sword (weapons: edged); scabbard

A steel sword with hilt of brass and wood. The wooden grip is fluted and has a small hole, possibly for tying a cord or tassel, surmounted with a pommel and a wing-like guard curved upwards at both ends. The blade is straight, pointed, and double-edged, with a median crest and a deep cut on mid-section. The pommel and guard are engraved with a 'shou' character surrounded by bats. Bat is pronounced as 'fu' in Chinese, which also means 'blessing'. The combination of these two auspicious motifs, 'fu' and 'shou', symbolises 'blessing' and 'longevity'.
The scabbard is made of wood, covered with tortoise shell, and mounted with engraved brass fittings with two loops. The brass fittings are engraved with the 'shou' character surrounded by bats as on the pommel.

fighting

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
7.345
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
scabbard: 500 mm; sword: 609.6 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
steel; brass; wood; tortoiseshell
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk