Blog, Historical Martial Arts, Media and Reviews, Media reviews, Weapon reviews

Heavenly Horse Dao: Experiments and explorations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EBgZMFp3jE Until recently, for martial artists and history buffs, many of the weapons used in the Han Dynasty were out of reach. The oceans of time between their use in the military and society and today, the ravages of age and complete lack of surviving training manuals or any written material documenting their use or… Continue reading Heavenly Horse Dao: Experiments and explorations

Blog, Historical Martial Arts

War of the Heavenly Horses: the origin of China’s most signature blade

One major difference in the historical armory of Europe versus China, is the prevalence of double edged straight swords. Jian as we call them, are the main stay of European sword arts all the way up to the 20th century. In China, for the majority of its history, the single edged Dao has reigned supreme.… Continue reading War of the Heavenly Horses: the origin of China’s most signature blade

Blog, Historical Martial Arts

Katana to Dao part one: Saber and Coin: The Japanese Sword in the Ming Dynasty

During the Ming Dynasty (大明1368–1644), China minted coins that it sold and traded throughout the Asian world. These coins, very familiar today as "Feng Shui/I Ching" coins, were accepted currency in much of the south East Asian world. The popularity as being a relatively stable form of currency accepted in many locations lead to an… Continue reading Katana to Dao part one: Saber and Coin: The Japanese Sword in the Ming Dynasty

Historical Martial Arts, Qi Jiguang, Translations, Wu Bei Zhi

Shield: Wubei Zhi 牌:武備志

In the massive military encyclopedia from China, the Wubei Zhi武備志, there are many contributions from other works and authors. Principle among these is Qi Jiguang. Mao Yuanyi included many sections from his works. Even taking works of authors Qi himself appropriated (copyright is not a concept that is valid in this discussion as it was… Continue reading Shield: Wubei Zhi 牌:武備志

Historical Martial Arts, Media and Reviews, Media reviews, Sword Lab, Weapon experiments, Weapon reviews

The Mystery of the Hidden Hilt Dao

https://youtu.be/Png0-Sfz6Nc In 1983, in Guyuan, a tomb of a General named “Li Xian” 李賢(504-569 AD)was uncovered in Guyuan, a Northwestern City in China known for its long history and connection to the silk road. the area boasts many treasures from those times. Its museum has a collection of not only Chinese artifacts from the days… Continue reading The Mystery of the Hidden Hilt Dao