Subject: qinjun ying imperial guard

Culture: Sino-Manchurian

Setting: Qing empire, China 18th-19thc

Object: 刀 dāo sabers

LiuYe

* Yang 1999 p64

"Sabers favored by Northern Chinese martial artists had curved handles and blades, both to varying extents. These weapons were not very heavy, but they were slightly longer than those used by the Southern Chinese. Since the blade of this saber was thin and shaped like a willow leaf, it was called 'Willow Leaf Saber' (Liu Ye Dao, 柳葉刀)."

* Sprague 2013 p63

"The greater curve of the willow-leaf saber, which was widely used in the Ming Dynasty and which became 'a sidearm of choice for military men,' proved a better slashing weapon, but changed 'the balance sufficiently to make it less accurate for the thrust.'"

YanMao

* Sprague 2013 p62-63

"The yanmaodao, another type of Chinese saber used in China from the Ming (1368-1644 CE) and through the first half of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 CE), relied on the combined features of the straight and curved blade. The arc of the cutting edge toward the point gave the swordsman the ability to deliver devastating cuts. At the same time, the thickness of the spine gave this saber enough strength to surpass the double edged jian in cutting power. The lack of a curve for most of the blade, and the sharp tip, also gave the swordsman the ability to execute straight thrusts. A drawback was that these sorts of 'combined-feature blades' normally achieved only mid-range versatility; they were highly efficient neither for slashing nor thrusting attacks."

* Yang 1999 p64

"The 'Goose Feather Saber' (Yan Ling Dao, 雁翎刀), was so named due to its shape, which was like a goose feather. This saber was created during the Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1280 A.D., 宋朝)."