Chinese translation help cutlass length saber

josh stout · 23rd February 2020, 07:07 PM

Thank you all so much! A dated Chinese saber from a specific region is wonderful to find. I have been looking at it for years, and finally got around to posting it.

Ren Ren · 24th February 2020, 07:47 AM

The work is not finished

It remains to decipher the two characters from the square stamp.
Perhaps this will be curious. While translating, I learned that in 1795 Binzhou County received a special management status from the Emperor. He reported directly to the governor of Shaanxi Province, bypassing the entire complex provincial hierarchy of government. It seems that this district was important, because this rule was valid until 1913.

ariel · 24th February 2020, 01:12 PM

How about a picture of the entire sword?

josh stout · 3rd March 2020, 07:20 PM

Finally got around to it.

As you can see, it is a wide bladed militia weapon. It has a feel like an oxtail dao, and a shape similar to some versions of the much heavier dadao.

It is interesting to think of this example having something like a "license", carved into its handle. The workmanship is very professional and solid with a tight grain and no forging flaws. My overall impression is that it is better quality than arms made in smaller villages.

3rd March 2020, 07:20 PM	#4
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	Finally got around to it. As you can see, it is a wide bladed militia weapon. It has a feel like an oxtail dao, and a shape similar to some versions of the much heavier dadao. It is interesting to think of this example having something like a "license", carved into its handle. The workmanship is very professional and solid with a tight grain and no forging flaws. My overall impression is that it is better quality than arms made in smaller villages. Attached Images Last edited by josh stout; 3rd March 2020 at 07:31 PM.

23rd February 2020, 07:07 PM	#1
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	Thank you all so much! A dated Chinese saber from a specific region is wonderful to find. I have been looking at it for years, and finally got around to posting it.

24th February 2020, 07:47 AM	#2
Ren Ren Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Russia, Moscow Posts: 379	The work is not finished It remains to decipher the two characters from the square stamp. Perhaps this will be curious. While translating, I learned that in 1795 Binzhou County received a special management status from the Emperor. He reported directly to the governor of Shaanxi Province, bypassing the entire complex provincial hierarchy of government. It seems that this district was important, because this rule was valid until 1913.

24th February 2020, 01:12 PM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	How about a picture of the entire sword?