Item Description
Original Item. Only One Available. Podao or pudao (Chinese: 朴刀; pinyin: pōdāo) is a Chinese single-edged infantry weapon that is still used primarily for training in various Chinese martial arts. The blade of the weapon is shaped like a Chinese broadsword, but the weapon has a longer handle, usually around one to two meters (about three to six feet) which is circular in cross-section. It looks somewhat similar to the guandao.
The pudao is sometimes called a "horse-cutter sword" since it is speculated to have been used to slice the legs out from under a horse during battle (like the zhanmadao). It is somewhat analogous to the Japanese nagamaki, although the nagamaki sword may have been developed independently. The pudao also resembles the Korean hyeopdo.
This is an interesting Qing dynasty example of a Podao polearm, measuring 54 ¾” overall. It is very crude in construction, and likely dates from the mid-to-late 19th century. There is still some white and red loth attached to the end-ring. The entire polearm is made of metal, with wooden panels on each side of the arm, affixed with crude nails and hand-cut octagonal washers, some missing. There is one flower-shaped washer which is missing a petal. Most of the finish is gone, and there are small remnants of paint in places on the wood.
The 22¾” iron blade has heavy overall past oxidation but is still a very solid piece, with a rather dull edge. The manufacturing flaws date this piece well, and the ovular crossguard is still tight, but this is mostly from rusting in place.
A very interesting Podao, ready for further research and display.
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
