21 April 2016

Fei Huo Xiang Mo Chui (飛火降魔槌)

Ming Chinese Barbed Bomb
Drawing of a Fei Huo Xiang Mo Chui, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.
Fei Huo Xiang Mo Chui (飛火降魔槌, lit. 'Flying fire demon-subjugating hammer'), more properly known as Huo Fei Zhua (火飛抓, lit. 'Fire flying catcher'), is a rather unique weapon of the Ming Dynasty. Essentially a spiked, baton-shaped grenade, it serves as the Ming equivalent of anti-ship sticky bomb (although Fei Huo Xiagn Mo Chui does not attach to its target by adhesive, but by barbed spikes).

Fei Huo Xiang Mo Chui is made of white poplar wood of about eight cun long and three cun circumference (not counting its narrower handle). The top half of the wood is hollowed, filled with incendiary gunpowder, and waterproofed with oil paper, while the bottom half is a solid wooden handle. The bomb is not designed to explode like ordinary grenade, instead it project flames through multiple holes drilled all over the cylinders for a short period of time. It also features up to twenty barbed spikes that allow the bomb to catch on enemy rigging, deck, or even human body easily. The barbed spikes (and the fact that the bomb will be spewing flames) also render extraction extremely difficult, if not impossible.

While usually employed as naval weapon, this weapon works just as well on land.

8 comments:

  1. Hi. Have u seen or joined my related Facebook group yet...?

    http://web.facebook.com/groups/ChineseMilitaryHistoryGroup

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I visit the group from time to time, but do not actually join it.

      Delete
    2. Speaking of your group, recently I saw a Ming picture of General Yue Fei in the group. Where does it come from? Any idea on its date?

      The bow in that picture seems to have a rather large siyah. Could it be a Kai Yuan Gong?

      Delete
    3. The painting is from a PRC book on Yue Fei, stating it's Ming. I suspect it is in the collection of the Yue Fei Temple in Hangzhou...

      Delete
    4. That might be another rare picture evidence of Kaiyuan bow.

      Delete
  2. https://imageshack.us/i/plkTtMg1j

    By the way, have u seen this rare late Ming portrait of a General ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. But I have no idea on its exact date (other than Ming period), or painter.

      Delete
    2. The helmets of the bodyguards are of a certain style that indicates 1570s or later. Yeah, no one knows who this General was or the name of the painter...

      Delete

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