I recently had the pleasure to spend an afternoon with author Brian Kennedy in Taipei’s military history museum. They are currently having an exhibit on infantry weapons, and we decided to go check it out. Here are some of the pics I took.
This is obviously the front of the museum. They have torpedo launchers and other naval weaponry outside the museum.
These are the ceremonial daggers given to graduates of the KMT military academy. The one in the middle belonged to Chiang Kai-shek.
These are examples of the cavalry sabers worn in battle by KMT officers. You can’t see it in these pictures, but there are notches on the blades showing that they were likely used in combat.
One of the main reasons that I wanted to go was to get pics of the two “dadaos” that the museum has on display. These were broadswords carried into battle by KMT troops to be used in hand-to-hand combat. They are short and designed to be worn across the back, slung upside down so that they can be drawn and held behind the back, so the Japanese couldn’t see them.
This is the other example that they had on display. As you can see, the blade shape is slightly different. These swords were cheaply made from whatever material was available.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Hermann // Mar 8, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Dave,
doesn’t the first daodao remind you of guitou or songdao forms?
There are many older written documents (middle ages) showing these forms rather than oxtail and willowleaf.
But very early sabres (later Han) again look nearly straight, like swords, only with on edge.
So there must have been a change from straight to bent, and back to a little bend only.
Any ideas?
2 Yuxian // Mar 8, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Great photos, I love the swords! The first dadao looked more like a executioner’s weapon rather for hand to hand fighting? Which soldiers or units would have been issued with dadaos?
3 Q // Mar 9, 2007 at 12:12 am
Awesome stuff! I read about the troops that used blades shown in the last pic. It was sad that most of them died because they were fighting against firearms, but the strategies they used were interesting and they did win some important battles.
4 Uchi Deshi // Mar 9, 2007 at 6:47 am
Thanks for the link. I will add your site to my list of blogs.
5 chessman71 // Mar 9, 2007 at 8:42 am
Uchi,
Thanks. You have a great blog, BTW. I love your humor.
6 chessman71 // Mar 9, 2007 at 8:43 am
Hermann,
yes, that one does remind me of the guitoudao actually. I need to research that topic furthr. The book you recommneded is always sold out! It must be good.
7 Uchi Deshi // Mar 9, 2007 at 10:02 am
Thanks Chessman, I hadn’t come across yours before, but I enjoyed it and will be back.
8 William Acevedo // Apr 5, 2008 at 1:56 am
Hello Dave,
I was wondering if I could use these pictures for a short article I’m writing, I will of course credit you as the source, Thanks a bunch
Bill
9 Dave Chesser // Apr 5, 2008 at 9:15 am
William,
Sure.
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