"I have to sand the pommel, and I use it so much that my sweat ruins the grip" Eastonese for "I absolutely love this sword and am struggling to find bad things to say about it."
@098765 Craper idk didn't the crazy original two handed anti cavalry dao also come from this period. Think its multi purpose. Could also fuck up spearmen. So could a dao but thrusts.
Swords were largely sidearms and not really the primary weapon for war. In China, pole arms, glaive and halberd were the primary weapons and had much more penetrative power.
@@LuffyFanBoy99 That would be my guess. They figured a few thousand in advertising on TH-cam would do more than in putting it into ads that cost more to begin with.
@@LuffyFanBoy99 it is obviously a marketing campaign but goodlord do I not give a fuck given how rare good quality chinese reproductions are. and the price is pretty damn fair too
Free swords. They give you a sword, you review it to your audience, you get views, both sides are happy. It's also a plus that these are high quality and not Raid.
I have a sword from him a few years ago, it's good but not as good, it means he's improving his craft, which is good, I'm glad he now spent more effort to market his stuffs so people would know how those weapons really looks like.
Having trained Chinese Dao forms I can confirm that they really contain stabbing techniques where you use the palm of the left hand on the pommel cap to drive the sword forward.
Odds are that none of the Jian forms practiced in modern Gongfu systems, most of which date back to the Qing Dynasty at the earliest, have much connection to times when Jians were actually used on the battlefield. Daos were still being used when many modern Gongfu styles were being developed, so there is more of a chance that a Dao form reflects actual historical usage.
@@CrossingFist The modern wushu system, essentially acrobatics, was invented in the 1970s by the PRC to suppress martial arts. You'll find very little in there resembling techniques used in actual combat.
I've been putting a lot of energy into figuring out how to convince my wife I need one of these LK Chen swords... Not sure how I'd use it in the garden or etc...
I use a Cold Steel 'so called' Nodachi to fend off the Yew hedge, at 57 inches I don't have to risk using a ladder to reach the top. Ladders are dangerous. Hope this helps your argument.
This was one of the other swords I ordered from LK Chen at the start of the year and I can confirm it is a truly wonderful thing to wield. Unfortunately Covid got the better of shipping to the UK but LK were very careful to keep me updated on the process. I've yet to cut in anger but from dry practice it's just utterly incredible. The work LK Chen are doing right now belies their price point and I'm looking forward to their future works.
"It's completely plausible that the hand was sometimes placed on the butt..." Matt. 12:39 Really glad you're reviewing LK Chen - I am very pleased with the Flying Phoenix Han jian and Frontier Tang dao. I appreciate that LK Chen is going for historical accuracy based on antiques and discloses instances where they offer non-historical lengthened handles on some models. Some Oakeshott type 19 European swords have a similar light weight and narrow blade - to paraphrase a point you make: because of armor they needed a long stabby thing.
The cut at 19:48 looks really impressive. Well done, Matt. Besides, this two-handed jian is a piece of beauty. I can't tell what it is, but this particular sword looks aesthetically pleasing and also intimidating to me.
I’ve been doing research on the Jian for a few years now there aren’t many manuals available and less in English. Jack Chen has a really nicely translated manual for the two handed Jian, and there’s some good comparisons in there. For that cross guard though, I can say from personal experience that your hands have to be guarded by skill, not armor or guard. Though strangely a lot of European styled fighters hit that tiny piece of metal with a strange regularity.
They did. There was some tempered long swords that existed in Europe by then and before. I remember reading about a Germanic sword found in the Ryan that dates back to 900 BC and was able to flex. The Germanic & Celtic (mosly Germans like Nordics) people were making some tempered swords that can flex, some being as long as 52 inches! That's longer then some Long Swords in the medieval Ages!
@@Reactionary_Harkonnen I heard that Celtic longswords were longer than spatha (and later migration period and Viking era sword), but it's notoriously known for bending. So to know that some of them could flex is new information for me. Could you please give us the source that states it? it would be very interesting for me.
Same day as Skallagrim's another LK Chen sword review! These swords are making a splash in the pan within the community. This sword cuts water bottles very well! I would say horizontal zwerchaus are pretty hard for test cuttings as even though the tip speed generated is fairly high initially from twisting the blade, it's fairly hard to follow through with the cut due to human anatomy. I do find diagonal zwerchaus easier (some call these low schielhau) for cutting practices, as you can actually step in and have the space to follow through. Maybe zwerchaus are supposed to be harassing cuts or surprising cuts as they are quite unusual in sword fights perhaps? Not meant to cleave someone's face off.
I thought I'd be able to get the zerchau through, but I didn't want to use up too many bottles because I have lots more reviews to do soon. And I neither teach nor really do zerch/twerch very often because I am a Fiore/Vadi guy.
Great video as always! According to my very limited understanding on chinese sword (from having practiced a few years of Kung-Fu back in the day) Chinese blades are meant to be used with very fast cleaving arching cuts (taking advantage of the lightness) so that the centrifugal force straightens the blade while in motion. That is in contrast to western swords which are stiffer and suited for drawing and push cuts as well. I just leave it here in case you want to experiment with this bit of info. Cheers!
Very informative review. Thanks! On a semi-related note, I just recently watched God of War, and enjoyed it greatly. Inspired by the Ming dynasty's campaigns against coastal pirate bands in the 1500's, the film shows a much more realistic view of Chinese warfare than most films have before. Lots of combined arms, integrating matchlock firearms, cannon, and shield tactics. Still a little too cinematic, but less stylized than your typical Wuxia film.
The bulletproof rattan shields (they could be resistant against bullets but were still highly vulnerable against firearms and heavy arrows at closer ranges) was a glaring flaw imo. Wokou swordsmen charging into shield walls without any form of tactics or ranged support while wearing robes was also rather funny to see.
Thank you for sharing this with us. Very impressive sword and fascinating that the original was 2200yrs ago. I am curious how steel and bronze swords interacted in a fight back when both were used. Maybe someone in TH-cam land wants to make a test video?
It’s great the depth you’re able to go through in understanding these things. Seeing this I’m curious if there is a comprehensive visual connecting the blades/assortments of weapons to the armors/clothes they are designed for going up against? It would be pretty interesting to get to see a smattering from across the board of such pairings spanning multiple time periods & regions.
It's really nice to learn the technical sword terminology. I'll remember... er... wibble. It's this akin to when Mr. Humphreys was talking about wibbly wobblies?
Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor, carried a sword like this. The sword was so long that when he was attacked by an assassin he was unable to draw the sword to defend himself. A courtier reminded him to carry the sword on his back so he could draw it. He did that and was able to draw the sword, with which he fatally wounded the assassin.
@Tango Zulu nodachi were worn on the back sometimes over the shoulder. Depending on the actual scabbard no its not impossible just not with typically scabbards. Imagine a loop holding the blade relatively bare.
I was taught some sword play by a Chinese National Champion of the 2 handed long sword, his name is Xu Dingyuan. It's not often seen, but the late Grandmaster of Chinese wushu, the Chinese National sport, with over 100 people enjoying it, Pan Qingfu, teaches some to his American student, Mark, in the film, Iron and Silk. Both Mark and Qingfu play their own roles in the movie depiction of the true story of how they met. It's free on TH-cam and well worth at least one viewing. Also, one of my former Coaches of wushu, Jonathan Staples, who does some reenactments, was taught wushu by the women's national champion of China, Teacher Li, I think. Nice video.
I can understand why the manufacturer may not sharpen the sword as fully. Its something one can do oneself to preference without exposing LK Chen to too much liability just in case the purchaser isn't quite familiar how to handle blades.😄
When I received my sword, it came with certification that it was able to cut through paper with a single slice from the manufacturer. I saw it do exactly that in their testing videos. But when I had it, it couldn't quite do that. I wonder how much the violence of international travel can dull the edge - it's still sharp, but it's not razor-sharp anymore. People throwing packages and vibrations in the plane cargo hold are probably not great for it!
I find it facinating that the Chinese had long, slender, tempered steel longswords before Europe had even entered the Medieval period. Beautiful sword, would like to see a video directly comparing this sword to a 15th or 16th century era European longsword.
I dont like the way he explained it. It was an anti infantry weapon for officers as Chinese soldiers were usually leveed peasants with spears or pykes. The is designed to deal with masses of spears and pykes and allow you to keep the distance and be light enough to quickly deal with spear thrusts. Its designed for an officers at the front of the battle line to deal with several peasants charging at you with their spears. It's not a weapon for individual combat or self protection, its a heavy infantry weapon. Its creation had nothing to do with armor and everything to do with allowing a trained skilled swordsman to deal with several peasants with spears in the middle of the battle line.
@@zeitgeistx5239 In fact, there are two drafting systems used in Chinese history. One of them is mandatory military service. For example in the Western Han dynasty, all able-bodied male entering the age of 20 will be sent to train in the local commandary for 1 year, and then they will be either sent off to the imperial army or the frontline for another year, before they went home. During times of war, they will be called to join forces with the military again. This mandatory military service will end at the age of 56 for some and 60 for most of the people. Most of the time, this alone is not enough to deal with border threats, so the emperors sent migrants to the border provinces and build cities and garrisons and man them permanently as holdouts at the frontier. And then there is the other system, the voluntary military service. During the Eastern Han dynasty, for example, frequent warfare and land annexation by the rich had left many people without land. So these disenfranchised people sought military as their profession. By that time, mandatory military service had largely failed and the drafting system transitioned into volunteer military service. This trend continued into the Three-Kingdoms period when warlords began recruiting their personal armies. A separate warrior class was created by both the kingdoms of Wei and Wu. One man from each "warrior family" called, 军户, would become a soldier and will only be replaced by another man in that same family if he was either dead or too old to fight. These two systems had alternated for much of the history of China. This is an inevitable fate because land annexation always happen. It is a natural economic phenomenon.
@@zeitgeistx5239 second, I don't think a sword could win against several spears. In fact, according to the Han dynasty record, it is the other way around. In their words, swords and shields are often defeated by long spears and halberds on level ground. It is only on hilly grounds where no one can go back and forth will swords and shields have the edge over spears and halberds.
It’s also interesting that Chinese swords had European style cross guards in the Medieval era. They looked almost identical to arming swords except the quillions are curved. Here’s a painting from the 13th century: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei#/media/File:Four_Generals_of_Song.jpg
Is it safe to assume that the early development of lamellar/scale armour and the decline of shield sizes in East Asia might have been the reason for why 2 handed weapons were so popular?
I would love to hear your thoughts on the frontier tang dao and the hidden hilt dao, especially since you are a saber guy. I feel like those are the Chinese equivalents.
Yeah I'd also like seeing some Dao reviews, though since it seems it's LK Chen who's sending the swords for review, I guess it mostly depends on him for now. But yeah there's been quite a few reviews of the jian and not much on the dao
Matt, it's really interesting that you frequently talk about sharpness out of the box. Could you say something about why it's more desirable that greater sharpness should be provided? I would have thought that a less sharp edge is better for transit and unpacking, and that you can add the edge you want when the blade is safely delivered and unpackaged. As ever thanks for the sheer amount of information and insight in what remain really quite short videos.
I will be interested in Mr. Easton's opinion on the White Arc if he gets his hand on it. I saw Skallagrim's review and, while he was quite positive about it, it is the first LK Chen to give me pause. It is ridiculously thin-bladded. He ended up putting a permanently set bend in the blade and was so concerned about putting more stress on the thin blade that he didn't want to try too hard to fix it. Yes, he did apparently go after some thin tree limbs with it as well as tatami, but he also made at least one wonky cut in the tatami and thought that cut could also have been what caused the set because of the extreme flexibility of the the blade! I believe (but my memory is notorious) that the WA is one of the LK Chens that are based on one specific historical find and I am curious as to whether perhaps that specific sword was not meant to be a battlefield weapon or perhaps suffered corrosion to a greater degree than was assumed by LKC. A second opinion would be interesting.
I really admire your longsword technique. You have very graceful movements. I've seen others doing longsword forms and cutting and they seem off balance or clumsy to me idk.
There is another reason why the Chinese started to make longer blades. Their skill at metallurgy improved. For example, some historians say that the Qin dynasty produced better bronze than their neighbors. This allowed them to make longer swords that wouldn't bend and have an advantage on the battlefield. It is also the reason why Mediterranean civilizations used short swords during the bronze age. The metal was more malleable so a long blade would have bent.
The Qin kingdom didn't necessarily have the best metallurgical or sword making skills overall though. I've read the Kingdom of Chu had the best iron & steel making industry and their swords were famed in the Warring States era.
Hey man, I'm a massive fan of the channel! As a very enthusiastic beginner to longsword who's hema club has been canceled due to the current plague, I'm pretty bummed about not learning new techniques or exercises every week. I was wondering if you'd ever consider doing a video going over some of the cut exercises and solo drills you were doing around the 14 minute mark. I wanted to try your quarantine cutting videos, but I don't have a sharp sword. I only own a feder. If you've already made a solo drill video, then I'll just have to keep looking; but if not, I'd really like to see one. Whether you see this or not, I love the educational content and look forward to more!
Hey Matt, I know you probably wont see this on such an old video and I'm also aware of you sharpening tutorial. All that said I would greatly appreciate a video on sharpening LK Chen swords given they're convex edge and pattern I'm a little scared to try to sharpen my magnificent chu up
I think the blade thickness is good. It makes for a quicker sword in the heat of battle! They grew up and trained on these and my guess is that they had no problem with perfect cuts.
right, so the hobby here is learning to cut with it even though it's technically challenging, which is one reason why it should be so fun. Your posture and motions would be really important and it would give you something that's fairly basic but infinitely challenging to practice. (you would succeed right away but have little challenges with new targets, new angles, and new approaches)
Another great video. Please tell me you are a Nirvana fan and not just thinking its a generic shirt like a lot of people! They don't even know Nirvana are a band. A great band!
One criticism of your criticism on sharpeness out of the box. Imo, the way that comes out and albion etc. swords is more historical accurate. Obviously, some owners put the extra time and effort on their blades. No doubt about that. But for most people for most of the time during times of actual conflict, I'd say that would be the level of sharpness they'd spend most of their time. It would be neat if companies offered different levels of out of the box sharpness you can just pick, from shaving sharp to nearly blunt "DIY" levels, but the standard of a period replica or period inspired replica should be the way they probably were most of the time imo.
Probably true at least for mass produced weapons, but if your sword is not razor sharp then even a light gambeson can prove very hard to cut and you have to thrust to get through with reliable results.
How dare you not do you best Kung Fu impression with them! And please please please, do a commentary on youtube videos on Kung Fu forms of Chinese longswords. I would really like to know whether you recognize good fundamentals in these forms and whether you think that doing these Kung Fu forms as drills would be beneficial to one's fencing. MATT, I SAID PLEASE THREE TIMES.
Regarding the sharpness criticism. I think that all manufacturers ship swords not quite fully sharp. I think it is a liability concern and I think it recognizes that the vast majority of their products will just be wall hangers. Tod Cutler web page says more or less just that.
A query, you said in the other video that the wrapping goign up to the disc pommel in Chu swords is attested - do you think a simialr thing might have happened with the cast bronze disc pommeled hilts in Europe? The proportions don't quite look it to me, and some seem to have decorations on the bronze of the hilt so I would assume not
@@BS-cc4ks nah, india didnt have blast furnace, which is a staple Chinese invention that allowed the Chinese to produce much better steel than the rest of the world
@@hiimryan2388 Damascus steel is actually steel from India. Because of meteors that landed in India in prehistory, they had sources of iron naturally mixed with nickle and other stuff. The steel made from it was incredibly famous in the middle ages. China did not have anything similar.
@@BS-cc4ks not exactly, I’m assuming your referring to Indian wootz steel with your reference to the Damascus steel. And funnily enough China DID have a steel similar to it called “bintie” it is so similar that some say that it’s wootz steel however it’s likely locally produced as wootz still were called “Hindustan steel” in China.
I have the striking eagle and out of the 50 swords I own it’s my favorite. It’s a lot like the ablion dane I have, just lighter and somewhat less effective due to low mass. Cheers from Chicago!
It is possible that these long blades serve a specific purpose on the battle field. If you look at emperor's Qin Shi Huang's army, they were very organized. They had specific formations with different roles and they had specific weapons. A long ass sword like this would suck if you are fighting in a formation. Maybe the soldiers who used these swords had a function, such as to deal with spears, much like the Zeinhander did.
Eh, if it was more for generals or highly favored warriors, especially if it requires masterful precision and skill, would be relegated to more duels between equals as opposed to general battlefield usage
havent seen anyone do any vid about ancient Chinese armor yet. From my point of view, the greatest ancient military invention would be the lackermaterials. Which makes crossbows and long-range bows possible, and also, makes those ancient armor quite reliable. Especially those leather armor processed with lacker tech, most of them were stronger than iron ones and much much less weight.
Been dying for a sword with these exact characteristics. So happy somebody has built a strong jian that isn’t mall standard. I prefer Japanese sword tactics but like to strike with both sides but I dislike crossguard tactics and the amazing length of handle makes certain movements very easy and a full tang. It’s perfect for me! I don’t like crossguard tactics because they seem to count too often on the opponent having a crossguard as well. I realize not every crossguard trick needs this but it still gets in my way.
That's a fantastic sword! I'd have thought water bottles were its perfect target though given the ferocious tip speed you can get with its length and lightish weight
You should see the White Arc sword. It's got an almost 40" blade stuck onto a single handed hilt coming in under 2 pounds. Just imagine that sword on a short hilt but as lively as the Magnificent Chu.
There's an old wudang two handed sword form that generates some wonderful torque id like to try this sword out on. Very demanding on the torso to keep blade alignment right.
You did not talk about or show balance point. I am not familiar with Chinese swords, but I assume this one to be more like katana/sabre than medival long sword right?
Lots of Chinese one handed swords(Jians) from later in the period have blades of similar length to the rapier. they were also thinner and thrust oriented.
Hey Matt, I believe most of the Jian swords in warring period were actually made through either steal and copper. Since the copper was still easy to access at that time, so they made core of the blade through low tin copper ally so the blade can be more soft and flexible and the once the core was made, they forged the blade with high tin copper ally so the blade itself can be stiff and sharp. The possible reasons most of the copper swords were found during warring state period probably because copper sword with high tin can be more corrosion resistance compared to steal, also the copper blades are golden which were more favourable for royal house or nobles.
Most swords of the Warring States era were made of bronze, wrought iron, or different types of steel. The copper was still combined with tin to create bronze (which is an alloy of copper and tin). The levels of tin varied depending on the location of the sword (more tin or less tin for more or less hardness). Bronze was more common earlier in the era while iron and steel became more common later in the era.
@@Intranetusa iron? Thought that was just a video game thing. Iron is almost as soft as bronze and harder to work. Why would they use it for weapons?heavier too iirc
@@elirantuil5003 Iron has the exact same weight as steel. Steel is just iron with a tiny percentage of carbon. Iron is malleable like bronze but is cheaper to produce. Iron ore is also more common than copper + tin ore. Iron was used for military equipment because it was cheaper and more readily available compared to bronze, not because it was stronger or lighter. As time went on, iron was more relegated to armor while better grade iron (eg. iron with a certain % carbon in it to form steel) was used for weapons. For example, some Celtic swords supposedly had an issue with bending - possibly meaning they were of wrought iron or low carbon mild steel construction that made them soft. When people could produce higher carbon steel more reliably, they certainly would use them for weapons.
the pommel looks like it was roughly turned to my eye. I personally prefer turned metal over cast. casting bronze at that size/thinnest is rather difficult/costly and it would explain the difference from the the archaeological find. your replica has a near square edge on the circumference as opposed to sloping which is expected with casting that can be seen on the original shown in your video. it would also explain the sharpness. I may be wrong though but I swear I can see machining patterns.
China bought NBA, Blizzard and now our HEMA heroes. In the end we should not be sutprised - Matt has already suspiciously changed his mind on spadroons, obviously after being paid or coerced by Big Spadroon complex.
I saw some videos by LK Chen showing the use of a couple of their swords. How closely does this coordinate with the way swords were used in Europe (at least according to the historical records)?
More like Matt far-Easton
Sadface chapeau my friend chapeau
This is, what i would describe, a perfect pun.
Little-known fact: I actually did kung fu before I did HEMA.
Damn, what style did you train, Sifu Matt?
@@DiscRover I do Nam Pai Chian, North-South Fist. Matt needs an Easton-Western Fist style.
A sword for the jiantlemen
i see what you did there heh
An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
10/10
Actually, there was a chinese saying that goes "jians are used by gentlemen, dao are used by warriors"
@@omnomnom5359 And Thor, God of Thunder, uses a hammer.
Oh goodness I already ordered a Magnificent Chu because of your last video and here you are tempting me *again*.
Just wait till you get to him reviewing the Han Flying Phoenix :)
Just ordered this one
"I have to sand the pommel, and I use it so much that my sweat ruins the grip" Eastonese for "I absolutely love this sword and am struggling to find bad things to say about it."
It’s incredible that these were so beautifully and technologically made over 2000 years ago!
Just looking at its speed, flexibility, and weight, this thing was made to really give a mob of unarmored peasants a bad day.
Dynasty warrior type beat
Weird way to observe the use of a weapon.
@@0MVR_0 weapons are best judged by how many peasents they can slay
@098765 Craper idk didn't the crazy original two handed anti cavalry dao also come from this period. Think its multi purpose. Could also fuck up spearmen. So could a dao but thrusts.
Swords were largely sidearms and not really the primary weapon for war. In China, pole arms, glaive and halberd were the primary weapons and had much more penetrative power.
That old Chinese sword design is simply gorgeous! Amazing it is so old and beautiful. I want one! NOW!
我国国内可以买
EVERYONE is reviewing Jians from LK Chen right now! What's in the air right now?
Free swords
@@LuffyFanBoy99 That would be my guess. They figured a few thousand in advertising on TH-cam would do more than in putting it into ads that cost more to begin with.
@@LuffyFanBoy99 it is obviously a marketing campaign but goodlord do I not give a fuck given how rare good quality chinese reproductions are. and the price is pretty damn fair too
Free swords. They give you a sword, you review it to your audience, you get views, both sides are happy. It's also a plus that these are high quality and not Raid.
It is nice to see quality Chinese sword replica enter the sight of historical arms&armors community :)
Im seriously impressed by LK Chen, good replica Chinese swords are just so hard to find, and on top of that they're affordable.
I have a sword from him a few years ago, it's good but not as good, it means he's improving his craft, which is good, I'm glad he now spent more effort to market his stuffs so people would know how those weapons really looks like.
I like your imjin war series. Keep ip the good work
noobzaebot Thank you!
Having trained Chinese Dao forms I can confirm that they really contain stabbing techniques where you use the palm of the left hand on the pommel cap to drive the sword forward.
The question isn't whether it's done today, but whether it was done historically. It probably was, but we'd need textual evidence for that.
Odds are that none of the Jian forms practiced in modern Gongfu systems, most of which date back to the Qing Dynasty at the earliest, have much connection to times when Jians were actually used on the battlefield. Daos were still being used when many modern Gongfu styles were being developed, so there is more of a chance that a Dao form reflects actual historical usage.
@@CrossingFist Forms, yes. But the question is about techniques.
@@CrossingFist The modern wushu system, essentially acrobatics, was invented in the 1970s by the PRC to suppress martial arts. You'll find very little in there resembling techniques used in actual combat.
I've been putting a lot of energy into figuring out how to convince my wife I need one of these LK Chen swords... Not sure how I'd use it in the garden or etc...
I use a Cold Steel 'so called' Nodachi to fend off the Yew hedge, at 57 inches I don't have to risk using a ladder to reach the top. Ladders are dangerous. Hope this helps your argument.
"It is a Chinese pruning/mowning tool, heard it is super good when you get the hang of it, I just need to practice a lot"
Rhubarb harvesting tool or any other large stalked edible
Use it on the wife, free yourself 😎
Does she need to convince you she needs jewellery?
This was one of the other swords I ordered from LK Chen at the start of the year and I can confirm it is a truly wonderful thing to wield. Unfortunately Covid got the better of shipping to the UK but LK were very careful to keep me updated on the process. I've yet to cut in anger but from dry practice it's just utterly incredible. The work LK Chen are doing right now belies their price point and I'm looking forward to their future works.
"It's completely plausible that the hand was sometimes placed on the butt..." Matt. 12:39 Really glad you're reviewing LK Chen - I am very pleased with the Flying Phoenix Han jian and Frontier Tang dao. I appreciate that LK Chen is going for historical accuracy based on antiques and discloses instances where they offer non-historical lengthened handles on some models. Some Oakeshott type 19 European swords have a similar light weight and narrow blade - to paraphrase a point you make: because of armor they needed a long stabby thing.
The cut at 19:48 looks really impressive. Well done, Matt. Besides, this two-handed jian is a piece of beauty. I can't tell what it is, but this particular sword looks aesthetically pleasing and also intimidating to me.
I’ve been doing research on the Jian for a few years now there aren’t many manuals available and less in English.
Jack Chen has a really nicely translated manual for the two handed Jian, and there’s some good comparisons in there.
For that cross guard though, I can say from personal experience that your hands have to be guarded by skill, not armor or guard. Though strangely a lot of European styled fighters hit that tiny piece of metal with a strange regularity.
2200 years ago, this sword existed. imagine if you had one this then.
They did.
There was some tempered long swords that existed in Europe by then and before. I remember reading about a Germanic sword found in the Ryan that dates back to 900 BC and was able to flex. The Germanic & Celtic (mosly Germans like Nordics) people were making some tempered swords that can flex, some being as long as 52 inches! That's longer then some Long Swords in the medieval Ages!
@@Reactionary_Harkonnen sources?
@@Reactionary_Harkonnen I heard that Celtic longswords were longer than spatha (and later migration period and Viking era sword), but it's notoriously known for bending. So to know that some of them could flex is new information for me. Could you please give us the source that states it? it would be very interesting for me.
Same day as Skallagrim's another LK Chen sword review! These swords are making a splash in the pan within the community. This sword cuts water bottles very well! I would say horizontal zwerchaus are pretty hard for test cuttings as even though the tip speed generated is fairly high initially from twisting the blade, it's fairly hard to follow through with the cut due to human anatomy. I do find diagonal zwerchaus easier (some call these low schielhau) for cutting practices, as you can actually step in and have the space to follow through. Maybe zwerchaus are supposed to be harassing cuts or surprising cuts as they are quite unusual in sword fights perhaps? Not meant to cleave someone's face off.
I thought I'd be able to get the zerchau through, but I didn't want to use up too many bottles because I have lots more reviews to do soon. And I neither teach nor really do zerch/twerch very often because I am a Fiore/Vadi guy.
i like how you combined a little historical context with some critique & review of this modern blade product!
Very nice looking sword. Gotta get me one of their blades. Excellent review Matt.
Great video as always!
According to my very limited understanding on chinese sword (from having practiced a few years of Kung-Fu back in the day) Chinese blades are meant to be used with very fast cleaving arching cuts (taking advantage of the lightness) so that the centrifugal force straightens the blade while in motion. That is in contrast to western swords which are stiffer and suited for drawing and push cuts as well. I just leave it here in case you want to experiment with this bit of info.
Cheers!
Big respect for the Nirvana shirt.
Just came here from one of Skallagrim's LK Chen reviews. If Matt and Skall collaborated would it be Skallagladiatoria or Scholagrim?
Skallascholagrimagladiatoria duhhh
Scholagrim has the better ring.
It would be epic
SkalLindyShadiaTronia. Let's get them all together!
Scholagrim! In the not so distant future, there is only sword.
Very informative review. Thanks!
On a semi-related note, I just recently watched God of War, and enjoyed it greatly. Inspired by the Ming dynasty's campaigns against coastal pirate bands in the 1500's, the film shows a much more realistic view of Chinese warfare than most films have before. Lots of combined arms, integrating matchlock firearms, cannon, and shield tactics. Still a little too cinematic, but less stylized than your typical Wuxia film.
The bulletproof rattan shields (they could be resistant against bullets but were still highly vulnerable against firearms and heavy arrows at closer ranges) was a glaring flaw imo. Wokou swordsmen charging into shield walls without any form of tactics or ranged support while wearing robes was also rather funny to see.
That movie is full of errors. As a history lover, I can't really stand it.
Thank you for sharing this with us. Very impressive sword and fascinating that the original was 2200yrs ago. I am curious how steel and bronze swords interacted in a fight back when both were used.
Maybe someone in TH-cam land wants to make a test video?
It’s great the depth you’re able to go through in understanding these things.
Seeing this I’m curious if there is a comprehensive visual connecting the blades/assortments of weapons to the armors/clothes they are designed for going up against?
It would be pretty interesting to get to see a smattering from across the board of such pairings spanning multiple time periods & regions.
What a beautiful sword. Very impressive. And, as always, great video, Matt Easton.
If you use reddit consider joining r/scholagladiatoria
Thanks, I'll take a look :-)
Fascinating. Until this and your previous video I had no idea they were making swords of this quality that far back in history.
I hope someday LK Chen can expand his range into Yuan/Ming/Qing/Modern Chinese weapons...good accurate reproduction of those are quite rare too.
Would you say that even swords from higher-end Chinese smiths or longquan forges tend to fall short in terms of quality?
Thank you for that review. You covered everything I was wondering about it and more.
When you said that blade wasn't very forgiving you weren't kidding. It clearly demands focus to master it. Reminds me of some horses...
interestingly, these kinds of swords were indeed used by ancient Chinese infantry to kill enemy cavalry :)
It's really nice to learn the technical sword terminology. I'll remember... er... wibble. It's this akin to when Mr. Humphreys was talking about wibbly wobblies?
Thank you for improving your pronunciation Matt!
Damn, I think Lucy should be worried. Looked like Matt is planning to marry the thing :)
That scabbard is lovely, the green detailing really pops out
Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor, carried a sword like this. The sword was so long that when he was attacked by an assassin he was unable to draw the sword to defend himself. A courtier reminded him to carry the sword on his back so he could draw it. He did that and was able to draw the sword, with which he fatally wounded the assassin.
So he was attacked by an assassin twice then?
@@Likexner Only once. Please refer to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jing_Ke
Jinhan Cai: The wrong use of "carry' ,u should have said "moved" the sword to his back. Very informative ,thanks
@Tango Zulu nodachi were worn on the back sometimes over the shoulder.
Depending on the actual scabbard no its not impossible just not with typically scabbards. Imagine a loop holding the blade relatively bare.
@Tango Zulu hes also a scam artist if im not mistaken.
I was taught some sword play by a Chinese National Champion of the 2 handed long sword, his name is Xu Dingyuan. It's not often seen, but the late Grandmaster of Chinese wushu, the Chinese National sport, with over 100 people enjoying it, Pan Qingfu, teaches some to his American student, Mark, in the film, Iron and Silk. Both Mark and Qingfu play their own roles in the movie depiction of the true story of how they met. It's free on TH-cam and well worth at least one viewing.
Also, one of my former Coaches of wushu, Jonathan Staples, who does some reenactments, was taught wushu by the women's national champion of China, Teacher Li, I think. Nice video.
I can understand why the manufacturer may not sharpen the sword as fully.
Its something one can do oneself to preference without exposing LK Chen to too much liability just in case the purchaser isn't quite familiar how to handle blades.😄
When I received my sword, it came with certification that it was able to cut through paper with a single slice from the manufacturer. I saw it do exactly that in their testing videos. But when I had it, it couldn't quite do that. I wonder how much the violence of international travel can dull the edge - it's still sharp, but it's not razor-sharp anymore. People throwing packages and vibrations in the plane cargo hold are probably not great for it!
Great cuts, Matt!
I find it facinating that the Chinese had long, slender, tempered steel longswords before Europe had even entered the Medieval period. Beautiful sword, would like to see a video directly comparing this sword to a 15th or 16th century era European longsword.
I dont like the way he explained it. It was an anti infantry weapon for officers as Chinese soldiers were usually leveed peasants with spears or pykes. The is designed to deal with masses of spears and pykes and allow you to keep the distance and be light enough to quickly deal with spear thrusts. Its designed for an officers at the front of the battle line to deal with several peasants charging at you with their spears. It's not a weapon for individual combat or self protection, its a heavy infantry weapon. Its creation had nothing to do with armor and everything to do with allowing a trained skilled swordsman to deal with several peasants with spears in the middle of the battle line.
Zeitgeist X pretty risky charging a group of spearman that just keep poking without a shield
@@zeitgeistx5239 Yea well without really good armor you'll end up a pin cushion from several peasants.
@@zeitgeistx5239 In fact, there are two drafting systems used in Chinese history. One of them is mandatory military service. For example in the Western Han dynasty, all able-bodied male entering the age of 20 will be sent to train in the local commandary for 1 year, and then they will be either sent off to the imperial army or the frontline for another year, before they went home. During times of war, they will be called to join forces with the military again. This mandatory military service will end at the age of 56 for some and 60 for most of the people.
Most of the time, this alone is not enough to deal with border threats, so the emperors sent migrants to the border provinces and build cities and garrisons and man them permanently as holdouts at the frontier.
And then there is the other system, the voluntary military service. During the Eastern Han dynasty, for example, frequent warfare and land annexation by the rich had left many people without land. So these disenfranchised people sought military as their profession. By that time, mandatory military service had largely failed and the drafting system transitioned into volunteer military service. This trend continued into the Three-Kingdoms period when warlords began recruiting their personal armies. A separate warrior class was created by both the kingdoms of Wei and Wu. One man from each "warrior family" called, 军户, would become a soldier and will only be replaced by another man in that same family if he was either dead or too old to fight.
These two systems had alternated for much of the history of China. This is an inevitable fate because land annexation always happen. It is a natural economic phenomenon.
@@zeitgeistx5239 second, I don't think a sword could win against several spears. In fact, according to the Han dynasty record, it is the other way around. In their words, swords and shields are often defeated by long spears and halberds on level ground. It is only on hilly grounds where no one can go back and forth will swords and shields have the edge over spears and halberds.
well, now I know what that one famous sort from that one franchise had it's design based on off. That handle/grip design is unmistakable.
The extreme flexibility is a plausible feature, using the blade similar to a whip and cutting on the withdraw.
Fascinating! I'm so used to one-handed jian, but I've never seen the two-handed ones
It’s also interesting that Chinese swords had European style cross guards in the Medieval era. They looked almost identical to arming swords except the quillions are curved. Here’s a painting from the 13th century:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yue_Fei#/media/File:Four_Generals_of_Song.jpg
scholagladiatoria: keeping Coke and Pepsi in business since 2007 ;)
So glad you take the time to pronounce Chinese words correctly.
How do you hide that under a overcoat when you're on your way to duel other Immortals…?
Such a blade shouldn't be hidden away!
Always appreciate a Highlander reference
Scott mcleod
Cut down all in your way
Clicking on a video from Matt, having a 5 minute commercial from Shad in front 😄
Gotta say, that's beautiful sword handling action. Incredible weapon.
2 handed swords were particularly common in North-East Asian cultures when compared to the rest of the world.
Is it safe to assume that the early development of lamellar/scale armour and the decline of shield sizes in East Asia might have been the reason for why 2 handed weapons were so popular?
That rising cut at about 20 mins in tho 👌🔥
I would love to hear your thoughts on the frontier tang dao and the hidden hilt dao, especially since you are a saber guy. I feel like those are the Chinese equivalents.
Yeah I'd also like seeing some Dao reviews, though since it seems it's LK Chen who's sending the swords for review, I guess it mostly depends on him for now.
But yeah there's been quite a few reviews of the jian and not much on the dao
@19:19 .... I guess that's what years of training do. You make it look so easy!
Matt, it's really interesting that you frequently talk about sharpness out of the box. Could you say something about why it's more desirable that greater sharpness should be provided? I would have thought that a less sharp edge is better for transit and unpacking, and that you can add the edge you want when the blade is safely delivered and unpackaged. As ever thanks for the sheer amount of information and insight in what remain really quite short videos.
A red wrapping on the handle would look even cooler.
First. I have an old antique Jian. Nice sword :)
I will be interested in Mr. Easton's opinion on the White Arc if he gets his hand on it. I saw Skallagrim's review and, while he was quite positive about it, it is the first LK Chen to give me pause. It is ridiculously thin-bladded. He ended up putting a permanently set bend in the blade and was so concerned about putting more stress on the thin blade that he didn't want to try too hard to fix it. Yes, he did apparently go after some thin tree limbs with it as well as tatami, but he also made at least one wonky cut in the tatami and thought that cut could also have been what caused the set because of the extreme flexibility of the the blade! I believe (but my memory is notorious) that the WA is one of the LK Chens that are based on one specific historical find and I am curious as to whether perhaps that specific sword was not meant to be a battlefield weapon or perhaps suffered corrosion to a greater degree than was assumed by LKC. A second opinion would be interesting.
I have seen that chrome plated sword in person (I believe it was displayed in Chicago) and is is magnificent.
Was that five or six cuts on that first milk bottle. Outstanding swordsmanship.
I really admire your longsword technique. You have very graceful movements. I've seen others doing longsword forms and cutting and they seem off balance or clumsy to me idk.
So basically any sensible sword shape could potentially be found in any period among most cultures that had metallurgy.
sadly not most culture and not most blade type.
There is another reason why the Chinese started to make longer blades. Their skill at metallurgy improved. For example, some historians say that the Qin dynasty produced better bronze than their neighbors. This allowed them to make longer swords that wouldn't bend and have an advantage on the battlefield.
It is also the reason why Mediterranean civilizations used short swords during the bronze age. The metal was more malleable so a long blade would have bent.
The Qin kingdom didn't necessarily have the best metallurgical or sword making skills overall though. I've read the Kingdom of Chu had the best iron & steel making industry and their swords were famed in the Warring States era.
Hey man, I'm a massive fan of the channel! As a very enthusiastic beginner to longsword who's hema club has been canceled due to the current plague, I'm pretty bummed about not learning new techniques or exercises every week. I was wondering if you'd ever consider doing a video going over some of the cut exercises and solo drills you were doing around the 14 minute mark. I wanted to try your quarantine cutting videos, but I don't have a sharp sword. I only own a feder. If you've already made a solo drill video, then I'll just have to keep looking; but if not, I'd really like to see one. Whether you see this or not, I love the educational content and look forward to more!
Thumbs up for mentioning Swordsage!
Hey Matt, I know you probably wont see this on such an old video and I'm also aware of you sharpening tutorial. All that said I would greatly appreciate a video on sharpening LK Chen swords given they're convex edge and pattern I'm a little scared to try to sharpen my magnificent chu up
I think the blade thickness is good. It makes for a quicker sword in the heat of battle! They grew up and trained on these and my guess is that they had no problem with perfect cuts.
I have been waiting for this day for a long, long time.
I revert to using long sword-esque techniques with any longish stick-like objects, and I’ve never trained hehe
What an absolute unit of a sword.
Thanks for making this video
right, so the hobby here is learning to cut with it even though it's technically challenging, which is one reason why it should be so fun. Your posture and motions would be really important and it would give you something that's fairly basic but infinitely challenging to practice. (you would succeed right away but have little challenges with new targets, new angles, and new approaches)
Another great video. Please tell me you are a Nirvana fan and not just thinking its a generic shirt like a lot of people! They don't even know Nirvana are a band. A great band!
of course I am, I was in high school in the early 90s. :-)
@@scholagladiatoria Same :) well secondary school as I am from/in south west England! Thanks for always entertaining me with your top notch content!
I love it, awesome wife is getting me one for Christmas can't wait.
I was greatly surprised at how easily it cut. It looked like you were also.
One criticism of your criticism on sharpeness out of the box. Imo, the way that comes out and albion etc. swords is more historical accurate. Obviously, some owners put the extra time and effort on their blades. No doubt about that. But for most people for most of the time during times of actual conflict, I'd say that would be the level of sharpness they'd spend most of their time. It would be neat if companies offered different levels of out of the box sharpness you can just pick, from shaving sharp to nearly blunt "DIY" levels, but the standard of a period replica or period inspired replica should be the way they probably were most of the time imo.
Probably true at least for mass produced weapons, but if your sword is not razor sharp then even a light gambeson can prove very hard to cut and you have to thrust to get through with reliable results.
How dare you not do you best Kung Fu impression with them! And please please please, do a commentary on youtube videos on Kung Fu forms of Chinese longswords. I would really like to know whether you recognize good fundamentals in these forms and whether you think that doing these Kung Fu forms as drills would be beneficial to one's fencing.
MATT, I SAID PLEASE THREE TIMES.
Regarding the sharpness criticism. I think that all manufacturers ship swords not quite fully sharp. I think it is a liability concern and I think it recognizes that the vast majority of their products will just be wall hangers.
Tod Cutler web page says more or less just that.
A query, you said in the other video that the wrapping goign up to the disc pommel in Chu swords is attested - do you think a simialr thing might have happened with the cast bronze disc pommeled hilts in Europe? The proportions don't quite look it to me, and some seem to have decorations on the bronze of the hilt so I would assume not
Amazing videos Matt! Could you do a review on the Khanda please? Cheers!
It's interesting how the Chinese got into the iron/steel age relatively late, but quickly managed to surpass everyone metallurgically.
They didn't. India made the best steel in the world until the Middle Ages.
@@BS-cc4ks nah, india didnt have blast furnace, which is a staple Chinese invention that allowed the Chinese to produce much better steel than the rest of the world
@@BS-cc4ksinteresting, can you explain
@@hiimryan2388 Damascus steel is actually steel from India. Because of meteors that landed in India in prehistory, they had sources of iron naturally mixed with nickle and other stuff. The steel made from it was incredibly famous in the middle ages. China did not have anything similar.
@@BS-cc4ks not exactly, I’m assuming your referring to Indian wootz steel with your reference to the Damascus steel. And funnily enough China DID have a steel similar to it called “bintie” it is so similar that some say that it’s wootz steel however it’s likely locally produced as wootz still were called “Hindustan steel” in China.
I have the striking eagle and out of the 50 swords I own it’s my favorite. It’s a lot like the ablion dane I have, just lighter and somewhat less effective due to low mass. Cheers from Chicago!
Can’t wait to get this sword 🎉
It is possible that these long blades serve a specific purpose on the battle field. If you look at emperor's Qin Shi Huang's army, they were very organized. They had specific formations with different roles and they had specific weapons.
A long ass sword like this would suck if you are fighting in a formation.
Maybe the soldiers who used these swords had a function, such as to deal with spears, much like the Zeinhander did.
Eh, if it was more for generals or highly favored warriors, especially if it requires masterful precision and skill, would be relegated to more duels between equals as opposed to general battlefield usage
havent seen anyone do any vid about ancient Chinese armor yet. From my point of view, the greatest ancient military invention would be the lackermaterials. Which makes crossbows and long-range bows possible, and also, makes those ancient armor quite reliable. Especially those leather armor processed with lacker tech, most of them were stronger than iron ones and much much less weight.
This directly lead to the end of the "sword" story in ancient China, and Blade 刀(and tons of other different cold/hot weapons), took it's place.
Been dying for a sword with these exact characteristics. So happy somebody has built a strong jian that isn’t mall standard. I prefer Japanese sword tactics but like to strike with both sides but I dislike crossguard tactics and the amazing length of handle makes certain movements very easy and a full tang. It’s perfect for me!
I don’t like crossguard tactics because they seem to count too often on the opponent having a crossguard as well. I realize not every crossguard trick needs this but it still gets in my way.
Beautiful sword! 😍
That's a fantastic sword! I'd have thought water bottles were its perfect target though given the ferocious tip speed you can get with its length and lightish weight
You should see the White Arc sword. It's got an almost 40" blade stuck onto a single handed hilt coming in under 2 pounds. Just imagine that sword on a short hilt but as lively as the Magnificent Chu.
There's an old wudang two handed sword form that generates some wonderful torque id like to try this sword out on. Very demanding on the torso to keep blade alignment right.
You did not talk about or show balance point.
I am not familiar with Chinese swords, but I assume this one to be more like katana/sabre than medival long sword right?
Do you think the jian would eventually evolved into a rapieresqe sword if the pressures were right?
Lots of Chinese one handed swords(Jians) from later in the period have blades of similar length to the rapier. they were also thinner and thrust oriented.
The Jian survived on the battlefield until about the 1500s, and then the Dao took over as the favored weapon.
Given the comments about stiffness of the blade in the katana, this seems like the other extreme of a two handed sword.
Beautiful art work. It looks quite light and agile compared to the medieval longsword. Weight?
Edit: see 8:15
The sharpening stone you swear by is the Fallkniven CC4? It's not an issue sharpening large swords with a small stone?
I am interested in his Sword Technique, and How I might learn from any of his tutorial lessons if he does teach.
Hey Matt, I believe most of the Jian swords in warring period were actually made through either steal and copper. Since the copper was still easy to access at that time, so they made core of the blade through low tin copper ally so the blade can be more soft and flexible and the once the core was made, they forged the blade with high tin copper ally so the blade itself can be stiff and sharp. The possible reasons most of the copper swords were found during warring state period probably because copper sword with high tin can be more corrosion resistance compared to steal, also the copper blades are golden which were more favourable for royal house or nobles.
Most swords of the Warring States era were made of bronze, wrought iron, or different types of steel. The copper was still combined with tin to create bronze (which is an alloy of copper and tin). The levels of tin varied depending on the location of the sword (more tin or less tin for more or less hardness). Bronze was more common earlier in the era while iron and steel became more common later in the era.
@@Intranetusa iron? Thought that was just a video game thing. Iron is almost as soft as bronze and harder to work. Why would they use it for weapons?heavier too iirc
@@elirantuil5003 Iron has the exact same weight as steel. Steel is just iron with a tiny percentage of carbon. Iron is malleable like bronze but is cheaper to produce. Iron ore is also more common than copper + tin ore. Iron was used for military equipment because it was cheaper and more readily available compared to bronze, not because it was stronger or lighter. As time went on, iron was more relegated to armor while better grade iron (eg. iron with a certain % carbon in it to form steel) was used for weapons. For example, some Celtic swords supposedly had an issue with bending - possibly meaning they were of wrought iron or low carbon mild steel construction that made them soft. When people could produce higher carbon steel more reliably, they certainly would use them for weapons.
>Whole milk
A man of culture!
the pommel looks like it was roughly turned to my eye. I personally prefer turned metal over cast. casting bronze at that size/thinnest is rather difficult/costly and it would explain the difference from the the archaeological find. your replica has a near square edge on the circumference as opposed to sloping which is expected with casting that can be seen on the original shown in your video. it would also explain the sharpness. I may be wrong though but I swear I can see machining patterns.
So both Skallgrim & Matt release two different Chinese Longsword videos today lel
China bought NBA, Blizzard and now our HEMA heroes. In the end we should not be sutprised - Matt has already suspiciously changed his mind on spadroons, obviously after being paid or coerced by Big Spadroon complex.
Spadroon conspiracy confirmed.
Alex Jones was right! It fa chineseee!
I saw some videos by LK Chen showing the use of a couple of their swords. How closely does this coordinate with the way swords were used in Europe (at least according to the historical records)?