Ancient Chinese polearms (Warring States to Han Dynasty)
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| Various ancient Chinese polearms. It should be noted that various weapons shown in this picture are not to scale with each other. Shu for example is much smaller than the heads of other polearms. |
Shu (殳): A
Shu can refer to two types of closely-related weapons: A long octagonal staff shod with bronze end caps, or its improved version, a long octagonal staff fitted with a special mace head with a three-edged blade (pictured above). While not as well known as the dagger-axe, it was nevertheless one of the major weapons of ancient China.
Ming period
Da Bang (大棒) and Jia Dao Gun (夾刀棍) can be considered distant descendants of this weapon.
Ge (戈): Also known as
dagger-axe, Ge was undoubtedly the most iconic and widespread weapon of ancient China. It consisted of a dagger-shaped blade mounted by its tang perpendicularly to a shaft.
Ji (戟): Early Ji was nothing more than a standard dagger-axe with an additional spearhead mounted on top, although later version fused the spear part and dagger-axe part together into a single weapon head. Some Chinese Ji had a very unique mounting design that make use of both socket and tang.
Han Dynasty Ji: Han period saw the rapid replacement of bronze Ji by its more streamlined, slender, and effective iron/steel counterpart.
Yue Ji (鉞戟, lit. 'Axe halberd'): A Yue Ji was a Han Dynasty Ji variant that had an actual axe head in place of its horizontal spike/dagger-axe. It should be noted that the name Yue Ji is coined by modern archaeologists and researchers to differentiate this weapon from the standard Ji.
Pi (鈹): Sometimes called "swordstaff", Pi was essentially a polearm with a long, sword-like spearhead with a long tang rather than a socket.
Sha (鎩): A Sha was a improved version of Pi with two short hilts. Similar to Pi, it had a long tang rather than a socket.
Tang Dynasty polearms
There was a dearth of new development in polearm design between third century and tenth century (Jin Dynasty to Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period), as various polearms were displaced by ordinary spears, pikes, and lances. Only two polearms of note came from this period:
Tang Dynasty Ji and
Mo Dao (陌刀).
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| Mural inside the Tomb of Li Shou (李壽), cousin of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, depicting a rack of Ji. |
Tang Dynasty Ji: The horizontal blade of Han Dynasty Ji began to curve upward during Eastern Han period, losing some of its pickaxe/puncturing functions but gaining the ability to parry incoming blows. By Tang period, the horizontal blade had evolved into a full-fledged fork.
Tang Dynasty Ji is sometimes called a "half-trident" due to its unique appearance. To date no surviving Tang Dynasty Ji has been found.
Mo Dao (陌刀): To date, no surviving Mo Dao has been found, and the weapon is even less understood than Tang Dynasty Ji. Historians still debate on whether Mo Dao was a polearm or a two-handed sword.
For more details, see the
Mo Dao section of my other post.
Song to Qing Dynasty polearms
Song perid saw a massive explosion of new polearm designs due to
improvements in armouring technology and the rise of infantry warfare. Chinese polearm design remained largely consistent after Song period.
1) Hooked spears
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| Chinese hooked spears. |
Gou Lian Qiang (鉤鐮鎗, lit. 'Hook-sickle spear'): A spear with a sickle blade.
Shuang Gou Lian Qiang (雙鉤鐮鎗, lit. 'Double hook-sickle spear'): A spear with two sickle blades mounted on the opposing sides of the spearhead.
Gou Qiang (鉤鎗, lit. 'Hook spear'): A spear with one or more (usually up to four) small hooks protruding from the base of the spear blade. Not to be confused with Gou Lian Qiang.
Hu Ya Qiang (虎牙槍, lit. 'Tiger fang spear'): A very special spear with two short "teeth" protruding directly from the blade of the spearhead. Only a handful of spears of this type survive to this day.
2) Ji halberds
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| Ming and Qing Dynasty Ji halberds. |
Song - Qing Dynasty Ji: By Song period, Chinese Ji halberd evolved into its final and most recognisable form: a spear with a crescent-shaped axe blade, connected to the spearhead with two iron bars.
Ji underwent several name changes from Song to Qing period. It was known as
Ji Dao (戟刀, lit. 'Halberd-knife') during Song period, but changed its name into
Fang Tian Ji (方天戟, lit. 'Square-sky halberd') during Ming and Qing period. Nowadays, this weapon is renamed
Qing Long Ji (青龍戟, lit. 'Green dragon halberd') among modern Chinese martial arts communities.
Shuang Ji (雙戟, lit. 'Double Ji'): A Ji with two crescent blades connected to the opposing sides of the spearhead. This weapon is now known as
Fang Tian Ji (方天戟) among modern Chinese martial arts communities, taking the old name of its one-bladed counterpart.
3) Glaives
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| Chinese glaives. |
Yan Yue Dao (偃月刀 or 掩月刀, lit. 'Reclining moon glaive' or 'Covering moon glaive'): One of the most iconic Chinese weapon, Yan Yue Dao was a characterised by a sharpened protrusion on the back of its blade. Most, but not all, Yan Yue Dao also came with scalloped backedge and tri-bladed butt spike.
It is also known as
Chun Qiu Da Dao (春秋大刀, lit. 'Spring and Autumn great glaive') and
Guan Dao (關刀).
Xiang Bi Dao (象鼻刀, lit. 'Elephant trunk glaive'): A subtype of Yan Yue Dao with a dramatically curved tip. It was used for parade or ceremonial purpose only.
Po Dao (朴刀): A glaive with a relatively simple, steep clip point blade. It was also known as
Zhan Ma Dao (斬馬刀, lit. 'Horse-chopping glaive') during Ming period.
(Not pictured) Shuang Shou Dai (雙手帶): A variant of Po Dao with roughly 1:1 blade to handle ratio.
Ti Dao (剃刀, lit. 'Razor glaive' or 'Shaving glaive'): Also known as
Mei Jian Dao (眉尖刀, lit. 'Eyebrow tip glaive') during late Ming period, this glaive was essentially a Chinese copy of Japanese
naginata (薙刀). It had a significantly narrower blade than other Chinese glaives. Like naginata, it sometimes came with a sheath.
As China had a wide selection of
sword and sabre designs, the blade design of Ti Dao was much more varied compared to its Japanese counterpart. A Ti Dao with an actual Japanese-style blade (whether imported or imitation made in China) was sometimes known as
Chang Wo Dao (長倭刀, lit. 'Long Japanese glaive') during Ming period.
4) Spades
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| Chinese spades. |
Yue Ya Chan (月牙鏟, lit. 'Crescent moon spade'): A spade with a upward-pointing crescent blade. The most common form of Chinese spade weapon, it was also known as
Yang Yue Dao (仰月刀, lit. 'Upward crescent blade').
Tian Peng Chan (天蓬鏟, lit. 'Marshal Tianpeng's spade'): A spade with a downward-pointing crescent blade. Also known as
He Yue Dao (合月刀, lit. 'Conjoined crescent blade').
Fang Bian Chan (方便鏟, lit. 'Convenient spade/Upāya spade'): A spade with a blade shaped like an oversized
Chinese incense shovel. It is sometimes known as
Jin Zhong Chan (金鐘鏟, lit. 'Golden bell spade') among modern Chinese martial arts communities, although the old name is still in common use.
As old lore goes, this weapon was so named because itinerant buddhist monks would use the spade to bury dead bodies they encountered along the journey (as a form of
merit-making), and presumably to dispose of their poop (Chinese word Fang Bian is also an euphemism of "going to the toilet"). However, whether the spade was really used for such purposes is anyone's guess.
(Not pictured) Monk's spade: The so-called monk's spade is a spade weapon with a crescent blade on one end and a Fang Bian Chan on the other end. It's actual full name should be
Yue Ya Fang Bian Chan (月牙方便鏟, lit. 'Crescent moon convenient spade') or
Ri Yue Fang Bian Chan (日月方便鏟, lit. 'Sun and moon convenient spade').
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