The Burmese dha sword (or Thai krabi / daab)

A look at an original antique Burmese or Thai sword, featuring silver and ivory. This type of sword is known as a dha in Burma and a daab in Thailand. They vary in design across the region, but clearly share a common origin and history.
www.swordfightlondon.com
www.antique-swords.co.uk

[@nyinyi7050]

dha: it's just a general word of sword for Myanmar, it also means knife and so on. There are so many kind of sword in Myanmar. That kind of sword we call "NGET GYI TAUNG". It means "the feather of giant Bird" decorate by gem and Ivory.

[@yoyo5541]

Haha😂

[@labrosilabyut344]

@@yoyo5541 Haha? whats funny, explain plz

[@yoyo5541]

@@labrosilabyut344 ဒါကငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓါးမဟုတ်လ်ု့ပဲ ရှေးDAI/TAI/THAIတွေရဲ့ဒီဇိုင်းပါ

[@yoyo5541]

@@labrosilabyut344 Commentမှာလည်းတစ်ချက်လောက်ပြန်ကြည့်ပေးပါဆွေးနွေးထားတာ ဓားတိုင်းရာဇဝင်ရှိပါတယ်။

[@pyaezayarpaing9394]

@@yoyo5541 yes,ငှက်ကြီးတောင်မဟုတ်ပါဘူး ပုံစံဆင်တူနေတာပါ သေသေချာချာကြည့်ရင်မတူပါဘူး

[@supakrithpunyaratabandhu2895]

Some points about this style of sword, according to my Krabikrabong teacher (who is also an amateur Thai/Burmese sword historian and sword smith), As Chang mentioned, in Thai this type of sword is called a "Dhab", and probably has the same root as "Dha" (although the Thai and Burmese languages are not related). The term "Krabi" came into later use with the introduction of foreign swords, refering especially to straight-edged weapons with hand guards from India such as Khandas or Firangis. This particular example is almost certainly a ceremonial sword. Swords intended for battle would have had handles wrapped in rope or cloth. Even plain wood handles were uncommon because of the heat and humidity; sweaty hands would make smooth handles very slippery very quickly. The blade shape possibly evolved from a machete-type jungle knife, which is more evident in Central Thai swords which tend to widen towards the tip. The light weight, lack of hand guards, and relatively long handles lend themselves towards how these swords were traditionally wielded. Ancient styles tended to use a lot of twirling motions and wrist flicks which aimed to inflict numerous small cuts rather then large chopping or slicing motions, as Thai and Burmese warriors wore little to no armor due to the heat. Binding was also extremely rare; fighters tended to deflect and counter-attack instead. Round handles are also thought to contribute to this style of striking, but oval-shaped handles started to appear in later periods, especially after Siam's contact with Japan. Blade styles and construction also started to evolve around this period. A sword and shield combo WAS the dominant fighting style. However, in warfare some units using dual-wielding were used as shock troops for blitz attacks and to exploit gaps in formations. Most soldiers would practice dual-wielding to some extent in case they lost their shield in battle. Dual-wielding in modern Krabikrabong is a demonstration of skill and athleticism. Hope you find this info useful!

[@nikitaonassis6090]

I agree with the method of use, it is mostly deflection, sliding which is more of a deflection, strike, counter attack, and rarely a bind. I can attest to this as up to about twenty years ago, there are families and those previoulsy under the royal banner, who demonstrated the arts to try to get students and as dinner performances for important, usually foreign guests. Dao, dha, is Knife, to my limited sphere of influence from my god parents. There are bow and short spears with shields. The knife above is not ceremonial. Use tribal colours of that region around for the grip. It is not on the handle for the obvious reasons of time and storage. There are similar practices across indochina of the various empires in the region of cross fertilization of ideas from traders of binding the hilt with tree sap and some form of weave, to weave only.

[@christianagle298]

ผมเป็นนักดาบชาวอเมริกาที่สนใจเรียนกระบี่กระบองอยู่ครับ สนใจที่จะเรียนรู้เกี่ยวกับดาบไทยด้วย ครูของคุณสอนที่ไหนนะครับ คือผมสนใจจะเรียนด้วย

[@supakrithpunyaratabandhu2895]

สวัสดีครับคุณคริสเตียน ครูสอนที่มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดลครับ คุณคริสเตียนอยู่ในไทยเหรือเปล่าครับ?

[@christianagle298]

อยู่กรุงเทพครับ คนนอกสามารถเข้าไปเรียนได้หรือเปล่าครับ

[@supakrithpunyaratabandhu2895]

ได้ครับ ตอนนี้เค่ากำลังเปลี่ยนวันซ้อมอยู่ เดี๋ยวผม update อี่กที

[@gorisenke]

Dhamn that's a nice sword.

[@biohazard724]

Monkeysrock I see what you dhid there

[@TheBaconWizard]

Dhon't dho any more!

[@berlinunraveling3101]

Great video. I'm an FMA (Kali) practitioner and I might be able to shed some light on the double sword style in FMA. When I was training with some of the older instructors from the Philippines they said most of the double stick/double sword movements developed out of the tendency of carrying a sword (which in the case of Kali were often actually just glorified farm impliments ) and a stick/sheath. The stick or sheath was carried in the lead hand and used to parry blows and/or offensivly pin the attackers weapon while the sword was used to actually attack. I was told this was partial done to gain an advantage in fighting but also just to preserve the swords as they were often not made of the best quality steel. If you look at more traditional sheaths they actually have finger groves to help you grip the sheath almost like a Tonfa once you've drawn the blade. I can't vouch for the validity of the statments but that was how it was expressed to me by a couple of big wigs in the FMA community. Another thing to remember is that many of the double sword techniqes/attack drills in FMA are actually there more as a training tool to help you understand the empty hand techniques and attack angles and develop proper body structure for the more 'grounded' parts of the system.

Aaron Tilton quite common in the philipines are actually sheaths that were on purpose so poorly made that you disnt have to draw them if you were attacked. you would basicly bare the blade on the first block (wich would break the scabbard hence actually bearing the blade)

[@scholagladiatoria]

Interesting info, thanks.

[@nikitaonassis6090]

I am from the oral tradition which seconds kuntaosilat sweden that you cut through your sheath or broke your sheath, not having to draw your blade. You might want to watch The Bladed Hand which I may provide for your viewing. www.istorya.net/forums/general-discussions-10/510487-sri-vishayan-empire-srivijaya-650-1290-ad-hindu-malay-visayan-empire.html Above not to be taken literally, as there are many other versions of who got where first due to lack of undeniable proof and documentation, as many things are passed down in the oral tradition.

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

It seems that the move to wielding two swords coincides with adoption of repeating rifles by the colonial powers. Perhaps the lack of utility of a shield in those circumstances is one reason why the extra offensive capability of a second sword became popular.

[@berlinunraveling3101]

Cool I haven't seen those! I got that story when I was training with the Gajes so take that for what you want. But if you're going based on pure utility the idea of the breakaway sheath sounds fairly cool. Thanks for the info!

[@chang1865]

My friend trades Dha or Krabi on a regular basis. In Thai we would also call it 'Dhab' which is a general term for all swords. He said this one is more of a Burmese style, if it is Thai then it would have come from the northern provinces which is on the border of Burma. The Thai krabi has many blade styles variations mainly on the blade tip. The shorter blade facilitates the use of two blades; one in each hand. The longer grip does act as a counter weight as well. Japanese katana blade (probably traded from Japanese merchants, some copied by local blacksmiths) designs are also used with Thai fittings in the 16th-17th century as well.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Thanks for that info.

[@d33b33]

Would he call this a ceremonial dha or are they all this delicate and ornate? This sword strikes me as one for the ballroom instead of the battlefield. In the world of guns, ivory or mother of pearl grips usually indicates an anniversary or commemorative edition not meant for active duty.

[@nikitaonassis6090]

Not sure about being ceremonial. It will certainly be ceremonial for Europeans as local tribes value things differently, such as jade and other precious metals and gems over mere ivory. There are various ivory grade which this one appears to be of good quality but not premium ivory. My Thai / Burmese god parents favoured teak wood which they bought everything teak, ivory of high quality, but since part of their families are from different regions, one side favoured jade and other shamanistic stones of protection, wealth and so on. Ivory, like silk, is more of a European coveted item, where it is indigenous to the region. High quality ivory and so on, are nevertheless more valuable but used differently. I would expect the almost the entire scabbard to be in ivory were it ceremonial. I have seen entire ivory scabbards, handle, hilt and collar, which was about 30 years ago. Amongst them, individual pieces would be valued by finesse of craftmanship, such as being single piece or jointed pieces to form a whole. While a valuable commodity, Valuation is not the same as Europeans, being availability locally that was not endangered at the time. Ivory and silk to Europeans as Mother of Pearl, Jade, opal, rubies and emerald to that region. Colonisation, you are better off going to the VA or to Tower of London to see where they are, if they are not in private possession, gold and other metals as base trading currency.

[@d33b33]

Nikita Onassis Teak is a good solid wood, you can bind or hook an attacker with that. Ivory is bone. I've seen ivory grips crack from falling off a table. To see Matt do hooking motions with that fascinating little carved statue on the end of the hilt seems silly. A plausible technique, just not with this specific sword. This entire sword seems fragile to me, that's what made me think ceremonial.

[@chang1865]

This would certainly be a ceremonial sword, it is highly decorated with silver and ivory. Decorated silver plates are very popular in northern Thailand. It might be a treasure of some local leader or a warlord if it is antique. A war instrument hilt would be simply wood and the blade tang burnt into it then wrapped with cords or fitted with iron or bronze for durability. Hilts break often and are regarded as disposable.

[@yaminowa]

That silver alloy detailing on the scabbard and the handle is to die for.

[@klavakkhazga3996]

Southeast asia medieval history is so damn cool! Khmers, Ayyuthaya, Burma... It's a shame it's so difficult to find good translated books, movies, documentaries, etc. about the topic. Do any of you have some recommendations? I'd be happy to hear them!

[@AlSAMSAMA]

I think you might already know about ong bak 2 & 3 movies by tony jaa , if not they are highly recommendable.

[@klavakkhazga3996]

Yup, I've seen them all :) Cool muay thai moves

[@nikitaonassis6090]

Certainly, however much of recorded recent detail, meaning the last 200 years, much is not present for many reasons, this is found when archaeologists and anthropologists attempt to find documented evidence. A starting point is to google Majapahit empire, Visayan empire.. www.istorya.net/forums/general-discussions-10/510487-sri-vishayan-empire-srivijaya-650-1290-ad-hindu-malay-visayan-empire.html The above migratory route is not to be taken as is, as there are many conflicting versions of who came first. Historical documents are lacking. My guess would be to look for merchant documents, trading currency as a hint of how things got where they are.

[@MaliciousMollusc]

The main reason most of SEA medieval history was so obscured was because of European intervention. That's history for ya..

[@nethidonnathan7280]

A good movie to come out of Thailand is, "Suriothai". This movie is set in the 16th Centuary Ayuthaya ( modern Thailand) and is about the continual warfare between The Thais and Burmese focusing on queen Suriothai who became a great hero because of her sacrifice. The costumes are outstanding as is the choreography of some fairly large battles with hundreds of extras and dozens of elephants. It is a personal favorite of Francis Ford Copala who edited a version for America ( though I prefer the 6 hour + original. HIGHLY recommended for those with even a passing interest in the history of this remarkable area of the world. You can probably find clips on KZbin.

[@Williamstanway]

this is a prime example of why your channel is top class , pure information, historical intrigue and detail lots of detail . would love to see some of those lovely swords get tested , but I understand why that's probably not possible .

[@prc1064]

Same Would'nt it be nice if someone (we could call him Matt:)) had this sudden idea of sharing some sort of drawing, to scale, with dimensions from all views, center of mass, etc for all of us poor guys who will try to make respectful copies of such rare swords. Certainly this would be apreciated by all, admirers and users

[@friday5303]

This is 100% Burmese Dar. The martial art using this weapon is called Dar Thaing. There is some answers hope you can find something. The handle is mostly made by Ivory so most of them are cylinder shape. You need to know Dar Thaing to understand Dar structure.Dar is made for cutting,stabbing,throwing. Flower on the handle and Dar Eain( it means Dar house in Burmese) is called PaTain art. The handguard thinking about this Dar is wrong.That type of Dar's owner is high rank.He has DarEain( Dar house) and some beautiful rope . In ancient Burmese soldier, low rank soldier use Dar without DarEain.

[@s.w.4409]

From every single video I watch from you, I learn something new. Thanks Matt! :)

[@jameskitchell1277]

a really beautiful example of blade craftsmanship

[@HyperGnome]

I'm not very knowledgeable on swords and weapons but I can tell you, it's damn beautiful ._.

[@mikkokhun397]

Thanks to present to our Burmese sword (ဓား) . This sword have been used only on King and General , and also used Rich man. They used like a accessories. And you said hand protection, hand protection is only used up on Soldier and Commender. By the way, Thanks you.

[@MsDjessa]

I have really liked these type of swords ever since I learned about them. Awesome to learn more about them. Thank you Matt.

[@Meymeygwis]

Love listening to Matt, he could be speaking about any kind of sword, knife or weapon. I have a modern version of this and they are so lovely to wield.

[@misterspankyspank]

Heading to Myanmar in October - maybe find one myself. Thanks for this Matt.

[@MRKapcer13]

Fascinating! You don't really think about these regions when you look at swords. These are lovely and surprisingly elegant.

[@kamino78]

Thanks Matt for this very detailed look at a weapon I've never even seen before. Really interesting.

[@prechabahnglai103]

Krabi is a more fancy way of calling Darb(Dha) in Thailand. Today "Krabi" is usually for describing 19th century straight European style swords (like on your wall) or the Chinese double edge swords - mostly on television. At home or in conversation we just refer to all swords as "Darb".

[@scholagladiatoria]

Thanks.

[@Yeknodathon]

Thanks for sharing. There is a simple elegance in the blade that contrasts but compliments the ornate elements, very pleasing to see.

[@aglaraandune6602]

absolutely beautiful craftsmanship on that

[@mta9375]

Swords on the back are reserved strictly for Witchers ;) That's why it's remarked on as being so unusual

[@__w__o__w__]

huh, i didn't know the chosen undead was a witcher :^)

[@d33b33]

That's because only Witchers can magically morph the last one-third of the blade through the scabbard; I've watched the animation frame by frame. He does push the tip of the scabbard back, to have the grip come forward across the shoulder a little bit, which is a lovely little detail to a gorgeous game.

[@sushanalone]

me too, the scabbards are designed for such draw, and the weapons have lobes to cover the lack of scabbard, and allow for a draw from back.

[@sushanalone]

Whao Wha..What,... what are you doing? Geralt: Killing Monsters!

[@BIIGtony]

I let Geralt get away with it because in the books there is an actual in lore reason. I'm not 100% on that anymore but I think it was something with springs. So the sword actually is supposed to jump out of the scabbard. Like I said, I don't remember the details but there was an attempt of justification. If I remember correctly the justification wasn't very good but it was there. And to the scabbards... It has been a while but I'm fairly sure the drawing animation ingame showed pretty well why that's a bad idea because the sword glitched through the scabbard and I think also his body? Anyway, Geralt is too cool to care about such small details.

[@MrTryAnotherOne]

Good show that he covers swords from other cultures as well. There are some great blades out there waiting to be seen.

[@JonGarrood]

Great review man! I train in Krabi Krabong and we use the longer hilt for several different blocking and hooking methods. We also fight with a small shield so your guessing is pretty accurate! Great channel!!!

[@TheDustyForest]

Fascinating sword and video! I know next to nothing about South East Asian history or weaponry so this was especially interesting for me. This is the first video you've posted since I subscribed (from Metatron's shoutout video), and I'll definitely be sticking around for more, great presentation and delivery :)

[@99IronDuke]

Very interesting Matt, I seem to recall the Burmese Dha is mentioned in one of Ruyard Kipling's 'Soldiers Three' stories (either in 'Soldiers Three' or 'Plain Tales from the Hills') You might find these interesting if you don't know them since Kipling got most of his ideas from talking with real soldiers and NCO's who had fought in Afghanistan and Burma, etc in the late 19th century.

[@AntiCitizenZero]

That is not a squatting or dancing person. That is someone who is sitting and has had his wrists bound. Someone has chopped off his head. This sword belonged to a very high status person who was showing off his ruthlessness.

[@bushcraftmyway]

regarding the cylindrical handle, my guess is that it used to be made mostly of bamboo (from the lower segments that have very thick walls), which is, obviously, cylindrical, and when other materials were used, the traditional, well established shape was kept.

[@danielflynn9141]

Outstanding video. What a beautiful sword!

what you say about two swords vs shields is what my research shows as well. in battle spear and shield was primary, swords were mostly secondary weapons used with a shield. sword and dagger or double swords are mostly show of skill and a way to train coordination. also lack of handguards tends to also mean it was not solely a weapon, but also used as tools. swords that are purely made for battle tend to have crossguards and or even sometimes enclosed hilts.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Thanks, that's really interesting. It seems quite clear from looking at Thai/Vietnamese/Cambodian historical art that shields were very important. It's a shame they have not survived in the traditional martial arts (except for rare exceptions).

I agree. There is very little shield use that has survived in the region. In part maybe due to the systems evolving in the direction of (sometimes ritual) duelling

[@CarnelianUK]

I wonder if the abandonment of shields in the martial systems of those countries is at all related to the introduction of guns by European colonial forces? Swords retain their usefulness a lot better than shields do, and using two at once is a good way of showing off your skill in a non-battlefield environment...

Ben Kirkby i have in my posession pictures of 19th century malay warriors carrying both shields and rifles so im not sure thata the whole story

Goldroman22 most of the people in the area did not and still do not live in large cities. rural life is still quite vibrant. im not sure thata it either

[@demomanchaos]

That thing looks like it would do very well as a home defence weapon. It is longer than knives but still short enough to be useful in such close quarters.

[@Starteller794]

Thanks for making this video. I've been looking for more information on this type of sword and you had a bit more for me than just my research turned up. I picked up an antique Dha a couple of years ago but found little detailed information about them online. But maybe I just didn't dig deep enough. Mine isn't as nice as yours. In fact the hilt and sheath are pretty shabby and is made of wood or what looks like the rung of a chair painted black and marked on with silver marker. The wood appears to be pretty old and is made the same way as the one here. The blade has seen better days, but is still sharp and in relatively good shape. I'm fairly certain that even if the hilt and sheath were refurbished or remade, the blade is original. One thing I did find online (that wasn't mentioned) is that if the blade has little squiggle shapes on it, it was more likely made in Thailand. That's a bit confusing when it comes to mine though because the shop I bought it from said it was from Vietnam and was probably picked up by a US soldier while there in the 60s. But the shop didn't know much about the blade other than that. So I don't know if the blade was imported to Vietnam, or if it was picked up in Thailand (or any country in the region is possible) as a tourist piece.

[@Korrinath]

Want! Even the simple versions of these swords have an inherent beauty to me, but this one is gorgeous.

[@PieterBreda]

I was waiting for that review. Thanks

[@arthurpendragonsyt]

You are totally right about the way they are carried. It is often slung under the armpit or at the side. However, many paintings and movies often portray these swords to be slung over their back especially dual wielding. However, according to some practitioners I met in Burma, they mentioned they probably sung them on the back to climb something or need to use both hands.

[@CSGraves]

A very nice example of dha/dharb. I obtained a 19th Century one about 20 years ago, but it was much much less ornate. Plain wooden scabbard, brass ferrule, and the hilt was wrapped in interestingly braided rings of rattan or something. The blade was very narrow near the hilt, and swelled dramatically near the belly, almost like a cartoon/caricature of a katana.

[@thefivespokewheels]

This is perfect timing. Just yesterday i was searching youtube for videos of the dha and found nothing substantial. And today you upload this! Would be cool if you could do video of Malay kris and/or Sri Lankan kastane. I wan't to know if the kastane was an indigenous sword or heavily influenced from the Dutch.

[@Theduckwebcomics]

I saw a few of these in an antique shop in Bangkok- old and dark with age, wicked blades, but quite small. I didn't even realise they were swords. I thought they might have been for forestry. Wish I show the photo I have of them here.

[@adam-k]

I have been told in regards of katana that the spine is beveled because the blade only supposed to touch the scabbard at the spine and on the sides of the edge. So the bevel is supposed to minimize the contact between the wood and the metal. For once it protects the blade and second it supposed to make unsheeting the sword easier.

[@chinatosinthiti3076]

Thai subscriber here! I do not know anyone interested in historical warfare around here, whether it's European or Thai Krabi-Krabong glad to see some here.

[@atf343]

This video and the numerous comments below are extremely informative ^^. To add to the other points on the short lengths of the blades being purposefully short to allow extremely fast draws... I read somewhere that back in the day, usually combat was initiated by the two opposing parties trying to come as close as possible to each other without drawing blades... then they will then suddenly draw and whomever could draw their dhas the fastest will get the initiative and land the first strike. Sort of like gunslingers dueling and whoever is the fastest, wins. Not to mention as demostrated by Mr. Easton, the short blade makes the dha extremely wicked fast especially with the emphasis on speed in fighting as mentioned earlier Also it's not out of the ordinary for Japanese blades to be used, or their blade making methods copied, there was a considerable Japanese presence in Siam well before the Tokugawa Shogunate. Their blades were highly valued especially by Thai cavalry (whose numbers are sparse) and noblemen.

[@manjitrupbikram]

The dah, or dha as you say it, is also a very common weapon and tool in north east india which is traditionally ethnically and culturally south east asian. The word dah means a machete/chopping knife in Assamese.

[@montybigbore6158]

I love my Dha the speed and balance is very flowing when in form movement

[@montybigbore6158]

A terrific guy to ask is Miles at Aranyik machete company. I have bought several Pra,Narong,Enep,Etoh and other blades from his forges. he has traditional smithies from Thailand making them still. I perfer my Etoh to any ax on the market today . Narongs are very effective as a battle axe/cleaver/dao .

[@nikitaonassis6090]

Does he work with bronze and brass ? Thanks in advance should I not see this.

[@paulsweeney1697]

Five ads in half an hour?! Crikey, guv, that almost put me off! (my connection is dodgy and if it's a video ad, needs to restart loading you upon returning) Apart from that, I rather enjoyed this, it feels like ages since you promised this vid. Ta very muchly.

[@cristian-ionutapostol8018]

One of my favourite blades!

[@EvilTwinn]

Such a gorgeous sword.

[@theeditor9408]

It was just recently I thinking you should do a vid on these swords. I've handled a few of the Thai Krabi swords and they always threw me. The handles always seemed so wierdly long, like oddly oversized for the length of the blade, esp for a one handed sword. Keep up the good work.

[@teckkid]

Hey, first of this is a super informative video and I appreciated it very much. That being said the reason I found it in the first place was to familiarize myself with some swords I recently acquired. I recently won a series of auctions with multiple swords. The first set arrived the other day and it has one of these in it. I have a second set that has yet to ship with two more. The reason I bought all of them was like you, for sales purposes. That being said I was wondering if you have any suggestions as to where would be a good market for selling them? Also if you're interested in seeing them I'd love to get your take on them. The first one that already arrived has some really great markings on them I'd love to know what they meant. There's even notches on the back of the blade that appear to be kill marks.

[@ZemplinTemplar]

Even before you mentioned the messer and dao swords, I already made the connection. "Oh, the blade is actually rather messer-like...", I thought. And yes, in Chinese, "dao" are any single-edged swords or knives (similarly to how "jian" is used as a relatively catch-all term for double-edged swords). I like the way this SE Asian sworn is worn. It seems really easy to draw from the scabbard.

[@xanecosmo5061]

In Myanmar, Dha literally means all the knives, blades and swords no matter the length of the sword. Even the kitchen knife is called Dha.

[@robinburt5735]

Krabi-kabong sounds like something on the Menu at Spongebobs Krusty Krab

[@ghostagent3552]

@@thanakornlol148 Krabong can also mean a club

[@khust2993]

Krabi patty, sword patty, sounds appetizing and scary isn't it?

[@vandenhuud8570]

@@ghostagent3552 if Bong it is a tool for inhaling herb

[@sirhumphreyappleby8399]

Thanks for this while reading Burmese days by George Orwell I came upon this while a scheming official was talking of rebellion thanks I was really confused at what they were talking about

[@jellekastelein7316]

Just to confirm some of the things you're saying here: I bought myself a much less fancy dha this week. It was sold as either Birmese or Indonesian. It has a relatively slightly longer (27cm), cord-wrapped cylindrical grip and a blade (50cm) of roughly the same shape as the one you have here. The top (and bottom) of the grip has a brass fitting in my case, though smaller than your silver one. The fitting / grip tapers out slightly towards the blade. No sign of peening so probably not a full tang(?) The front half of the back of the blade (that is, the half towards the tip) is indeed beveled, while the back half is flat with a small simple decoration near the grip.

[@Outrider74]

Looks like a Japanese wakizashi. Question for you Matt, maybe one you've addressed before: did a scabbard like that one have an intentional practical or combat use at all?

[@Mythicalmage]

Great video and gorgeous sword! Do you know if polearms similar to the Japanese naginata, basically with the same blade as the sword, only mounted on a staff, were common or if they used more specialized pole-heads?

[@scholagladiatoria]

Glaive-like polearms were popular all over the Far East due to Chinese influence. I believe that the naginata was essentially inspired by Chinese glaives.

[@davideddy8557]

Greetings, Mr Easton! I'm a huge fan of your channel. You mention that the primary weapon would be a spear. It is my understanding that that part of the world is densely forested, lots of underbrush and vegetation. How would that type of environment change the way an individual used the spear, and how would it change the way a group would?

[@S.Grenier]

Were these used exclusively as weapons, or did they have utility purposes to those who carried them in this region ? Are other examples of this design sometimes sturdier then the one you own ? I would see this blade shape, and system of carry, as being very useful as a tool and as a backup weapon, a bit, like you said, a machete.

[@DannoCrutch]

My dad talked about Kachin knives. He served in Burma. Said he'd still be cutting his way through the jungle if it wasn't for the Kachins. He said the chiefs had some fancier "knives". Beautiful piece!

[@nikitaonassis6090]

My god parents had much more fanciful knife than this one here. They were regarded as common at the time and obsolete, hence the value for antique collectors, not withstanding the context of budhism, anti-violence. They gave away, donated and even threw away those not so serviceable, which today you would pay someone to restore.

[@DannoCrutch]

That interesting.

[@emarsk77]

Is there a rivet in the silver "sleeve"? It's hard to tell from the video, with all that gorgeous decoration.

[@fraxyv21]

In the context of your prev video, this sort of reviews may not generate as many views but must be really helping your business with antiques, Matt? I've never been interested in collecting but am tempted to buy such a thing myself

[@JC-Denton]

Luv' the silver-velvet combination! :-)

[@The1Helleri]

There appears to be a high-yellow to somewhat brassy tone in some areas on the scabbard's metal. It's hard to tell for sure with the lighting and definition.If it displays yellow sheen under white lighting when tilted at extreme angles that is indicative of the likely presence of tin or lead. Alloying Silver with lead or tin (sometimes both) and even amalgamating the resulting alloy with mercury was commonly done throughout much of history in many parts of the world for more ornate applications. It raises the initial malleability and work harden-ability of silver. Which is really good for chasing & repousse work. Albeit that makes it not as safe to be touching a lot bare handed (if this does contain lead/mercury). But they didn't know that. Today we use silver-tin-copper alloys instead. I am also thinking that the wedge shaped spine and ability to flip the blade orientation around quickly might be good for bone breaking (such as for collar bone or rib strikes). At the very least it is harder to stress a curve against a wedge than it is a flat. So it might help prevent the blade from warping or cracking and even snapping against the curve with hard blows.

[@mikapesonen2434]

haha, cool. I was totally eyeing that up in the last video (y) I don't blame you for wanting to keep it.

[@Xanatos712]

Given the level of decoration on that particular example, I think it's definitely a status symbol rather than a 'practical' weapon. If you're a wealthy noble or merchant instead of a soldier or guard then you don't want a particularly heavy weapon to carry around all day - especially if you're not expecting to get into a fight - hence the lightweight 'flimsy' construction. On the use of shields and why they fell out of favour, at least in the Philippines this was due to the Spanish occupation outlawing the practise of martial arts to prevent any local uprisings. The Filipinos would instead disguise their training as ceremonial dancing (complete with music & costumes) and using the more 'flashy' twin sword fighting styles, since the age of gunpowder pretty much rendered shields useless. This trend carries onto modern day applications since most Filipino weapons serve a dual purpose; knives & machetes are often used as tools, and whereas they are easy to carry around and can double as weapons shields are only really designed for one purpose and aren't as easy to carry. On that particular example, Tony Jaa uses a krabi towards the end of *Ong Bak 2* with a similarly long cord attached to the scabbard which he uses to swing around like a flail and trap his opponent's limbs & weapons. I don't know if this was a historical technique, but it could be one explanation as to why those cords were so long.

[@ghostagent3552]

Ahhhh.... time for my traditional cultural sword

[@simoneriksson8329]

My guess is that the disapperance of shields is linked to the disapperence of bows in the region. If you might come up against archers a shield is superimportant but when flintlockmuskets became the main arnament for infantry shields just became a hazzle to carry but you could still carry one or even two of theese small elegant swords as backup weapons.

[@julkongkamerakate9985]

We used double sword as the standard equipment of the army. Yes, we had many kind of shield with sword but in my style i learning use double for both defense and offense

[@wullgrew1]

I find the edge geometry fascinating. Is it slightly convexed with a zero ground edge? It seems to show the fact that these were used against soft targets, not armor.

[@slowpokebr549]

It would be a very fast to hand, personal sidearm. Maybe not this particular example, but i would think that it would also be very handy tool for day to day use.

[@alexanerose4820]

Hey +scholagladiatoria, how would one use something like a Scottish Claymore against someone in plate armor? would half-swording and murder strikes be viable for a sword of that size?

[@sophien5416]

Please include Cambodia in the title of this as dha too as Angkor was the empire that was present in the region (which is a big part of Khmer culture). The Naga people translates to the dragon people, which Cambodians/Khmer derive from. Recapturing this lost history of our culture is very important for us. Aside from that, I love this review! I would imagine a dha(rb) like this would be used in ceremony, especially because red is auspicious. According to my archeologist cousin, in our weddings, this is a central part of the last ritual. The sword represents the husband and how he protects the family, and she is the sheath. Looking at the handle carving, really looks Khmer as large bangles and the pant wrap type are very popular and defining in traditional costumes (but that's just a guess). Looks masculine though, like the warriors on the walls of Angkor Wat. The silver pattern is also very significant to the whole region though, as you will often see that same wheel of fortune and floral pattern on our ceremonial silverware. Also popular in javanese culture too.

[@danayanker]

The Ahoms of Assam have a similar sword ...being of the same Thai Shan group...called the Heng Dang which has a very long handle because the handle is used as a shield. The one youre holding is used with a shield. The Heng Dang with the blunt tip is good for attacks against shields as it acts as triangular wedge that delivers very powerful blows.

[@lukutiss1324]

That's a beautiful sword.

[@johnharvey5412]

Really interesting sword! It's piqued my curiosity in a few ways. Would the lack of hand protection make it dangerous to use as a thrusting weapon, since the user's hand could slide up the blade? The longer handle as a counterbalance seems like it makes sense for a sword that doesn't have a pommel... just a different solution to a common problem. Do you think the disappearance of shields has anything to do with the arrival of firearms? Have you done / will you do any test cutting with it?

[@scholagladiatoria]

Thrusting seems less secure to me. Shields did stay in use until the 19th century, so I don't think firearms played a big part until perhaps the 20th century. I won't do any cutting with this one.

[@johnharvey5412]

Bangkok Historical Fencing Are there good historical sources for this kind of fighting like there are for HEMA? Martial arts from that part of the world are pretty unknown to me, so this is new and interesting material. :)

[@brianknezevich9894]

Matt.. I don't know this blade at all, but putting the bevel on the back of a curved blade makes it focus force through mail/padding closer to a Kukri or small axe - and casting the blow still has the tip cleaving ability you were talking about with the cut tip variety..

[@morallyambiguousnet]

Very nice looking sword. The bevelling may be to reduce the chance of it cracking on the sides, at the rear. Matt, you need to get your lighting higher up. Lot of shadow across your face in this one. Higher would be better. Two higher lights, one on each side, better still.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yeah I really know. :-)

[@oaksoekhant2786]

Very beautiful

[@KuKulzA28]

Nice video, nice dha. Keep it up! FYI.. Pedang is Indonesian/Malay for "sword". "Pe" like in pedestrian, and "dang" where the -ang sounds like EN in encore. So that falls in the camp with the golok, parang, klewang, gobang, podang, etc. Long blades of the "malay archipelago". Dha is Burmese, daab/krabi is used in Thailand, and dav in Khmer I think... Double daab have been used, in the past in battles, usually those had shorter blades and longer handles, shown worn on the back... but most were used with a shield, either one gripped in the center, vertical axis, or strapped to the arm. Check out some krabi krabong if you aren't familiar, Kru Praeng comes to mind as a good example!

[@prateekc.155]

Thanks for this! I had been extremely curious about this sword since I saw it on your wall. I've seen similar blades still in use in certain parts of northeast India (particularly Manipur), which feature similar blades but with cord-wrapped hilts and a fur-covered scabbard (which I was told was monkey fur). They are usually referred to as 'da', with 'dao' being used for the naga-style blade that is both squared off and wider. Although, the manipuri sword in particular widened a bit more towards the tip, almost like a machete. ( I was told quite explicitly that it was a sword though, a proper weapon rather than a woodsman's tool.) I've also encountered one other burmese sword which was identical to this one, but sported a straight blade and scabbard with a double-edged blade that widened towards a forked tip instead of a normal double-edged point. I"m not entirely sure if that one was an authentic blade type, however, since it came from what was mostly a souvenir shop for tourists.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Thanks - very interesting. One day I would just love to travel around India finding out more about local weapons.

[@justinprather8846]

The carry method is more or less a baldric, shoulder carry seams fairly common with swords.

most south east asian swords tend to be comparatively short (to european especially). pedang just means sword as you say and include a lot of different swordlike weapons both relatively short and long. my impression is that pedang tends to refer to weapons that are exclusively weapons, i.e not double as tools, like goloks for example.

[@nikitaonassis6090]

There are many tools used for various purposes. You can know that in the culture by working along side them. When I was working in a kitchen, the local chef said, one knife for everything, showing me how to cut and slice, whereas Japanese and Europeans have purpose made tools. Their attitude is, in their language and body gesture at me, why must you be so bothersome ?, why waste money, why waste time as in maintaining many tools, if the blade goes, just buy another one or rehilt it..this is both in the kitchen and forestry. They said, you ( europeans ) want so many tools, make complicated, we show you easy, one thing can do many things..the true multitasking or swiss army knife concept..;D But that makes things difficult to communicate as well, as they would use a generic word that could mean many things, which despite being contextual in usage, would have a context to that context as well..frustrating and funny times..

[@sczsocozo]

On the one or pair used of sword topic, in well train solder their use dual sword for more killing purpose but for foot solder their can only afforded to have one sword that all. And the reason for the grip to be cylindrical is for its martial art that true because in Thai martial art with sword they need to brandish quickly, and the most basic skill is to swing it like draw an infinity motion so cylindrical grip go with that better. You could try by swing it like I describe with loose grip you will feel that it flood better. ps. I could point you to the video that tell me about the cylindrical grip but their explain it in Thai tough.

[@koro_gaming8849]

That dha is called Nghat Kyi Taung Dha which mean Big Bird Feather Sword. Mimicking the feather of a bird it is curved and have been used since 18th or 17th i think.

[@Scott-qq9jd]

I know of one modern knifesmith who does a spine bevel because he finds it makes the blades swing better and cut better by acting like an airfoil. I don't know if the spine bevel on this Dha is enough to do that. Most kukri also have a non-flat spine, but not such that there would be aerodynamic benefits, so I don't know why they have it.

[@viridisxiv766]

what is the figure on the hilt holding in its hands? it looks to me like it was holding a pair of swords and the blades have broken off.

[@charlesrobbins5683]

Back wedge if the same theory as a Vietnamese side knife coconut cracking. Most blades in that area tend towards multi function if I’m perceiving it correctly after my trip to Vietnam

[@slenpaiwashere3599]

Never came so fast in my life

[@scholagladiatoria]

Please try and hold out longer next time.

[@nikitaonassis6090]

Oooze da force..Oooze da force..or maybe not..just..let it go..let it goo..can't hold it back any..mooors..

[@pyaephyokyaw4922]

I think it is burmese Dha. In burmese we call all knife and sword with the same name Dha . You all can visit our National Museum and and also Shwedagon pagoda's historic museum to see what our more burmese Dha really look like. And this type of swords are mainly use by Kings, leaders and generals at ancient time. And european colonial only came to burma, not thai, so i think it must be Burmese Dha.

[@peacebewu]

Just found a Philippine variant of this sword, it even has Baybayin script on the scabbard. Wonder up to where did this type of sword was made.

[@xawyehtet863]

In burma,we call it dha or (hnge' kyi: daun)means the bird's wing. you can see decorations on some other royal swords like this ,something like histories of the future Buddha

[@xawyehtet863]

our fighting system we don't need hand guard and we don't even face sword's edges but hack the enemies body.we cover with sides of dha.it is technique of thaing(burma martial art)

[@hrod9393]

Something to note. Krabi-Krabong I believe is sword-club. Take notice that the scabbard itself is usually wooden and hefty. The dual krabi style may stem from the ambidexterity that is inherent in the martial art. If you watch the martial art, the scabbard is usually always in alternate hand. Personally, I would have made my version of the scabbard be metallicly studded/armored and even have a point. It's like a compact way to carry 2 swords or small shield/gauche.. Two actual swords would make less sense, BUT, they also have wooden scabbards that can house 2 swords, one handle on each end.

[@jerrymaurer2100]

There is a guy who runs a shop in Northern Thailand who still hand forges these swords. I live in Thailand, and when I can I will go pick one up. He uses japanese steel in the construction

[@Simtar123]

Such a beauty =) Very nice video! =)

[@joelamansec6232]

Hi Matt, i got a burmese dha with silver engravings of old scriptures, a man and a woman on the blade, the sheath is made of copper or brass sheet. I would like to know more about the story of that particular sword. Maybe you could help me out. I appreciate your expertise on blades and swords, More power to you.

[@yekhaing1685]

Thanks to explain about burmese sword and thai sword But this sample you show isn't burmese sword it was thai or shan (one of myanmar races) style sword. Thank you

[@johnwilliams6345]

+scholargladitoria Nonetheless your reference to knife in Thai is incorrect. I have never heard of or seen a Saab with a straight or double edge ,and I lived in Bangkok. Even the "straight" blades I did see where slightly curved on the cutting edge towards the tip

[@muayboran6111]

They started fighting with a buckler but ended up fighting duel wielded especially in ayuthaya. Modifications of the blades were made to suit this style. The reason for this was because there were many ronins from Japan who ended up in Ayuthaya and fought under the king as their new leader and one of them even became a governer of nakhon sri Thammarat province. His name was Yamada Nagasaka

[@pausuum7582]

This type of sword is also used by zomi chiefs that live in chin state, burma but the handle is shorter and the blade is around 25in

[@freidelkyle]

Holy Ads, Batman! Great vid as usual though, Matt!

[@elijahhutchinson3031]

I would like to weigh in on the conjecture surrounding the "sword dance" in Kali from the Philippines. I am a Kali-JKD guy and grew up practicing with two sticks. We practice with a weapon in each hand for the purpose of developing our ambidexterity. The second stick can be easily swapped out for a shield or a dagger or... It doesn't really matter. It could just as easily be a machete. Awesome video!