Spears and Clubs    

 

 

 

Traditional weapons such as spears, axes, clubs and swords remained in use into the twentieth century, never fully supplanted by firearms. 

Below are samples of some long-handled weapons from Essentials of the Military Arts. The handles of clubs, maces, and axes could be up to three or four meters long. 

In what situations would long-handled weapons be preferred over ones with short handles?              

Two-edged sword "Iron whip" "Wolf-tooth mace"  

Big axe
SOURCE:  Zeng Gongliang and Ding Du, Wujing zongyao (Zhongguo bingshu jicheng 1988 ed.), 13:13-16 (p. 687-89).
ANSWER:  Short-handled weapons were used in close combat. Some weapons with longer handles were used in cavalry fighting, others were necessary to reach enemies trying to scale walls. 

 

The general to the left, from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is holding under his arm a long-handled halberd with a long blade 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Armored general with halberd

SOURCE:  Luo Guanzhong, Quantu xiuxiang sanguo xanyi,chatu ji (Shanghai: Feihong ge, 1896), p. 20.

Below are three scenes from The Water Margin showing various weapons in use.

Cavalry fighting     

Bombarding attackers  
SOURCE:  Liu Junyu, Shuihu quanzhuan chatu, Ming edition (Beijing: Renmin meishu chubanshe, 1955), p. 55, 98.

 

How many weapons in these pictures can you identify ?

What kind of comparisons and contrasts can be drawn between this army and a medieval European army on parade? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On parade

SOURCE:  Liu Junyu, Shuihu quanzhuan chatu, Ming edition (Beijing: Renmin meishu chubanshe, 1955),  p. 77.

Move on to Catapults