use these swords. Would they be classified as civilian, village militia, military, or rebellion arms. Maybe they could be any of the above. As far as I can tell there is very little scholarship available in English on this subject. So for now the collective knowledge of this type of group on the forum seems very important.