twin swords; sword sheath

Set of twin swords, yin yang jian,and a scabbard. Each sword has a wooden grip, brass pommel and butterfly-shaped guard. The wooden grip is semicircular in cross-section and inlaid with two brass floral motifs. The blade is straight and pointed, triangular in cross-section, and is double-edged with a central ridge. The scabbard is made of wood covered with shagreen, mounted with a brass locket decorated with cloud collar and coin designs.

Twin swords of this type were held one in each hand to confuse the enemy during a fight. See p. 287, Zhou Wei (1957), 'Zhongguo bing qi shi gao', Beijing.

fighting

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
24.291
Date
19th century
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
scabbard: 693 mm; swords: 838.2 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
steel; wood; shagreen; brass
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
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Collection Information

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