Burmese military dha

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Kubur

Hi Ian,
It's very interesting.
Can you tell me more about this one?
The tip is different, but the whole sword is very similar.
Best,
Kubur

Hi Kubur:

The one you show has some important differences. First, it has a prominent and wide fuller running the length of the blade. That excludes the Shan as the makers of this blade because they don't use fullers on their swords or knives. Second, as you noted, the tip is concave and not convex like the two examples I showed above. And lastly, the hilt is a little different also, having longer brass ferrules, a shorter ray skin grip, and a small bulbous protrusion on the pommel. The scabbard has been wrapped with fairly flat bands of copper alloy (brass?) and at the throat the piece has scalloped edges suggesting a Chinese influence.

What you have is a much more common style of Burmese sword, which typically has a concave or flat tip. This one might be Burman in manufacture but more likely, I think, the blade originated in Yunnan. The HuSa, for example, make similar blades and have done for centuries. The Burmans often imported blades, so that may be the case here. Similar styles of swords are seen among the Kachin too, but they are usually straight rather than curved like this one.

The presence of large fullers on either side of the blade would reduce the blade's weight considerably, and make the sword lighter and less "blade heavy" in the hand. The two above are deliberately made "blade heavy" for a single-handed chopping action. I think the sword you show likely was made for a different style of fighting.

Your sword was probably made in the late 19th C or early 20th C.

Ian.