For this new series of The Best, I want to do something a little different. Something special. Instead of just doing my basic list of what I feel is the best whatever, I want to really get specific about certain elements of on-screen fighting. Specifically, I want to discuss the weaponry being used. I’m not going to deal with guns because anyone can pull a trigger. But when it comes to swords and other weapons of that sort, it requires a great degree of skill and training so that the practitioner doesn’t hurt themselves. For this particular post, I’m going to post two videos per weapon. One is going to feature a real-life demonstration of the weapon, and the second will be how it’s used in a movie. For this post, I’m going to cover a number of weapons from China, which covers a lot of ground. When it comes to the martial arts, China has the largest array of disciplines in the world. From Southern styles like Wing Chun and Hung Ga to the Northern styles like Baguazhang and Eagle Claw, the number of styles of Kung Fu outnumber anything in any other country. The weapons used are equally as diverse. There’s a lot of ground to cover here, so I may be making this particular post into two parts…maybe. All rights to the videos posted here belong to their respective owners. Here we go:
Guan Dao – The Lost Bladesman
This weapon, as you can see pictured above, is a staff that has a large curved blade on top of it. Now, according to the stories, this particular weapon was invented by General Guan Yu who fought alongside the warlord Lu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty. Because of the size of the blade, the guan dao appears to be pretty top heavy. In the film, The Lost Bladesman, Donnie Yen plays said General Guan Yu, and the fight choreography is also done by Donnie Yen.
Jian(straight sword) – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The jian is a double-edged straight sword. It’s usually a single-handed weapon, but there are variations where practitioners use two hands. It’s a light weapon which allows for a great deal of fluidity in movement. In demonstrations, it’s a spectacular weapons form. In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the movie is somewhat centered around the Green Destiny, which is a jian that used to belong to the famous warrior Li Mu Bei(played by Chow Yun Fat). However, it gets stolen and ends up in the possession of a beautiful aristocrat who has a few secrets of her own. The jian is an incredibly elegant weapon and has been in use for over 2,500 years. It’s got quite a history.
3 Section Staff – Fearless
The 3 section staff is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a staff with 3 sections. Each section is connected by a small chain. To most people, this looks like a nunchuck with an extra piece. However, it’s a very different kind of weapon that is nothing like a staff or nunchucks. Because of the nature of the 3 section staff, it can be a very dangerous weapon for the practitioner if they aren’t paying attention or if you’re a novice. This thing requires precise control and that comes with years of experience. There are moments when you can see this thing being swung around like a staff, but when it slows down it becomes another weapon. In Fearless, Jet Li takes on a number of opponents in a tournament to prove that the Chinese people are strong. One of the final rounds has Jet Li using a 3 section staff against a Japanese opponent wielding a katana. At a certain point, they end up switching weapons, but you can definitely tell that the Japanese swordsman is inexperienced and ends up hitting himself with the staff.
Chain Whip – Iron Monkey
Widely considered to be among the deadliest weapons in Kung Fu, the chain whip is fearsome indeed. The weapon’s speed and flexibility only add to the whip’s ferocity. It tends to be metal chain, traditionally up to 9 sections. What separates this weapon from a lot of others is the fact that there is usually a small dagger attached to the end of the whip. This weapon has a tendency to keep people at bay because of how fast it is. An experienced user can use this thing one handed or they can use it to trap an opponent using the full length of the whip. The variety of techniques available to a master of the chain whip is massive. In Iron Monkey, the title character uses a chain whip against a group of corrupt Shaolin Monks.
Meteor Hammer – Shanghai Noon
Now, here’s a weapon that confuses the hell out of me, and I believe that’s the point. The meteor hammer and to a lesser extent, the rope dart doesn’t appear to be an effective weapon. At close range, no. At medium to long range, that’s a different story. The whipping motions that you see in people using these weapons allow the dart or the blunt object at the end of the rope to build up speed, so when the hammer or dart are launched at an opponent, it’ll hit them with devastating velocity. The meteor hammer in particular will cause more damage because it’s heavier and builds up speed faster. This is another weapon that can be dangerous to the practitioner if their hand-eye co-ordination isn’t where it needs to be. That’s also why in certain circles of wushu, the chain whip is required in order to learn the rope dart or meteor hammer. In Shanghai Noon, Jackie Chan’s character ties a horse shoe to the end of the rope and uses it as a meteor hammer to take down a bunch of goons.
Butterfly Swords – The Final Master
These particular weapons come in pairs, one sword for each hand. The hilt has one side that looks like a hook. The length of these short swords averages about 11.5 inches, but each sword set is different. The butterfly swords are believed to have originated in southern China around the beginning of the 19th century. These weapons tend to be favored more by southern kung fu styles like Hung Ga and Wing Chun. These are very short range blades, with that hook that I mentioned that can trap another blade or handle allowing the practitioner to disarm the opponent rather quickly. Because of their size, the butterfly swords can be used to block other weapons and get in close to cause serious damage. The Final Master follows a Wing Chun master as he tries to establish a school only to come into conflict with a group of kung fu masters. The final battle has the master engaging multiple opponents in an alley way using butterfly swords.
Tiger Hook Swords – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The hook swords are probably the most problematic weapons on this list. There are claims that these are ancient weapons, but the earliest descriptions and illustrations of the hook swords are from the early 19th century, so it’s logical to assume that these swords probably weren’t invented until then. I could be wrong,though, as there’s not a lot of information there. Another problem I have with these weapons is that they don’t strike me as practical. Usually with swords, you can thrust and stab, as well as slice. You can’t stab with these things as the tip of the sword is a hook. The only thing that you could really use things for is to…well…hook things. Outside of that, though, any use of these weapons is strictly for show. Outside of the cartoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the only use of these swords in movies that I found was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, when Michelle Yeoh’s character confronts Zhang Ziyi’s character about the Green Destiny and they get into a fight, during which Michelle Yeoh grabs a pair of hook swords. That’s all I could find.
Well, that was VERY interesting. There really aren’t many classes of weapons to be found here, but there are MULTIPLE variations for each class. Not only that, each style of Kung Fu utilizes a different and use of each weapon. Hung Ga uses the butterfly swords in a different method than Wing Chun does. The variations of martial arts in China alone are staggering. I have to say, though, that my research into these different weapons has been eye opening and I managed to learn a lot. It was a lot of fun finding these different weapons, the demonstrations, and the movies that use them. Hopefully, you’re as excited about continuing this journey as I am. I think I’m going to tackle Japanese weaponry next. That should be a lot of fun. Until then, this is Major Tom, signing off.