Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-03-29
Curious Eastern Weapons.

rious collection of Chinese and
Japanese weapons.
The handsomest of all is a gener-
ais saber, about four and a half
feet long, slightly japanese in
style, with an edge like razor and
a point that would extort admiration
from an Italian bandit. Unlike
our own, the thickest part of the
blade is the center. This gives
great weight to the weapon, joined
to the appearance of great light
ness. The scabbard is made of
hard, tough wood, lacquered to rep
resent black iron incrusted with
mother-of-pearl. The hilt is of
black iron nodded in the form of a
full-blown rose, the petals of which
have been drilled with small holes
and these filled with bright brass
bars.
The most curious OF the lot is
the so called warrier's two-bladed
sword from Ho-Nan. 1t is only
about two feet long and in the
scabbard looks very like the sword
bayonet of our own army. The
scabbard is plain, but very neat and
covered with white shagreen (or
shark skin and trimmed with brass
mountings. When you draw it the
blade divides into two, each a fac
simile of the other, double edged
and spear-pointed. The twin blades
have remarkable decoration made
by drilling seven holes about an
inch and half in diameter and put
in zigzag line from hilt to point.
These are filled with pure copper,
which is ground down to a smooth
surface flush with the steel and pol
ished to a mirrow-like brightness.
These seven stars, as they are called,
are found in nearly all the martial
weapons of Ho-Nan, and are relics
of the old aSSrologic faith that still
prevails in many parts of China.
Its hold is so strong that if the cop
per falls out of one of the sword
holes it is accepted as a sure precur-
sor of death; and the luckless wiel-
der of the blade usually commits
suicide to escape further trouble.
Theshort stabbing daggers, which
find favor chiefly with pirates and
revolutionists, form "A strong con-
trast with the weapons described.
One looks like IA queerly made ace
of spades fastened into a wire-bound
handle. To increase the artistic
effect of the weapon the armorer
has followed out shallow spoon
shaped concave on either side of the
blade and filled it with blood-red
lacquer, the effect of which, when
suddenly drawn from black sheath,
is very startling. The blade of an
other weapon is perfect ace of dia-
monds. Still another dagger is
about the clumsiest affair of the
kind imaginable. The blade is a
foot long, about three inches wide,
and half an inch thick. With it's
heavy hilt and gigantic guard it
weighs over three pounds. If set
with long handle it can be used
as an AK.
The most dreadful looking weapon
of all is the executioner's sword,
used by the late headsman of Annoy.
1t is of Manchoorian type, being
long, almost straight, very heavy
and keenly edged. 1t is used with
one hand and is shaped and wound
so as to give the executioner pow
erful hold upon his weapon. Upon
the blade near the hilt are Chinese
characters recording the tragic
events in which it has taken part. 1t
records no less than 1913 human lives
which it has taken out of this world.
A spear captured by the French
from the Black Flags in Tonquin
is eight feet long. The shaft is of
ironwood, round, polished, and var
nished and reinforced here and
there by wrappings of fine copper
wire, and at the upper hand is in
crusted the distance of foot with |
mother of pearl. The end is ferrul-
ed with large copper band, in
which is set the spearhead. This is
made of fine steel six inches in
length and triangular in cross sec
ton. One face is deeply grooved so
as to allow large amount of poison.
The spears are used with great skill
by the Chinese. Lee-Lu, a famous
bandit, could throw one through "A
man at fifty yards. In the Franco
Tonquin war powerful Chinese
foot soldier drove his weapon entire
ly through two French infantrymen.
1t is claimed that the finer and |
handsomer spears are not Of Chinese
workmanship, but are made by
Japanese. Korean. Anamite and |