26 July 2014

Wu Di Shen Pai (無敵神牌)

Ming Dynasty Mantlet Shield
Drawing of a Wu Di Shen Pai, from sixteenth century military treatise 'Wu Bian Qian Ji (《武編前集》)'.

The Wu Di Shen Pai (無敵神牌, lit. "Invincible divine shield") is a type of mantlet used by the Ming army. Essentially a large shield mounted on a wheelbarrow, the shield's wooden construction allows it to be used as a makeshift raft for river crossing. The eyes, earholes, nostrils and mouth of the painted tiger face on the shield are actually gun loops that allow archers or arquebusiers to shoot from behind the safety of the shield.

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