|
Post by RufusScorpius on Nov 24, 2017 2:32:12 GMT
So just today I found out that the "family" sword brought back by my dad from his adventures in SE Asia in the mid 1960's is a Thai dha. I always thought it was some kind of fake, or a sword for the tourists. But now I'm not so sure. Just looking at some internet photos I think I have a real one, but the question is how can I tell for sure? Any ideas? Here are a few photos:
|
|
|
Post by Timo Nieminen on Nov 24, 2017 5:28:32 GMT
It isn't quite as simple as "real" vs "tourist" - you can find real dha that are made for sale to tourists.
A real traditional dha will usually have a differentially hardened blade, often laminated (sanmei or inserted-edge). It will have a short stick tang glued into the hilt. Usually either plain or ornate with excellent craftsmanship.
A tourist dha will typically have either a turned-on-lathe handle or an ornately carved wooden handle (and hilt to match). The blade is usually carbon steel but unhardened. "S" marks are typical of tourist dha. Tourist dha can be plain, or they can be ornate, but if ornate, the craftsmanship is usually poor. Aluminium guards are common.
What complicates things is the modern functional dha, which can look a lot like tourist dha. If it's made as an actual working dha, it will have a hardened carbon steel blade (probably not laminated or differentially hardened like antiques). If it's made for martial arts use, it might be blunt, it might not be hardened, and it's likely to have a very long tang (maybe all the way through the handle), or a pinned tang (antiques are just glued in with resin, and have short tangs).
Yours looks like tourist dha (aluminium guard, turned handle, S-marks).
|
|
|
Post by randomnobody on Nov 24, 2017 5:52:22 GMT
I'll have to get some pictures of mine up tomorrow, but mine is pretty much a typical example of a tourist model. Ornately carved wooden handle and scabbard, flimsy metal hand guard thing, questionable tang. It's 1am here, though, and the woman is asleep. Best not to disturb her should I wish to see morning...
|
|
|
Post by RufusScorpius on Nov 24, 2017 12:44:51 GMT
I'll have to get some pictures of mine up tomorrow, but mine is pretty much a typical example of a tourist model. Ornately carved wooden handle and scabbard, flimsy metal hand guard thing, questionable tang. It's 1am here, though, and the woman is asleep. Best not to disturb her should I wish to see morning... So yeah, speaking of the SWMBO, you guys are not on her "nice" list at the moment. For all these years I thought the sword was just some fantasy junk blade made for decoration. Now that I have found out, even if it's not a "real" sword, it is at the very least patterned from one, it is opening up a new real of sword research for me. So that is why the SWMBO isn't happy: because sooner or later there will be a long rectangular box on the doorstep and a few more hours a week in the dojo....
|
|
|
Post by randomnobody on Nov 24, 2017 16:41:10 GMT
|
|
|
Post by RufusScorpius on Nov 24, 2017 18:04:54 GMT
Great, just what I need, a whole new area of swords to research...
Does anybody know of a book or a collector group where I can get some decent information about these swords? Granted, when somebody says the word "sword", then Laos and Thailand aren't the first things to pop into the mind, so I don't expect to find a full library, but they do have a tradition that I believe warrants investigation.
Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by randomnobody on Nov 24, 2017 18:09:00 GMT
Don't know of any books or collectors offhand, but Timo might. Searching up Krabi Krabong sound take you to a few places with some info, if only in practical application and maybe not so much history or making-of type stuff, but it's a lead? Southeast Asia isn't really my favorite part of the world, sword-wise, so I'm not a lot of help there.
|
|
|
Post by Timo Nieminen on Nov 26, 2017 1:19:14 GMT
|
|