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Asian arms in old European paintings logo

Asian arms in Dutch master paintings

Dutch masters' fascination with exotic Asian wares shown in a series of paintings.
Deccan talwar of William Fraser logo

A Fraser talwar from the Deccan

Once belonging to William Fraser (1784-1835), a British civil servant.
18th century Indian talwar with Fraser provenance

A Fraser talwar, 18th century

Once belonging to William Fraser (1784-1835), a British civil servant.
Southeast Asian katana logo

Japanese inspired Asian sword

Inspired by uchigatana brought into Vietnam by Japanese refugees.
Kachin Ntugalu sword

Ntugalu

Kachin name for a long straight sword.
Iron hilt Mindan dha logo

Very good Mindan dha

With silver overlay on iron even continued on its hilt.
Mindan Yama zatdaw dha logo

Mindan Ramayana dha

Fine Mindan dha with a scene from the Ramayana on its blade.
Silver mounted dha logo

Silver mounted dha

With entirely silver covered hilt and silver mounts on scabbard.
Mindan dha logo

Mindan dha

Fine silver overlaid dha made in Mindan village, south of Mandalay, gained fame in the 19th century.
Rare bird dha logo

Rare bird dha

One of the rarest forms of dha, with a hilt and scabbard carved like a bird.
Heavy dha logo

Heavy dha

The thick and heavy blade is marked with a script that has yet to be identified.
Burmese dha logo

Burmese dha with interesting blade

With inscriptions on blade, unusual grooves, and brass inlaid copper mounts.
Mainsa dha logo

Mainsa dha

Term coined by Bell in 1907, describing a dha that by then was mainly of Chinese make.
Plain dha with baldric logo

Plain dha with baldric

Nice plain dha as used in Yunnan, Burma, and northern Thailand. Complete with baldric.
A plain dha

A plain dha

Of a type likely produced by the Shan people and traded widely in the region.
Dpa'dam logo

Tibetan dpa'dam with belt hook

A large Tibetan sword, known in the local language as dpa'dam.
Caucasian shashka dated 1919

Dagestani shashka dated 1912

A nice Caucasian shashka from Dagestan with a Russian imperial monogram.
Vietnamese short kiem logo

Vietnamese shortsword

A short version of the Vietnamese kiếm sword with a finely carved horn hilt.
Katana with horse themed koshirae logo

Katana in horse theme koshirae

Blade signed Sesshū-jū Fujiwara Hiroyoshi, active in the 1670s-80s.
Han Plain Red Banner saber

Han Plain Red Banner saber

Southern Chinese saber made for a soldier under the Plain Red Banner.
Very fine Mindan dha logo

Very fine Mindan dha

Introduction

Fine silver overlaid dha made in Mindan village, south of Mandalay, gained fame in th

Tongzhou incident dadao logo

Tongzhou incident 29th army dàdāo

With markings attributing it to the Tongzhou incident and a Japanese surrender tag.
Golden groove peidao logo

Qing peidao with gold grooves

With fine 18th century blade that combines many stylistic features.
Mindan dha logo

Dha with story of Maung Tin

Of the silver overlaid type made in Mindan, with an unusual story on the blade.
Parang latok logo

Parang latok

A peculiar land Dayak sword with a sharp bend in the blade.
Parang latok logo

Parang latok

A curious slashing weapon from northern Borneo.
Sosun pattah with twistcore blade

Sosun pattah with twistcore blade

The hilt with overlay of the finest quality of the period
Important Juyo Ko-Hoki Sadatsuna logo

Important Ko-Hōki Sadatsuna katana

12th-century blade. 33rd Shinsha Juyō Token with sayagaki by Tanobe.
Waitsum logo

Waitsum

Language: Khasi
Source: In common use

Indian talwar with 1693 dated blade logo

Talwar with 1693 dated blade

With later, elaborately chiseled hilt of very fine quality.
Very fine Tibetan dpa'dam logo

Tibetan cavalry dpa'dam

With massive blade and silk brocade decorated scabbard.
Unusual Nias sword logo

Unusual South Nias sword

Of rather clean design for the area, with separate silver mouth with teeth in hilt.
Fine Dayak mandau logo

Finely carved mandau

A fine Dayak headhunter sword with an exceptionally carved hilt.
Deccan firanghi

Deccan firanghi with silver overlay

The basket hilt is elaborately overlaid with silver in floral designs.
North Indian kirach with Persian wootz export blade

Interesting kirach with dated hilt

Mentioning the son of a Maharajah and a year corresponding to 1887 A.D.
17th century pattisa logo

Fine 17th century pattissa

The enormous blade made of fine, boldly contrasting wootz steel.
Jumyo katana logo

Jumyo katana with fine koshirae

The very detailed mountings are decorated with designs of Japanese spiny lobsters.
Musashi Taro Yasukuni katana logo

Katana by Musashi Taro Yasukuni

Signed, ubu. Complete with tasteful koshirae and Hozon papers.
Musashi Taro Yasukuni logo

Musashi Taro Yasukuni (武蔵太郎安国)

A Japanese swordsmith who lived between 1650-1730.
Longquan Qianzihao duanjian logo

Longquan jiàn by Qian Zi Hao

A Chinese shortsword made by a well-known Longquan maker.
Cambodian long saber logo

Cambodian long saber

Sized like the Chinese changren dadao, yet the execution of the hilt is Cambodian.
Chinese demon head saber

Chinese demon head saber

Based on a Chinese military saber blade, with unusual horn demon hilt
Shihozume kitae logo

Shihōzume-gitae (四方詰め鍛え)

Japanese word for a sword construction with a high carbon edge, low carbon core, medium carbon sides and a separate back.
Honsanmai gitae logo

Hon-sanmai-gitae (本三枚鍛え)

Japanese word for a sword construction with a high carbon edge plate under a soft core, flanked by medium steel.
Sanmei gitae logo

Sanmai-gitae (三枚鍛え)

Japanese word for a sword construction with a center high carbon edge plate.
Wariha-gitae logo

Wariha-gitae / wariba-gitea (割刃鍛え)

Japanese term for a sword construction with an inserted edge made of higher carbon steel.
Hyoshigi gitae logo

Hyoshigi-gitae (拍子木鍛え)  

Japanese term for a sword construction with an edge made of higher carbon steel.
Maru gitae

Maru-gitae (丸鍛え)

Japanese word for a basic blade construction consisting of one type of steel.
Japanese sword construction methods logo

Construction methods of Japanese swords

This article will describe several methods by which the Japanese joined higher and lower carbon steels into their blades.
Shin jugomai kobuse logo

Shin jūgomai kōbuse-gitae (真十五枚甲伏鍛え)

Japanese sword construction that is was found inscribed on some tangs.