Information on a very special dha (to me)

Mark · 17th May 2007, 06:19 PM

Antonio,

That is one of the Shan, or Tai Yuan ("northern" Tai) styles, and I would say that it is a bit humble to be carried by the king (as beautiful as it is - the king's swords were really over the top).

There are several on my DRI site, and we had a few in the HOS exhibition (##246-252). The length is generally around 24 inches (about 60 cm), though versions can go all the way up to 36 or more (those are the ones with big pommels, though, like HOS ##251 & 252). The mountings are of a thin silver sheet over wood, in this case with some exposed wood, probably lacquered, in the mid-part of the scabbard. The big ones with pommels tend to be completely covered with silver, though I have one with the exposed wood. There is a section of sheet at the throat of the scabbard, with either a straight base edge, or a "scolloped" one such as is visible in the photo on the toe section. There is another section at the toe/chape of the scabbard. The mid section is either bound with bands of silver, or has another wide section mirroring the other two in design. The wide sections are almost always decorated in scrolled designs made of twisted wire and little round beads, sometimes incorporating flowers.

The blade is without ferrule, and generally with a rounded spine. The tip can be in a number of forms, but I have most commonly seen upswept tips.

The grip will have a silver pommel cap, usually a bit flared, and usually decorated on the flat part with wire designs similar to those on the scabbard. The ferrule is wide (3-4 cm), flaring toward the blade but with straight lines (like a cone rather than a bell), either smooth or facetted. The ferrule will have one or more decorative bands of twisted silver wire in different designs. The central part of the grip is usually wrapped in rings of braided or twisted rattan, sometimes coated with lacquer. The big ones generally have wire mesh, but I have one with rattan.

Now I need to go rent that DVD ...

17th May 2007, 06:19 PM	#2
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	Antonio, That is one of the Shan, or Tai Yuan ("northern" Tai) styles, and I would say that it is a bit humble to be carried by the king (as beautiful as it is - the king's swords were really over the top). There are several on my DRI site, and we had a few in the HOS exhibition (##246-252). The length is generally around 24 inches (about 60 cm), though versions can go all the way up to 36 or more (those are the ones with big pommels, though, like HOS ##251 & 252). The mountings are of a thin silver sheet over wood, in this case with some exposed wood, probably lacquered, in the mid-part of the scabbard. The big ones with pommels tend to be completely covered with silver, though I have one with the exposed wood. There is a section of sheet at the throat of the scabbard, with either a straight base edge, or a "scolloped" one such as is visible in the photo on the toe section. There is another section at the toe/chape of the scabbard. The mid section is either bound with bands of silver, or has another wide section mirroring the other two in design. The wide sections are almost always decorated in scrolled designs made of twisted wire and little round beads, sometimes incorporating flowers. The blade is without ferrule, and generally with a rounded spine. The tip can be in a number of forms, but I have most commonly seen upswept tips. The grip will have a silver pommel cap, usually a bit flared, and usually decorated on the flat part with wire designs similar to those on the scabbard. The ferrule is wide (3-4 cm), flaring toward the blade but with straight lines (like a cone rather than a bell), either smooth or facetted. The ferrule will have one or more decorative bands of twisted silver wire in different designs. The central part of the grip is usually wrapped in rings of braided or twisted rattan, sometimes coated with lacquer. The big ones generally have wire mesh, but I have one with rattan. Now I need to go rent that DVD ...