What are the differences between the ritual knives, barrier knives, horizontal knives, and Mo knives in the Tang Dynasty, and what are the uses of each

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Author: Count white as black  

Editor: Lilith

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Japan

Kashima Jingu Shrine has a collection of "black lacquered Tang straight knife", the knife is 256cm long, the blade is 226cm long, the straight back cutting blade, the Han-style knife is thick, and it is equipped with a well-preserved knife box "Tang cabinet", which is the only recognized Tang sword. In fact, there are a total of four forms of Tang knives, according to the "Tang Liudian" records, "there are four knife systems, one is called the Yi knife, the second is the barrier knife, the third is the horizontal knife, and the fourth is the Mo knife." These four kinds of knives, with different shapes and different functions, represent the glory and splendor of the Tang Dynasty.

Above_ Crystal pendant gold handle ornamental knife unearthed from the tomb of Dou Hao in the Tang Dynasty in Chang'an County, Shaanxi

Ritual knives

In 1991, a tomb of Dou Hao of the Tang Dynasty was found in Nanliwang Village, Chang'an County, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, from which a crystal pendant gold handle ornament knife was found, the knife was 84.7cm long, and the spine of the knife had a wrong gold inscription. Its appearance made the instrument knife have a physical sample. The ritual knife originated from the class sword, the straight knife ring head, the handle of both hands, with the dragon and phoenix ring, the wrong gold and silver, is the Tang Dynasty Imperial Forest Army, Yu Linwei, Qianniu Wei used the standard knife.

Because the instrument knife is too long, it cannot be held around the waist, so it can only be held with both hands, and the blade is clubbed. Some knives are too long, and the head of the handle is as high as the face.

In the tombs of Prince Yide and Princess Changle of the Tang Dynasty, there are murals in which warriors hold swords in both hands, standing on their chests, majestic, solemn and rigorous. The ritual knife had a profound influence on Japan, Goryeo and Tibet, and there were knives in the style of the ritual knife unearthed in Japan and Goryeo. The "black lacquered Tang straight knife" at the beginning of this article is the same as the famous knives such as "Tang Broadsword", "Tang-like Broadsword" and "Black Broadsword" collected by Zhengcangyuan, which are old, simple in style, and have the style of ritual knives, but there are many discrepancies with the records of "Tang Liudian", which need to be verified.

Above_ Knife holding guard in the Tang Dynasty (Ritual knife)

Barrier knives

The instrument knife has physical evidence, but the barrier knife is the most controversial knife in the four systems of the Tang knife. "Tang Liudian" believes that the obstacle knife "covers the body with the obstacle to resist the enemy".

There are two meanings of the word barrier: one is to block or cover, and the other is to cover and block. Different definitions, of course, have different functions.

From this, there are two different opinions, one is the big knife faction, some people think that the barrier knife is used to clear the obstacles around them, so the barrier knife should be a wide-edged straight knife, the knife is 80-100cm long, and it belongs to the main knife of the army. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the "She Knife" used by the ancients to remove obstacles was also a broad-edged broadsword. On the other side is the dagger faction, because the horizontal knife and the Mo knife are too long, when the soldier is close defense, he needs a short knife of 15-40cm, as a knife for close defense, and the barrier knife just meets this need.

Above_ The mural of the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai in the Tang Dynasty has no ring head and horizontal knife

Horizontal sword

The ritual knife is exclusive to the aristocracy, and the obstacle knife is full of suspicions, and the real "down-to-earth" is the horizontal knife.

Compared with the instrument knife, the horizontal knife has a total length of 60-80cm, a knife thickness of 6-8mm, and is used for both foot and horse, and the knife is equipped with a wider range of objects, such as soldiers, errand soldiers, and fast catchers. Since it is a saber, hanging from the waist, it has both the elegant and chic of a sword, and the fierce and domineering spirit of a knife.

Tang Gaozong Li Zhi said to Wang Jishan, who was the general of Qianniuwei: "Others can't go to my place unless they search for it, and Qing Pei's big horizontal knife is on my side." From Li Zhi's words, it can be seen that the palace guards have horizontal knives in addition to ritual knives, and at the same time it proves that horizontal knives are shorter than ritual knives. The forging process of the horizontal knife was quite advanced at that time, with sharp blades and excellent stabs.

Due to the complexity of the process, the horizontal knife making skills were once lost, and now Zhejiang Longquan sword craftsmen have restored the horizontal knife, but there are many crafts that have not been inherited, the antique horizontal knife is just similar, and there is still a long way to go from the real restoration. In the movie "Di Renjie's Four Heavenly Kings" released in 2017, Chi Zhenjin, the secretary of Dali Temple played by Feng Shaofeng, is holding a Tang horizontal knife, so handsome that he doesn't want it.

Above_ The horizontal knife in the mural of the Tang Tomb Tomb Door of Taiyuan Coking Plant in Jinsheng Village

The horizontal sword crossed to Japan and had a huge impact on the forging of Japanese swords at that time.

Japan is a small country, with high mountains and dense forests, and warfare is usually fought in hand-to-hand combat. The advent of horizontal knives met the knife needs of Japanese samurai.

Japanese craftsmen refer to the style of the horizontal knife, repeatedly hammer the steel bar, remove the impurities of the steel bar, and then cover the knife body with the prepared soil that does not need high hardness, heat the knife to a specific temperature, put the fiery red knife body into the water to cool, the bare part is quickly deformed by the cold, and the change of the covering part is not obvious, so that the hardness of the knife ridge is high, the blade is sharper, and the effect of combining rigidity and softness is achieved.

However, after such a toss, the original straight sword was bent and laid the basic shape of the Japanese samurai sword.

Above_ Japanese samurai wearing a katana

Mo knife

Among the four systems of Tang knives, the most famous is Mo Dao.

The Turkic, Uighur, Tibetan and other ethnic minorities around the Tang Dynasty were all known for their cavalry, and the Modao became a weapon to restrain the cavalry. "Tang Liudian" has "Mo knife, long knife, held by infantry, Gai Gu's chopping horse, the knife weighs fifteen pounds, also known as the machete, seven feet long, the blade is three feet long, the handle is four feet long, and the iron drill is used below." The Mo knife is special in the Tang Dynasty standard knives, it is a long-handled knife.

One pound in the Tang Dynasty is equivalent to 660 grams now, that is to say, the Mo knife at that time weighed ten kilograms, and one foot at that time was equivalent to 30cm, the total length of the Mo knife was 2.1 meters, the blade was 90cm, and the handle was 120cm long. There are various shapes of Mo knives, including an extended version of the folding knife, a dual-purpose knife with a handle, and a three-pointed two-edged knife with a reduced blade.

In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, only about 20,000 people were equipped with Mo knives, and compared with other weapons, the equipment rate of Mo knives was quite low. Because it is rare, it is precious, and the Tang Dynasty stipulated that Mo Dao was not allowed to accompany the burial. There are two reasons here: one is that the Mo knife process is complex, the production cost is high, the forging cycle is long, and it is a waste of resources to accompany the funeral. Second, if the Mo knife is buried with him, there is a risk of flowing into the people or foreign races, which is not conducive to the social stability and national defense security of the Tang Dynasty. Because of such regulations, there has not been a strange knife unearthed in China, and the shape of this big killing weapon has always existed in the conjecture of the little partner.

Above_ Speculation based on the relevant records of Modao

In the "New Tang Dynasty Book: The Biography of Zhang Xing", "Xingjia holds a Mo knife and weighs fifteen catties to take the city." The thief will enter, raise the knife and kill several people, and the thief will be angry." Tang general Zhang Xing, the official residence of Raoyang in the Xuanzong period. The Anshi Rebellion broke out, and Shi Siming besieged Raoyang for more than a year, and finally the city fell. Zhang Xing put on armor and held a knife, and killed several people with one sword. Use it to kill the enemy and kill the horse, that's a matter of minutes.

With such a long knife, it needs to be opened in the right way. The Mo knife is not as simple as a soldier and a knife, it is part of the tactical system of the Tang Army. In the "Art of Guarding the Public War" written by Li Jing, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, the basic tactics of the Tang army are described in detail.

The Tang Army was divided into archers, crossbowmen, garrisons, strikers, horse troops, jumpers, and odd soldiers. When the two sides are fighting, the crossbowmen first fire their crossbows to strike the enemy. When the enemy approached, the bow and crossbow were armed with Mo knives and sticks, and they fought together with the front team to defend against the enemy. When the front battle is unfavorable, the horses, jumpers, and odd soldiers join the battle. If the two sides are deadlocked, all infantry will cooperate with the horse army.

The role of the Mo knife hand is to strike at the enemy's cavalry, chopping the cavalry up and chopping the horse's legs down. A row of Mo knife hands wielded Mo knives, like a wall advancing, blood splattered, and people and horses were shattered. Among the four types of knives, the Mo Knife is a great killer weapon that truly exalts its might on the battlefield.

Above_ One of the formations composed of the Tang Dynasty Mo sword team and the bow and crossbow team

Four types of Tang knives.

The ceremonial knife is luxuriously decorated, beautiful and generous, and it is an exclusive ceremonial knife for the aristocracy.

There is a lack of historical records of the barrier knife, and there is no unearthed physical object, the shape is difficult to determine, and the controversy continues.

The horizontal knife is simple and practical, easy to carry, and is a necessary self-defense weapon for conquest, official business, and travel.

Modao specializes in cavalry, which is extremely powerful, and is an actual combat knife that has been baptized by war.

The secret of the Tang knife's fame lies in its exquisite craftsmanship. Tang Dao used the most advanced steel-clad technology at that time. With 100 steels as the inner core, pure wrought iron as the outer skin, and part of the cutting edge quenching, the strict process has created excellent performance.

Tang knives are durable and not deformed, armor-piercing is tough enough, and hardness and toughness are perfectly integrated. The Tang knife, represented by the instrument knife, the barrier knife, the horizontal knife, and the Mo knife, is the pinnacle of the history of Chinese cold weapons. Due to the complexity of the process, the change of dynasties, the production process of the Tang knife gradually lost, this knife can only be recalled, waiting for future generations to restore!

Resources:

"Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty", "New Tang Dynasty Book • Zhang Xing's Biography", "The Art of War"

The text was created by the History University Hall team, and the pictures came from the Internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author

(This article only represents the author's point of view and does not represent the position of this number)