Hieroglyph "dao" denote a weapon with a curved blade with a one-sided sharpening. Therefore, the Chinese use the word dao to refer to knives, sabers, and even halberds (only in this case the hieroglyph “da” is added - “big”). The Chinese also called Japanese swords dao.

Sword-dao- This is one of the oldest types of weapons in China. In Studies in Ancient History it is said: “King Suihuang cast metal and made a sword-dao.” (According to legend, it was Suihuang who taught people how to make fire). “The true records of the duality of images” read: “Huang Di made a sword-dao.” What is a sword-dao? “Exquisite Beauty” says: “the name of the sword is pronounced ‘dao’ when you cut completely - this is the blow of this sword.” In the “True Records of the Duality of Images,” the varieties of the Dao sword are described as follows: “There is a sword of four formations, coming from the war of Chi Yu and Huang Di in Zhuolu; there is a path sword used in army formation; there is a wall formation sword used on the defensive rampart; there is a long sword that the general holds in his hands. There is a sword of the image, which is an attribute of the minister of war. It dates back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, is made of wood, decorated with silver, symbolizes power, and is an official sword.” The Dao sword was made like this: the iron was burned out repeatedly, the blade was made of refined steel, the blade was leveled from the back to the blade, the tip was sharpened as much as possible. The handle was made of hard wood, the length was set depending on the type.

The Dao Sword is one of the most widely used weapons. The halberd-dadao (“big sword”) could be used by a horseman, the yaodao (“waist sword”) could be used by an infantryman, and the halberd-pudao (“simple sword”) and shuangshoudai (“two-handed ribbon”) could be used by both a horseman and an infantryman, and more dexterous than a spear. Therefore, in the history of wars, the Dao sword was often used by both generals and soldiers.

Ours made a stylization of this weapon, based on the requirements of the historical reconstruction movement and the wishes of the customer.

Tsuba:	steel 3, diameter 8 cm
Hang:	steel 3, truncated cone 4.5 cm

Since time immemorial, the Chinese have designated curved, single-edged weapons with the hieroglyph Dao. Generally speaking, this is the name in China for all blades with a curved blade with a one-sided sharpening, including knives, swords and halberds, but in the case of a long blade they usually add the prefix yes - large. That is, Dadao is a large curved sword with a one-sided sharpening.

Tao swords have been known in China since ancient times. It is still difficult to say which type of sword appeared earlier - Jian or Dao. According to legend, the Chinese were taught how to make Tao swords by the legendary King Suihuang, who was the first to cast this sword in bronze. In general, this legendary king is an analogue of the Greek titan Prometheus, just like him, he taught the Chinese to use fire, melt metals - bronze and obtain tools and swords from it.

Since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the use of the Tao sword has become widespread in China. Dao swords were completely different in size and purpose.

A large sword or even a halberd with a short handle, Dadao, was an accessory of mounted warriors. Usually it was armed with a few heavily armed Chinese horsemen. Infantrymen usually used a yaodao - a belt sword - a blade of much more modest size together with a shield.

In addition to the Dadao, the cavalry also used a pudao - an analogue of a long-pole halberd, which was handled very deftly, no worse than a spear. Standing somewhat separately is Shuangshoudai - a long-bladed and long-pole halberd with a one-sided sharpened curved blade.

The heyday of Dao swords occurred in the Song Dynasty, when a large number of different variants of Dao swords appeared. But they were all divided into two main groups - hand swords - one-handed and large swords - dadao - which required wielding them with two hands.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese had to become acquainted with Japanese combat swords - tachi and nodachi. It is worth noting that the Chinese were very unpleasantly surprised that Japanese weapons were superior to their own in everything. The famous Chinese commander Qi Jiguang noted that Japanese swords are better and more practical.

The length of the tati was much longer than the yaodao, and at the same time it was much more convenient for them to chop. It was lighter and more convenient than the Chinese big swords - dadao.
If it came to nodachi, then it was more convenient than pudao, it was shorter, lighter, easier to control, and it inflicted terrifying wounds. Having met the invading Japanese in Korea during the time of Hideyoshi, the Chinese were able to see firsthand that the Japanese, who had borrowed the curved sword from China at one time, brought it to its logical perfection.

General Qi Jiguang decisively began to change the weapons of the Chinese warriors. He took the Japanese tachi as a basis and combined it with Chinese analogues of Dao swords, developing, in general, a new type of Chinese blade - a long, curved, relatively light sword with a one-sided sharpening. The Chinese commander created the so-called “Sword of the Qi Family” (qijiadao) - without false modesty, giving the sword the name of his family.

A shorter version, also created on the basis of Tao - and very popular in the coastal regions of China - was called Vodao - the sword of the Lilliputians. It was called that because it exactly repeated the size of the Japanese tati swords, which were considered short by Chinese standards. Both of these swords were extremely popular during the Ming Dynasty until its fall during the peasant revolt and the invasion of the Manchu conquerors.

After the Manchu invasion and the establishment of the dominance of the Qing dynasty (1611 - 1911), the previously dominant sword was replaced Qijiadao came another type of sword - under the general name “willow leaf sword” (luedao). It was a long, one-sided saber, with a curved blade and hilt, and a rather long sharp sting. Some specimens had an elman - that is, a weight at the end of the blade. It was with this weapon, suitable for both infantry and horse combat, that the warlike Manchus, who ruled China for almost 300 years, loved to fight.

In the Qing army, this version of the sword became commonly used; the main units of the army of the Qing Manchu Empire were armed with it.

Another type of Dao blade used in China was the piandao sword - chopping swords. This is generally a shortened analogue of the European curved saber. Due to the significant bending, the blows of such weapons were much stronger; they were good for cutting the enemy in close combat. However, such swords did not take root in the army, remaining the lot of single individuals - skilled fencers.

Another turn in the blade shape of Chinese swords occurred around 1700, when the classic Manchu liuedao sword began to transform into the new category of nuweidao swords. These are precisely those Dao swords that are well-established in our perception, which are now actually passed off as ancient Chinese examples of swords. Nuweidao had new features that their predecessors did not have.

Firstly, they had a blade with a short sting that widened towards the end, and accordingly had an elman at the end of the blade. They had
there was a relatively slight bend in the middle, and the handle curved in the opposite direction from the tip, so that the sword itself resembled a very stretched letter “S”. As a rule, they had a small round guard that securely covered the warrior’s hand.

These swords immediately appealed to ordinary peasants, the original Chinese, and rebels of all stripes, but did not find wide use among the Manchu invaders.

Chinese rebels fought with Newweidao swords during the Boxer Rebellion. They would have completely defeated the Manchus if they had not received help from foreign interventionists in the person of England, France, Germany and Russia.

Oddly enough, the popularity of dadao swords returned during the Sino-Japanese War in the 20th century. Some units of the Chinese Kuomintang Nationalist Army were armed with such long two-handed swords.

As it turned out, during the massive attacks of Japanese soldiers armed with long Ariska rifles with long bayonet knives, the Japanese simply could not resist the Chinese with dadao in close combat.

In the narrow alleys of the streets of Chinese cities, in battles in trenches, Chinese soldiers with dadao swords drawn en masse jump out at the Japanese in close combat they gained a huge advantage. The Japanese managed to fire one or two shots before the Chinese burst into their formations en masse and a bloodbath began - the Chinese simply could not defend themselves with their rifles. And the Dadao swords cut them down with a backhand.

General Chai Kai-shek likened the Dadao fighters to a grenade with the pin pulled out - in order to hit the enemy, a grenade must be thrown into the thick of enemy soldiers, and the Dadao fighters had to burst into the very thick of the Japanese and strike right and left.

Deeds of distant antiquity Buried in obscurity for a long time. Dynasties rise or fall - What do I care about them? I don't care!

It’s just that neither the Italians, nor the French, nor even the Germans and the Swiss met real warriors in battle - otherwise their intelligence would have noticeably increased.)

While chasing Zhao Yun, Wen Ping reached Changfan Bridge. Standing there with a spear
Zhang Fei. His eyes glowed with anger, his mustache bristled like a tiger's. Besides
behind the grove, east of the bridge, Wen Ping noticed a cloud of dust. Afraid of getting caught
ambush, he stopped.

Soon Cao Ren, Li Dian, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Io Jin arrived,
Zhang Liao, Zhang Guo and Xu Chu. Zhang Fei's menacing appearance scared them too. Fearing
any trick on the part of Zhuge Liang, they also stopped at
indecision. Forming a line west of the bridge, they sent a messenger
to Cao Cao. He personally came to see what was happening here.

Zhang Fei, still standing motionless on the bridge, noticed in the back ranks of the troops
the enemy's dark silk umbrella, horse horses and axes, banners and flags and, having decided,
that it was Cao Cao himself who appeared and shouted in a loud voice:

Hey! Who wants to fight me to the death? I am Zhang Fei from Yan Destiny!

“I heard from Guan Yu,” Cao Cao told his entourage, “that Zhang
Fei can remove the head of a commander in front of an enemy army of many thousands
as easy as taking something out of your pocket! I need to be with him
be careful!

Zhang Fei from the Yan Realm is here! - Zhang Fei's voice came again. - Who
dare to fight me?

Cao Cao was completely discouraged, and he had a desire to get out quickly
back home. Zhang Fei's keen eye could not escape the movement in the back rows
enemy.

Well, why are you messing around there? - he shouted, shaking his spear. - Don't fight
fight, don't leave!

Zhang Fei's voice was so menacing that Xiahou Jie, who was standing next to Cao Cao,
fear fell dead from his horse. Cao Cao rushed without looking back, and after
all his army fled to him. Truly, like a yellow-throated chick, frightened
a thunderclap, or like a defenseless woodcutter who heard a tiger roar nearby,
Cao Cao's warriors rushed in an unstoppable stream, trampling and crushing each other. Many
They threw spears and helmets from them.

Descendants sang Zhang Fei in verse:

Leaning on a spear, he stands full of determination
On the Changfan Bridge he turned his gaze forward.
His powerful voice is like great thunder.
He alone put an army of millions to flight.

Frightened by Zhang Fei's formidable strength, Cao Cao rushed to the west. He's wearing a hat
lost, his hair was disheveled. Zhang Liao and Xu Chu could barely keep up with him.
From great fear, Cao Cao completely lost his presence of mind.

刀 , pinyin dāo, not to be confused with whale. 道, dào

(path, Tao)) - “single-edged weapon” / “falchion” / “broadsword” / “saber” / “knife” / “cleaver” - a Chinese bladed single-edged weapon, often illiterately translated when translated as “crooked sword". Most often under Tao (indicating its type - for example, - Most often under"bull tail" or luedao - Most often under"willow leaf") refers to single-edged falchions, sabers and broadswords, both one-handed and two-handed. However, as a meaningful element the word Most often under included in the names of pole weapons - chuanweidao, yanyuedao, dadao(Chinese: 大刀), etc.

As a significant element, the same hieroglyph is also included in the names of some specific types of weapons of Chinese martial arts (for example, baguadao), however in this case it only means the presence of sharpening along one of the edges of this weapon.

Japanese katanas were also called dao by the Chinese.

see also

• Jian - another type of Chinese sword

analogues

• Falchion - a European weapon similar to the classic Tao
• Broadsword - a European weapon similar to the Han era soldier's dao

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Excerpt characterizing Tao (sword)

Many historians say that the Battle of Borodino was not won by the French because Napoleon had a runny nose, that if he had not had a runny nose, his orders before and during the battle would have been even more ingenious, and Russia would have perished, et la face du monde eut ete changee. [and the face of the world would change.] For historians who recognize that Russia was formed by the will of one man - Peter the Great, and France from a republic developed into an empire, and French troops went to Russia by the will of one man - Napoleon, the reasoning is that Russia remained powerful because Napoleon had a big cold on the 26th, such reasoning is inevitably consistent for such historians.
If it depended on the will of Napoleon to give or not to give the Battle of Borodino and it depended on his will to make this or that order, then it is obvious that a runny nose, which had an impact on the manifestation of his will, could be the reason for the salvation of Russia and that therefore the valet who forgot to give Napoleon On the 24th, waterproof boots were the savior of Russia. On this path of thought, this conclusion is undoubted - as undoubted as the conclusion that Voltaire made jokingly (without knowing what) when he said that the Night of St. Bartholomew occurred from an upset stomach of Charles IX. But for people who do not allow that Russia was formed by the will of one person - Peter I, and that the French Empire was formed and the war with Russia began by the will of one person - Napoleon, this reasoning not only seems incorrect, unreasonable, but also contrary to the whole essence human. To the question of what constitutes the cause of historical events, another answer seems to be that the course of world events is predetermined from above, depends on the coincidence of all the arbitrariness of the people participating in these events, and that the influence of Napoleons on the course of these events is only external and fictitious.

23.11.2014 14:47

The country of origin of Dao swords is China. The literal meaning of the word "dao" in Chinese (刀) means "knife". Only in China there were several types of such swords. In the twentieth century, Europeans made the term Tao a general term for the swords of China and neighboring countries. In Southeast Asia, there is only one type of Tao sword, belonging to the Naga and Kachin peoples, belonging to the same Tibeto-Burman Ethnic Group. The Kachin live in the mountains of northern Myanmar in the states of Kachin, Naga in northwestern India - Assam and Nagaland.
Festive ceremony. In the hands of Naga men are the swords of Tao.
Until the twentieth century, a sinister custom remained among the Nagas - hunting for human heads. They believed that these dark spoils would bring fertility to the land of their tribe. After beheading was banned, the Nagas began to sacrifice livestock, usually buffalos, by cutting off their heads. The Naga warrior, who managed to cut off the head of a buffalo with one blow, enjoyed honor and respect in the tribe. It is believed that by this he gained magical power, which he can transfer to fields and livestock. The Sword of Dao was the main weapon for the Nagas and they treated it with special reverence.
Kachin men armed with Tao swords.
Having a design designed for slashing blows and apparent massiveness, Dao is not heavy at all. But the blades on both sides of the blade are sharpened like a sharp razor. The most typical feature of a naga blade is its shape. The blade narrows slightly from the base to the middle, widening more significantly towards the end. The end of the blade is absolutely square/U-shaped. Also, the Tao blade has a slightly protruding edge.
The sword and the endings of the Tao blade.
The handle of the Dao is made of wood, sometimes its upper part is decorated with a bone insert, and the handle is wrapped with strips of rattan.
Handles of Tao Naga/Kachin.
Dao scabbards are always wooden and have one characteristic feature: they are open on the front side, and the sword is held in the scabbard by several rattan strips that intercept the scabbard.
Tao Naga/Kachin in sheath.
As a rule, Dao Naga have a belt woven from rattan strips, with which the sword is worn on the belt. It is worn mainly from the front, tilted towards the working hand.