Chinese ‘Hanjun’ saber
Price
Status
Available
Region
East Asia (China, Korea, Japan)
(Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), South China)
Period
19th century
Materials
Steel, Iron, Brass
Description
The Chinese Bannerman were a special branch within the regular Qing military and were equipped with the task to protect and forward the military banners during battles. The so called ‘Hànjūn (漢軍)’were able to operate in rougher terrains and able to conquer fortifications and siege enemy fortresses. They were divided in eight separate banner colors of which it is uncertain to which banner this saber belonged.
This saber is a typical example of a South-Chinese Bannerman saber, but it is quite short and slender compared to the regular examples.
It features a plain slender blade without the usually seen chiseled ‘tonkou’ and fullers. It is unmarked, but shows good craftsmanship and a layered forging construction and harder carbon steel cutting edge. The spine is thick and ends in a clipped point at the tip. The guard is usually decorated as a coin symbol, yet this example shows a plain casted bronze round guard.
Chinese ‘Hanjun’ saber
Condition
Good condition, original hilt wrapping maintained.
Dimensions
Weight
660g.
Comparable items
Another example in the Antiques by the Sea catalogue with pig-skin scabbard here.
Provenance
United Kingdom collection