Pirate sword or chinese Dha?

[David]

Originally Posted by milandro

something like this ( this one not as heavily modified, in my opinion, as yours)

https://www.militariazone.com/swords...6#.Y9jdgy8w1qs

Hi Milandro. Please keep in mind that when you use a link like this to make a comparison point, in all likelihood that link will me a dead end with a few years and with sales sites like this one, perhaps even sooner. But if you take a moment to copy the image and post it directly to this forum it can remain in our archives so that these comparisons can still be seen long after a linked page is gone.

[kai]

This blade does not really look like any European exports.

However, a local attempt at a blade that was supposed to look similar to a colonial klewang might not be too farfetched; also quite sizeable expat communities from the Chinese coastal provinces present in Indonesia.

(BTW, I don't see any traditional dha blade style here, especially with the somewhat crude fuller. Any similar examples, Wayne?)

Regards,
Kai

[Ian]

Hi Kai,

The OP would pass for a modified Burmese style dha. The narrow fuller is consistent, as is the treatment of the distal spine. While it might be from Yunnan, it could also be from Rangoon. I would put the blade as late 19th C.

Not a style of dha likely to be produced in Thailand or Laos.

[kronckew]

I've found a few pictures of daab/dha from the golden triangle area on commercial sword sites, these 'lotus' tip blades with the exact same fullers and spine shapes and same length as mine, along with the more lengthy Burmese style hilts. I am satisfied the blade is from there, possibly Yunnan, where someone has tarted it up with the bits from a handy middle eastern writing case and a guard from something else handy. The Burmese and Thai swords made in this style were obviously mimicking the old Japanese Kogarasumaru (little crow) type sword from Japan,


See C0001 on Mar's excellent Dha research site at http://dharesearch.bowditch.us/C0001.htm , even has pics of the same hollowed spine as mine. some of the sidebar details may be incorrect.