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Drawing of a Gou Lian, from 'Ji Xiao Xin Shu (《紀效新書》)'.
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Gou Lian (鈎鐮, lit. 'Hook sickle') was a type of long polearm designed for naval
use. Essentially a sharpened hook mounted on a one
zhang five
chi bamboo pole, Gou Lian was comparable in length to some
Chang Qiang (長鎗). Gou Lian was used to hook enemy warship or cut off enemy cordage, as well as
scooping up dead bodies from the water. Due to its softer bamboo shaft and
heavier weight of the hook, it is unsuitable for land use.
A variant with wooden shaft, known as
Ti Gou (提鈎, lit. 'Lifting hook'),
was used in siege defence.
This weapon was related to (and sometimes its name is used interchangeably
with)
Gou Lian Qiang (鈎鐮鎗), although its hook was much larger.
Bing Lu (《兵錄》) variant
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Variant design of Gou Lian, from 'Bing Lu (《兵錄》)'.
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This variant of Gou Lian had an additional hook and spike, and had its
bamboo shaft replaced with a (presumably) shorter and more sturdy wooden shaft, and thus could also be
used on land.
It bore some resemblance to European
fauchard.
I remember the painting Kangwo Tujuan or Wako Zukan depicted wolf troops wielding a type of hooked polearm that is shaped like a scorpion's tail. Is that weapon related to the Gou Lian?
ReplyDeleteYes, it probably is.
DeleteThe wolf troop version is sometimes dubbed Xie Zi Wei (蝎子尾, scorpion tail). Although I have no idea if that is the actual name for the weapon, it does look the part.