A Sword Master Explains the Tang Dao ⚔️

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00]Tang Dynasty Dao are really very interesting.

[00:00:04]When people think of a Dao, Chinese saber, they usually think of a curved blade. But of course the Tang Dao are straight swords in Chinese called Jer Bei Dao or literally straight back sabers. What's really interesting about them is we don't really know for certain how they were wielded. The Tang Dynasty was over a thousand years ago. That straight blade would really deliver a very percussive kind of cut if you're fighting somebody in armor. Slashing cuts not really going to do very much, but that percussive cut might just make a difference. Also, many of them have this either double edge tip or sometimes that clipped tip that later on was adopted onto Japanese katana. And that's probably really good, especially with this straight blade, to deliver a good solid thrust, maybe one that was potentially armor piercing. Also, that long grip could allow for us to use a two-handed cut, but also it counterbalances that long heavy blade. So it can really be moved quickly with a single hand. And that straight blade, especially one with the double-edge tip like this, can be used for thrusting and piercing the way we would a Chinese jian, a Chinese double-edge sword. So really a very fascinating, interesting design from well over a thousand years ago.