Guandao

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Guandao
Hanyu Pinyin
yǎnyuèdāo
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingjin2 jyut6 dou1
IPA[jǐːn jỳːt tóu]

A guandao is a type of Chinese

pole weapon that is used in some forms of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese, it is properly called a yanyuedao (偃月刀; lit. "reclining moon blade"), the name under which it always appears[citation needed] in texts from the Song to Qing dynasties such as the Wujing Zongyao and Huangchao Liqi Tushi. It is comparable to the Japanese naginata and the European fauchard or glaive
and consists of a heavy blade with a spike at the back and sometimes also a notch at the spike's upper base that can catch an opponent's weapon. In addition, there are often irregular serrations that lead the back edge of the blade to the spike. The blade is mounted atop a 1.5 to 1.8 m (4 ft 11 in to 5 ft 11 in) long wooden or metal pole and a pointed metal counterweight used to balance the heavy blade and for striking on the opposite end.

On modern versions, a red sash or tassel is attached at the joint of the pole and blade. Variations include having rings along the length of the straight back edge as found in the nine-ring guandao, having the tip curl into a rounded spiral as in the elephant guandao, or featuring a more ornate design as exemplified by the dragon head guandao. However, apart from the "elephant guandao" none of these variations seem to have historical ground.

History

Glaive polearm, Han dynasty

According to legend, the guandao was invented by the famous general Guan Yu during the early 3rd century AD, hence the name. It is said that he specified its form and size to be made by a smithy, and was uniquely able to wield such an imposing weapon due to his large stature and legendary strength. Guan Yu's guandao was called "Green Dragon Crescent Blade" (青龍偃月刀, Qīnglóng yǎnyuèdāo) which weighed 82 Chinese jin (estimated either at 18.26 kg (40.3 lb) or 48.38 kg (106.7 lb), a Han dynasty jin was 222.72 g (7.856 oz), while the jin used in the Ming dynasty—during which the Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written as 590 g (21 oz)).

However, while the famous novel

pudao or dadao
were all wielded with two hands and so would not have been made or used in a pair.

While some historians still contend that the guandao was simply an uncommon weapon prior to the

Shanhaiguan
, weighs 83 kg (183 lb). While the examples are taken from the Qing dynasty and therefore may have been influenced by the book (which was written in the Ming dynasty), military officer tests (which began in the Tang dynasty) have always involved lifting heavy stones of standardized weight and maneuvering them about, possibly contributing to the writer's decision to assign an unusual weight to Guan Yu's weapon.

The weapon was also widely adopted by martial artists for the purposes of training and for demonstrating their strength, perhaps also to train specifically for the military officer's tests. Where it was used, it was largely used by infantry. In the Qing dynasty, it was used by the all Han Green Standard Army. Apart from that, the lack of standardization of the antique examples that survive to today seems to indicate that at least from the 19th century onwards it was popular in the civilian martial arts realm as well.

The modern guandao as adopted by martial artists today usually weighs between 2 and 10 kg (4.4 and 22.0 lb), and is typically composed of a wood shaft of about 3 to 5 ft (0.91 to 1.52 m) in length, a short blade of about 12 to 18 in (300 to 460 mm) on one end, and a mace head on the other (which serves mostly as a counterweight to the blade but can also be used for striking), the whole assembly rarely exceeding 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m) in total length. The greatly reduced weight and length reflect its nature as a more practical form for martial artists.

Combat uses

Song dynasty glaive weapon
Guandao, Yuan dynasty
Ming dynasty glaive weapon

The guandao is used quite frequently in the martial art of contemporary Wushu derived from the Shaolin or Wudangquan form of martial arts in modern times. According to contemporary Wushu practice, its purpose is more to disarm an opponent and deflect his strikes rather than to attack. To that end, a large veil cloth is attached to the end to dissuade and confuse opponents. However, there is no evidence of this being an authentic depiction of the weapon's historical usage. Tassels and cloths are attached to numerous weapons such as jian, dao, meteor hammer, and guandao used in Chinese opera, one of the sources of movements found in contemporary Wushu.

Forms utilizing the weapon in nearly all traditional styles of Chinese martial arts emphasize strong slashing movements and momentum to keep the heavy blade moving through a series of spinning cuts. The considerable weight of the weapon also makes guandao forms good for training the overall conditioning of the body.

Similar weapons were also used in Southeast Asia. They were famously used by royals to fight each other on elephant back.

Extremely unusual for historical weapons, the Guandao is reportedly still used today. Chinese soldiers armed with Guandaos and modern combat uniforms were photographed near the Line of Actual Control with India, where a 1996 agreement between India and China prohibits firearm usage.[1][2]

  • Shang dynasty glaive weapons
    Shang dynasty glaive weapons
  • Glaive weapon with dragon head, Zhou dynasty
    Glaive weapon with dragon head, Zhou dynasty
  • Western Zhou dao
  • Guandao from the Wujing Zongyao
    Guandao from the Wujing Zongyao
  • Ming dynasty cavalrymen holding short guandao
    Ming dynasty cavalrymen holding short guandao
  • Man kicking a guandao, Ming dynasty
    Man kicking a guandao, Ming dynasty
  • Ming "wolf warriors" holding guandao (left)
    Ming "wolf warriors" holding guandao (left)
  • Ming soldiers with guandaos
    Ming soldiers with guandaos
  • Ming soldiers with guandaos
    Ming soldiers with guandaos
  • Painting depicting a stylized guandao, c. 1430
    Painting depicting a stylized guandao, c. 1430
  • Dutch depiction of a late Ming dynasty soldier wielding a guandao
    Dutch depiction of a late Ming dynasty soldier wielding a guandao
  • Depictions of guandao from the Wubei Zhi
    Depictions of guandao from the Wubei Zhi
  • Soldier carrying a guandao fleeing from Nurhaci (center right), 17th c.
    Soldier carrying a guandao fleeing from Nurhaci (center right), 17th c.
  • Two Jurchen soldiers wielding guandao
    Two Jurchen soldiers wielding guandao

Popular culture

  • In Avatar: The Last Airbender, a guandao was used by Kach, a member of the Rough Rhinos.
  • Power Rangers Jungle Fury features Carnisoar, the Sky Overlord with the Spirit of the Hawk, using a double-bladed guandao.
  • In the series Yona of the Dawn, the character Hak uses a guandao.
  • In the video game For Honor, the character Jiang Jun wields a guandao.
  • In the video game Warframe, the Guandao and Guandao prime are a type of polearm that you can craft.
  • Dynasty Warriors features Guan Yu wielding a guandao.
  • In Kingdom (manga), General Ouki uses as main weapon a guando, and he manages to give it to the main character Shin. There are many other references to these kinds of weapons
  • In the videogame Library of Ruina, the character Xiao wields a guandao alongside a longsword. This follows into the follow up game Limbus Company, where the character Hong Lu also wields a guandao.
  • In Honkai: Star Rail, Jing Yuan wields a guandao. He is one of the seven Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou Alliance's Cloud Knights, and one of the Six Charioteers of the Xianzhou Luofu.

See also

References

  1. ^ Michael Peck (Sep 9, 2020). "China May Be Arming Its Soldiers With Medieval Halberds To Fight India". Forbes.
  2. ^ dambiev.livejournal (dot) com/2046121.html

External links

  • Media related to Guan dao at Wikimedia Commons