Saber/dao cloths
Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 7:41 am
I was wondering when the use of cloth tied to the pommel of the saber/dao began. While ancient statues of warriors with swords/jian show the use of tassels, it does not seem like using the cloth with the saber/dao was prevalent until relatively recently. For the Qing military the dao used a wrist cord rather than the cloth, but I do not know about folk usage. Of course, modern performances typically use cloths on the sabers/dao.
I think that some of the Boxers (~1900) tied cloths to their sabers/dao, and some of the Big Knife soldiers that fought the Japanese in WWII used saber/dao cloths tied to the ring pommels of their weapons (although it seems like this was not prevalent or standard). I do not know about street performers from the late Qing, or rebel troops, theater, etc.
Does anyone have information on saber/dao cloths and when they began to be used instead of the wrist cord?
I think that some of the Boxers (~1900) tied cloths to their sabers/dao, and some of the Big Knife soldiers that fought the Japanese in WWII used saber/dao cloths tied to the ring pommels of their weapons (although it seems like this was not prevalent or standard). I do not know about street performers from the late Qing, or rebel troops, theater, etc.
Does anyone have information on saber/dao cloths and when they began to be used instead of the wrist cord?