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Post by Johan on Mar 3, 2012 16:02:42 GMT
I found "National Grassland series" in Hanwei China website www.hanweimetal.com/products.asp?dl=1&xl=17I was stunned that Hanwei really bothered to make a replica of Khitan sword. Khitan was one of the Mongolic tribe who founded the Liao Dynasty 907-1125 in Northern China proper. I always wondered about their swords for sometime , but surprise , surprise! Hanwei made them.  I dont know how close this sword to the original Khitan sword, because I never seen any Khitan sword before. However judging by its looks, it has a lot of Central Asian influences, as Khitan were originally nomadic people and had close proximity with the rest of Central Asian culture. I wonder if Hanwei will bring this sword to the US side , and maybe make another version with less ornate version for cutting. :roll: Attachments:
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Post by Vue on Mar 3, 2012 16:29:23 GMT
Wow this is awesome and i agree a plain version would be wicked. I dont know if its just me but the guard seems a little on the large side , besides that the blade is just spot on for me
Thanks for bringing this to my attention johan, i wasnt even aware that hanwei had a chinese website but now i do lol
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Mar 3, 2012 21:31:29 GMT
Wowzer bowser, Krauser mauser. Hauser!
Sorry, that one's just hitting all the "owser" buttons for me, and a few of the "auser" buttons too, it seems. Yelman, check, traditional Asian saber-ish guard form, check, frickin' horse head, check, stag grip, check.
Here I will insert my traditional little phrase: Since the dawn of recorded history, Central Asian nomadic peoples have every so often erupted out of the steppe and conquered piddly little unimportant civilizations like China and India and Persia and Byzantium and on into parts of Europe. Civilized man, whether European or Asian, had no answer to these nomads until the development of reliable artillery.
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Post by junon on Mar 4, 2012 11:32:53 GMT
This is speculation on my part, but does the blade made from wootz steel (like Hanwei Wootz han jian)?
I ran some translation on google translate and some sentence indicate the possibility... Looking up at the detail of the blade shown some watery mark, just like hanwei wootz...(could be damascus as well; but Hanwei damascus usually has more 'burly' pattern instead of watery...)
If it's true, this would be the coolest sabre in production world!
Price seems to indicate it is plausible... MSRP is $1950... Kult of Athena might carry it later for $1000 or so (just like hanwei wootz).
Can't wait to see more detail later on...
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Post by grmnsplx on Mar 4, 2012 16:13:32 GMT
That sword's a stunner!
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Post by junon on Mar 5, 2012 2:32:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2012 9:37:05 GMT
That is truley beautiful, this is the first time i ever heard of a "khitan".
Thank you!
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Post by Kilted Cossack on Mar 8, 2012 12:44:23 GMT
Don't confuse the Khitans with the Kara Khitans, is all I'm saying. (Although it would be, probably, pretty easy to confuse them in actual fact.)
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Post by junon on Mar 8, 2012 13:10:15 GMT
khitan can and usually written as qidan tribe now.
Qidan people established Liao dynasty in northern china border during Song dynasty and quite a threat for Song for some time.
They were finally crushed by Song and Jin (jurchen, the forefather of Manchu) alliance...
Of course, the Jin then felt the weakness of Song army and became a threat for Song dynasty. Jin even managed to invaded and capture the capital of Song (along with emperor and his father, the ex-emperor).
the Song royal family hastily established a new capital in the south to continue the lineage of Song (known as Nan Song dynasty - southern Song). being protected with rivers and other natural barrier, nan Song was safe from nothern cavalry force of Jin.
Nan Song then decided to forge another alliance with Mongol and crushed the Jin together.
Of course then Mongol decide to invade Song and established Yuan dynasty in China later on.
So the qidan people actually one of the superpower in the nothern steppe along of Jurchen (jin/Manchu) and Mongol during 12 century.
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Post by Anders on Mar 8, 2012 13:47:01 GMT
It's a pretty sword, though it looks kinda short. The blade strikes me as too small for the hilt.
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Post by junon on Mar 9, 2012 0:39:15 GMT
Here is the specs from Hanwei website (Google translate is great! - with only some minor issue with the weight... I think it should be 800gr for the blade and 1300gr for total).
Total length: 87cm (34.3 in)
Blade length: 67cm (26.4 in)
Handle length: 12cm (4.7 in)
Total weight: 1300g (2 lb and 13.85 oz)
In addition to sheath Weight: 800g (1 lb and 12.21 oz)
Hardness :50-54HRC
26 inch blade is little bit short compared to other scimitar/saber... Cold Steel Shamshir is 30 inch with around the same grip length (4 inch or so), I believe...
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Post by junon on Mar 9, 2012 0:46:33 GMT
The Liao (Qidan) and Kara-Khitan is actually related somehow... According to Wikipedia anyway  The Liao Empire was destroyed by the Jurchen of the Jin Dynasty in 1125. However, remnants of its people led by Yelü Dashi established Xi (Western) Liao Dynasty 1125–1220, also known as Kara-Khitan Khanate, which extended its influence over Central Asia into Persia and survived until the arrival of Genghis Khan's unified Mongolian army. source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liao_Dynasty |
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