Me: Buys a curved sword UK border customs: You've commited crimes against Skyrim and her people. What say you in your defence?

🤣🤣

In Saudi Arabia funnily enough, curved swords are a-ok, but straight double edged swords are considered more dangerous and as such banned from entry. Just goes to show how stupid this whole sword banning thing is.

@@Mosamania it comes down to the Crusades and what side your region was on.

@@xAxCx but at the time Arabs also mostly had straight double edged swords, until the turks came and supplanted their own weapons in the region.

that would be delightful ngl

I've got an Iranian hand crafted sagger. Post revolutionary antique. I've also got a pre-revolutionary F-14 thats been lovingly restored by aircraft artisans.

@@iivin4233 what are you going to do if uncle Sam requires you to repay your war debt? Guess how to use a rifle?

Your honor, this not simply an "improvised explosive device", it is a traditional, hand crafted nail bomb, which is in accordance with UK law.

This is the law in Poland. Black powder type firearms don't require permit. Not even revolvers. I don't think they even need to be registered, and there wasn't a single case of these weapons being used criminally for at least 10 years. Flamethrowers and swords also don't require permit. In fact you can walk around with a shatpened sword in the public for no reason. Police can only ask you for ID so they know who was walking around with a sword, should a sword attack happen later on, but they have no right to penalise you for carrying a sword in public. Also, in every bigger supermarket there is a shop with locking knifes and Rambo knifes, and there's no legal age restriction. Yet there's maybe 200 'dangerous tool offences' a year among 38 million people, whilst in London alone it's thousands if I remember.

Because, sword. It used to not belong to him and now it does, lol.

If there is a such a sword that could bisect a man vertically, it would be that flipping cleaver.

@@PJDAltamirus0425 it was used for chopping of horses' legs

@nehcooahnait7827 The Song Dynasty relied on long spears and heavy infantry to slow down the attack of enemy cavalry, and then sent their own cavalry to attack from the flank. As for Zhang Ma Dao, unfortunately, this was only the last resort. Once this weapon was used, it marked that the war was about to lose

They did tear down some railroad in northern China, but mostly for disrupt transportation of Japanese army, I don't think making sword is their motivation

Chiang lost A LOT of his best equipment reserves in the battle for Beijing in 37, so it was definitely desperation mode for a few months after, cranking out dadaos so dudes would have at least something to use. Another thing is that Dadao's are probably descended from heavy brush clearing peasant tools, and having an army equipped with them means you can clear space for camp in even the heaviest forests very fast. The thing is like an ax, machete and sword in one!

There were already Warlords with entire regiments decked out with Dadao even before the 2nd Sino-Japanese War. One such Warlord even made extensive use of the Dadao during the Defence of the Great Wall against the Japanese invaders. The Dadao because of its design (The Shorter Blade, longer handle) also made it a C&C monster, especially in confined spaces and against bayonets & standard-issue Gunto.

@@jamesm1 My understanding is that very few came back from those engagements, but many of those who did passed their knowledge on. *Chinese sword art is an extant tradition, not reconstructed.* Legit Chinese sword masters are not guessing about how these weapons are used. And you can definitely get someone up to speed on hacking fairly quickly, and for that technique, strength is more important than skill.

I've been practicing the heavy Dadao for 12 years and I would have to say, it would be quite effective if used as a close in melee weapon against the rifle bayonet. Remember the WW2 era Arisaka were bolt action. In a closed in thrust, the heavy Dadao could easily parry the bayonet thrust and then sliced back to take off a head. In battle, there is no guarantee, but a dadao could be quite effective.

Indeed. Tassel makes wielding the sword, and practicing with it, significantly more difficult. You have to control not just the blade, getting inertia where and when you want it, but the pommel, so that there's not excess energy in the tassel. In the same way a light "floppy" sword lets us know were getting all of the energy into the tip for a prick or thrust, too much energy in the tassel movement lets us know we're losing energy in the back of the weapon. (I"ve also been able to wrap a pole arm with a tassel, to pull it off line while simultaneously slicing, but that's sort of "fancy" and I'd stick to much simpler techniques if it was for real:)

I don't know about the Turkic tribes but I would like to point out the Mongols fighting with lighter equipment as opposed to others isn't really accurate, perhaps that was true in the very beginning of Mongolian militarism but they did quite rely on heavy cavalry from what I read 40% of the Cavalry was heavy cavalry.

@@eagle162 yup good point. I'm taking about the early days. That said even when later on they had more access to armor it was still the lighter horse archer around which their battle tactics revolved around. As for the heaviness of their armor, I've read it would've been considered medium heavy cavalry by the standards of their foes, possibly due to limitations on their horses - so that's where my comment comes from. Turks likewise got "heavier" with more interaction with Islamic world, but would be considered lighter if I'm not mistaken

"God, on a long pole that would make for a really awesome glaive" *Laughs in guandao*

@@imstupid880 100%😁

The Khitan people are not Mongols. The ancestors of the Mongols were the Xiongnu and Rouran in the northern Han Dynasty. The Khitan people are the Daur people of present-day China

Are you talkin about the miao dao?, that's sword wasn't shown here.

@@eagle162 it is the second sword shown in the video.

@@user-wx2qp3tg1s okay yeah sorry I don't know how I forgot that so quickly. I would like a point something out however the miao dao was actually influence by the nodachi this recorded and even its original name(wodao) give that away, here is some stuff to read. Old or New? The Miaodao and Invention in Chinese Martial Arts by Kung Fu Tea. Chinese long sabers of the Qing dynasty by Peter Dekker from Mandarin Mansion. 苗刀之祖，明朝长刀、单刀和倭刀（上）

@@eagle162 The Miaodao is purportedly descended from the earlier Changdao, which was purportedly influenced by the Japanese nodachi. Currently, the Japanese origin is in dispute because Mongolians/Steppe Nomads were already using blades not dissimilar to the Katana/Nodachi during the Yuan and earlier. In any case, the Republican-era Miaodao is rather different from the Katana/changdao and was designed to overcome the perceived shortcomings of the katana design. The Blade is more forward-leaning compared to the Katana (Which leans back for slashing), lighter and with a point of balance closer to the hilt.

@@possumsam2189 okay I'm going to make this short none of that is true, please look at the Articles mention.

There are some who would argued that the design of the Dadao existed all the way from the Song Dynasty and were primarily used as executioner blades or by brigands.

His collection is impressive, and he's a serious collector, of antiques as well as replicas, but for people interested in what cosplayers call "swordfighting" and real practitioners call "fencing", it's better to have one sword or sword analog and really know how to use it, than to have a lot of swords and be meh.

Seems like a copy of Liao dao during the Song dynasty timeframe.

@@JSharap i think i've seen that one, how was the pommel constructed on them? Looks like it would have to be the end of the tang

I remember someone mentioning that LK chen or another bladesmith explained that the zhan ma dao wasnt for horsecutting. the name means that it would have execptionally good cutting abilities/great sharpness that it could slay a horse (methaphorically) which makes more sense. For horses you would want spears etc not really greatswords.

There are some military record of them used for chop horse legs though, usually the legs are not heavily armored

@@superrobotmonkeyhyperteamf3194 I think the idea is not that the sword is for killing the horse, but for killing the guy on top of the horse. Your buddies with pikes (changqiang) get the horse to stop, your guy with the big sword charges forward and strikes the horseman.

@@hanliu3707 you are right there are some reports apparently. Seems like several different weapons were called zhanmadao. one of them was apparently indeed for horse cutting. Wrote more in the comment up.

My understanding was that while the zhan ma dao was experimented with in the Tang dynasty, it became much more prominent during the Song dynasty against the Jurchen Jin dynasty. The Song had significant trouble dealing with the increasingly heavily armored and better quantity and quality calvary of the Jurchen. There were even reports of the Jin chaining their heaviest calvary together to form an iron wall to crush infantry formations before them, though there is some dispute there. So the zhan ma dao was deployed along side spearmen, who engaged and stopped the enemy calvary. At which point the zhan ma dao wielders would move up and chop into the stationary horses’ legs or the riders. So the Song cleaver like zhan ma dao is a specialized chopper while the Tang zhan ma dao is a more general use weapon.

yeah, it's like a sword, axe, and machete all in one! You can definitely tell it descends from heavy brush clearing peasant tools.

@@jamesm1 I assume you are referring to the dadao. In which case I respectfully disagree. Could it it be used as such, absolutely, but I think the design has deep cultural precedents as a weapon. As mentioned by Matt. This thing was always designed cleave through bodies. If anything it evolved out of large butcher knives.

Great for building strength. Spend a few hours working with one of those without putting it down and your tendons will get strong! (You'll also get "swole" which is nice too-much more useful than a pretty machined body:)

@@itinerantpoet1341 For sure. I have used my basic Condor dynasty dadao for hours of relatively heavy yard work. the tip has gotten worn down from occasional stones among tree roots and such, but other than that it hasn't even needed re-sharpening yet lol.

karambit ring is a very roung finger ring. This large Chinese ring serves many purpose including for quick attachment of the handkerchief(also called knife color).

I’ve seen tassels on Chinese spears, but attached on the spearhead side rather than the back end. Why do they have tassels?

@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight again this is guessing at a possible practical use(even if this has nothing to do with the original reason). Having the tassel at the end of the spear can trick the eye into subconsciously underestimating the range of the spear. The tassel stands out much more than the point and, when distracted, could throw off a person's judgment of the range.

@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight Also just to be clear this is me guessing at possible practical uses. Most of the examples of tassels on spears and silks on swords that are used are very entwined with martial arts specifically. These arts practices often have a heavy spiritual, self development, and/or showmanship aspect that are all reasons enough to add flashy tassels. Therefore its possible that there is no practical reason and its is just something that was done.

@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight One of my guesses is to prevent overpenetration. The tassels are located at the base of the spearhead, where the width is the same as the shaft. Beyond that point there's nothing to add friction and stop the thrust if you got that far into the target. So the bulging of the tassles could make the thrust stop at that point, much like the wings on a winged or boar spear. The case for the sabers is different though. Sabers have silk clothes like instead of tassels, and they definitely help with the spinning movements by creating drag. That slows it a bit and gives you more control on the spinning without the added weight of a larger pommel. I practice kung fu and use dao regularly, and it is noticeable when you use one without the silk clothes. The distraction theory is also valid in my opinion, and that's why they generally com in bright colors like red. But I feel that's a secondary reason.

@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight my understanding is that the tassel at the base of the spearhead is to stop blood from running down the shaft, thus making it slippery

He will recruit the cream of the crop to join his brute squad. That's the FIRST order of business. Gotta build that army!

he can definitely provide equipment for a small army, and offer some training for them

Or Evil Dead II ...excellent gear for head chopping!

Against Zombies I'm going to favor a lead pipe-one hit brain death is the key. 99% of the techniques of sword won't be that effective against a zombie, and stuff like hacking off limbs or the head takes a lot of skill (which almost no one who plays at using swords actually has;) And even if you cut off the legs or head of the zombie, the head can still bite you. Therefore, three words: "Blunt force trauma"

@@itinerantpoet1341 Lead is soft. The pipe will deform over time, become weakened. It's also heavy to carry around. Baseball bat would have similar issues. I would say a mace would be good, except that it's so close range that you risk getting bitten. If you could trap zombies behind a fence, gate, or bars then the best weapon would actually be a spear. Thrusting through the skull, maybe with a twist at the end to sever a lot of connections, that's where it's at. Don't underestimate the classic pointy stick, especially with a hardened steel spike at the end. For swords you would want thrusting potential for the same reason, not to cut off limbs but to stick through the eye socket and out through the back of the skull. Or up, through the roof of the mouth. Again, a little twist at the end would do extra damage. A riot shield would do wonders for defense. Chain nail would be good for armor also. Gotta don that coif!

It also adds a little drag, so you know where your hand is when using certain styles of sword handling ( the circular moves the Chinese tend to favor, specially) Really useful little thing, as is the shape of the grip for edge alignment. It's actually more about helping with your peripheral vision than "distracting" the opponent.

Masters teach that it's for distraction, but that the main use is to wipe blood from the handle. (Sabers are not capable of "single drop of red", the ideal in straight sword fencing, where the opponent dies from internal bleeding. See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Reles although, with a flexible straight sword, you get to the brain from under the chin, not through the skull like in modern wuxia fantasy novels;) Therefore, real combat with single edged curved swords would have been bloody.

@@AriMalatesta Cloth is also good at catching points, which could disrupt the opponent's sword, but I wouldn't want to depend on that. See my other comment for the main use.

An antique was shown and reviewed in some Chinese video. Then LK copied that one which he likes and produces this modern copy. At least he likes it enough to mass produce it. Now, see how many will like it and own it, use it.

I really like the comparison Matt makes to a medieval European glaive, to be used in tight fashion by an armored fighter. Just based on the look and posted stats I saw when it first interested me, that was my suspicion. And if so it's *exactly* what I want.

@@thechroniclesofthegnostic7107 - Very good to have Matt's comparative studies/review.

@@MtRevDr What's sadly ironic is just how often it takes exposure to another people's example of material culture to appreciate overlooked or disparaged examples in one's own. Nowadays most people into medieval/Renaissance European swords/HEMA would laugh at discounting single-edged and/or curved blades, but *I* remember not all that long ago when there was a super-parochial looking down noses in the same subculture at anything but the straight, double bladed sword being "European." And there is still can be, regarding semantics of whether something is a "real sword." Where if someone like me were to point out the Twin Peaks dao handles like a glaive, the response is to sniff and say "but a glaive isn't a *sword.* Me, I care little for semantics. But it's nice that (a) it looks like in the historical Chinese context there isn't such hair-splitting (no pun intended 😉); and (b) that Matt's impressions echo that, hey, as a "glaive" it's really cool and just fine.

@@thechroniclesofthegnostic7107 - You are a special one. Not long ago, many acclaimed masters insult me for not taking their bookwork as the only canon and gospel. Chinese can pick on items and elements of other culture and use them as Chinese, just as using Hellman's and Worcester sauce for Chinese dim sum. For some people they just have to be rigid. It is like saying in the World of fire arms English must be using English made guns, and only Germans use German guns.

I was paid 13 dollars an hour btw

I think it was actually Nigel Jones, and it wasn’t a cheap Chinese one, it was a war time original that the attackers father had owned.

So now we're entering the era of amateurs attacking people with nice, razor-sharp replicas 🤣 At least attempting a mass casualty event with a sword requires more work than these *holes that buy overpowered firearms with high-capacity magazines, then open fire in crowds or on subway cars. It's offensive how easy it is for mentally ill people with no skill and little strategic acumen because cosplayers who fantasize about armed rebellion have to have their lethal toys.

And according to historical documents, the Song Dynasty Zhanmadao can be much longer with a blade length of 90+ cm. There was an entire bureau dedicated to producing nothing but Zhanmadao and the Legendary General Yue Fei was famous for fielding entire armies of Zhanmadao wielders. They were specifically designed to counter heavily armored nomad cataphracts of the Liao and later the Jin. Coincidentally, the Liao armoured retinue would also be armed with the 4th weapon, the Twin Peaks Liao Dao and these two weapons would have met in many gore-strewn battlefields and engagements.

No, it is their fault when they choose to enforce laws that go against the rights of mankind. Humanity has the right to defend itself. Humanity has the right to own what it wishes.

Beautiful blades by the way

And the second one as well!!

The third one is really pretty! 🥺

The fourth one seems like an absolute whacker, and a fast one at that! 😮

Best for what use? Plain wood is the best handles are the best in my experience, but most won't practice with the weapons enough not to need the handicap of some kind of grippy material to maintain their hold. If you can learn to wield the sword calmly like wudang (including when you're moving at lightening speed), sweating profusely will eventually not be a problem. For performance swords, one typically sees lacquered handles, which make the grip treacherous if you're sweating too much. (Which is why we like them;) With the contemporary wushu players you tend to see grippy material because they're doing a lot of super-strenuous and aerial work, and it all pretty much external. But external sword technique is not considered to be very good compared to internal sword technique.

@@itinerantpoet1341 Please explain 'external' VS 'internal'?

@@WILDMUSTANGX soft vs hard styles, soft are small precise movements that aim at slicing tendons, hard are powerful movements that aim at cleaving. i'm just guessing

That's a good question just commenting in case someone knows the anwser.

idk the answer either but they look swag

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jdF_ftGlvtWymX0.html

Other dao looks like fun too, just have yet to see or hear much about that one.

For your opponent, yes. But tassels on the end of Chinese sword serve multiple purposes. Them being a distraction in a duel is a more modern interpretation, but historically, warriors would put tassels on the end of their swords just for decoration. Swords and spears weren't just weapons, they were also accessories. You wear them and walk around with them to be fashionable, to show off your wealth and rank, so it's good to have.

@@camrendavis6650 TIL much. Thank you.

It's not just a tassel they're supposed to be for tying to your forearm same as our European cavalryman, it's difficult to extract the blade when striking from horseback without losing your grip

@@marcogenovesi8570 I'm sure you're right but neither my dad or I knew about guns and we didn't want to take any chances. I think I was about 12 at the time and I suspect my dad was exaggerating the risk to make the journey seem more exciting. I think my imagination was quite active then. Also some of the ammo was old. Im not sure if it makes it more volatile but I guess you shouldn't use old ammo.

@@marcogenovesi8570 That's reassuring to know. One day my grandad's guns will pass to me. Of the 3 my favorite is the 1914 Webley service revolver. It is heavy and you need a lot of finger strength to pull the double action. It would make a good bludgeoning weapon when you are out of bullets. I like it because it is so solidly engineered. It is a bit unwieldy but I get the impression that it would not let you down in your moment of need. I think my great grandad would have been issued with it as part of a tank crew. I assume that he passed it to my grandad when he died. I can only imagine how he also ended up with a Luger. The action on that is intriguing. My dad showed it to his next door neighbour who had some military experience. Our neighbour said that you have to be mindful of how they eject casings. It's lighter than the Webley and easier to cycle but I can't help wondering if it might also be less reliable as it is mechanically more complicated. The third piece is a small Mars pistol with a sliding action. I think it was manufactured in Czechoslovakia between the 1930s and 1950s? It is small and looks like it is designed to be concealed in a pocket or handbag. That is the one that my dad told me was smuggled in from S.Africa by my grandad before he died. I think his mum told him that. Naughty grandma. Since we got all 3 of these these pistols deactivated I think the law here in the UK might have changed. I could be wrong but I think that in addition to having the firing pin removed and barrel blocked, you now also have to have the moving parts welded together to ensure that deactivated guns can't be re-activated? Since the law changed two of these guns have also become antiques and so I am hoping they are now exempt form being turned into boring lumps? I am not sure if my dad is now unwittingly breaking the law with the third gun though as he did the right thing according to the law at the time when he came into possession of it by getting it deactivated according to the law at that time. By the time all three guns pass to me they may well all be antiques anyway, so I am hoping that I can in turn pass them on to my son in all their neutered oily mechanical glory. Not sure what the right thing to do is or where to get advice.

Come live in America, where you will be shot for cutting someone off in traffic!

Any oil will do. Even vegetable oil.

That sounds about right, the main purpose of oil is to be a spreadable film that rejects water from a steel surface

Those are thick af through.

You mean steel ones?