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WCATS Bat Jum Dao
(Eight Slashing/Piercing Sword-Set)
by Danny Yinsheng Xuan
Thailand, like many countries in Asia, didn't
modernize their weapons of war until after the Second
World War. Until then, they mainly used swords and
spears as their weapons. Even after modernization,
villages and families continued making swords as a
tradition. On the other hand, the West hung its sabers
in the 18th century, at the arrival of firearms, and
wore them only symbolically.
By the time guns and rifles came to Asia, they were
too advanced for the Asians to manufacture. They were
also too expensive to import. Only the high officers and
the rich were able to afford them. Swords remained as
their main weapon of war.
Swords were more than a weapon to Asian swordsmen.
They were carried with pride; they were regarded as
tradition, culture and art; and they were believed to
possess spirits. Those who fought with them, died with
them. Those who survived, passed their swords to their
heirs, who cared for them until it was time to hand down
to the next generation.
The Blasdesmiths
In Thailand, there was a period when some bladesmiths
switched to making single-shot rifles; however, the
trade was banned when the country transformed from
absolute to constitutional monarchy. When the trade
died, these families could not switch back to
swordmaking, as the passing of the swordmaking knowledge
and lineage had been broken. However, those, who did not
switched to rifle-making, were able to continue making
swords, and pass on their knowledge to the next
generation to this day.
In the old days, bladesmithing was a well-respected
art and career. Good bladesmiths were rare and respected
citizens. Even when invaders conquered a town, they
would spare the lives of bladesmiths, and make them
their swordmakers. Although not as prominent,
bladesmiths are still respected citizens in Thailand.
In my search for traditional blademasters in
Thailand, I found several in different areas of
Thailand. Some smelt iron from local ore and drop forge
their swords from the scratch; and some imported
high-quality stainless steel from US, Germany,
Switzerland, and Japan, and forged them in charcoal or
electric ovens. Some specialized in traditional Thai
swords; some in Japanese katana; some in ancient
European swords; and some in contemporary Western
knives. Each area is famous for a certain type of work.
Each area has its own renowned bladesmith.
Why Thailand Bat Jum Dao
I have located and narrowed my sources down to three
master bladesmiths who will make my quality Bat-Jum-Daos.
There are several advantages to making the swords in
Thailand than in other countries:
The labor in Thailand is cheap compared to the West.
Labor is the major part of sword-making. Although the
labor in Thailand is higher than other parts of Asia
such as China, India, Burma, Indonesia, and other
developing nations, the infrastructure is better in
Thailand than these countries, allowing easier access to
required goods for sword-making. Being a freer society
than these countries, Thais tend to be more artistic. If
any of you have been to Thailand, you will know what I
mean. The country flourishes with handicrafts of all
nature. On the other hand, the other countries, for
example, China ...although the labor is cheaper, and is
developing at a phenomenal rate, the people have only
recently began to express themselves. For 50 years, they
were closed from the outside world. Their only concern
was survival. There was no time or interest for any type
of art. In fact, much of it was banned. The art of
sword-making died a lot time ago. Today, China only
produces mass replicas. There are absolutely no
bladesmiths, per se. Thais, on the other hand, have
improved their lives progressively. They demand quality
and finer goods. They are very much influenced by the
West. Many are educated, and keep themselves abreast
with the latest technology and trends. Thus, their
products are quality and style oriented.
West's passion for swords, particularly the Japanese
katana, came about recently, after Hollywood's interest
in martial art movies. Although custom knife-makers
always existed in the West, there were only a few
sword-makers until recently. There is a big difference
between knife-making and sword-making because of the
different usage. Balancing the sword is the most
difficult part of sword-making. There really isn't a
mathematical formula for balancing a sword. The
bladesmith only knows it by his feel. It also depends on
how the sword will be used. A Japanese bladesmith will
know how to balance a katana the best. A Thai bladesmith
will know how to balance a Thai dharb the best. However,
both types of bladesmiths will know how to balance the
other type of sword when they know how the swords are
used. A sword form (shadow swordplay) would be the best
source of information.
Factors in Making Bat Jum Dao: Balance
Making Bat Jum Daos are as peculiar as making
katanas. The usage is very unique. The BJD form reveals
the formula for BJD-making. There are several factors in
making BJD. Making them from picture details will not
suffice. Making them from measurements will not suffice.
Even giving a sample pair to a bladesmith to replicate
will not suffice.
A bladesmith needs to know exactly how the swords
will be used for him to balance it. This can only be
revealed by the practitioner of the BJD form.
For example, if the weight of the sword leaned
towards the tip of the blade, the user's hand and arm
would tire from "lifting the sword." If the weight
leaned towards the hilt, then there wouldn't be
supportive weight on the blade, to apply force to a
strike. The force will mostly be exerted by the arm,
which will cause the arm to tire as well. The force
would not be as powerful. One is likely to believe that
the balancing point of a sword ought be at the center of
the whole sword; "Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!" Incorrect! It
should be where it ought to be for the usage.
Bat Jum Daos are unique as they are used for stabbing
(piercing/thrusting action), chopping (downward/forward
action), slashing/slicing (pulling/pushing/dragging
action), and pole/blade-trapping (blade-twisting
action). How do you design a sword with such versatile
movements? Not easily! I had the bladesmiths make
several trial and error prototypes before settling on
the perfect balanced BJDs. You can try copying my BJDs
but will not succeed in balancing them right ... unless
you're a knowledgeable bladesmith and a BJD
practitioner.
For example, if you took the exact measurements of my
BJDs and got someone to replicate them, you will not
know where the balance lies. Using different material
will render different weight. Replicating the thickness
of the blade spine does not replicate the weight or
balance of a sword. Even a bladesmith cannot determine
the final weight of the sword until the sword is
finished. Each sword he makes will vary in weight. He
will create the balance point when he's forging the
sword. The thickness of a blade and tang is one of the
factors of balancing a sword. The bladesmith may subtly
increase the thickness at the balance point; however, it
would be too subtle and gradual for an inexperienced eye
to detect. He may increase or lessen the weight on the
hilt by changing the weight in the tang or the pommel.
If necessary, the bladesmith may cut out a fuller
(channel) on the blade to shed some weight and bring the
balance point where he wants. (Note: The fuller's main
purpose is to lighten and balance the sword,
particularly for a long or broadsword; it is not really
for passing the blood through ... although it does help
reduce resistance when stabbing.) So, like everything
else, making a copy from an image or not knowing the
function of the original, will never make a good copy.
This is not to say that a Western bladesmith would not
be able to duplicate or make a new pair of BJDs from a
BJD practitioner. They can be done ... but at a very
high price. If you surf the web for custom knives, you
will see US-made 6-inch knives sold from $300 to $1,000.
BJDs sold online are so crappy that I'd be ashamed to
line them up with my kitchen knives. A nice looking pair
that I saw, although not correct in specs, but
beautifully finished, are selling for $2,700.00.
Thoughts on Commonly Seen Bat Jum Dao Swords
When I see pictures in the net and magazines of
people posing with their BJDs, I can tell that most of
them don't know the BJD form, or don't know the true
essence of it. When I look at the pictures of BJDs sold
online, I can tell that most of the bladesmiths have no
clue about the BJD form or usage, or the person who
designed them knew nothing about BJDs, BJD form, or even
swords.
The pictures usually show big choppers, with handles
that do not align with the blade point. Some grips are
not even aligned within the bodies of the blades.
They're outside and above the blade back. The hand
holding the grip will have virtually zero control over
the blade. The design also tells me that the tang and
the blade are two different pieces (instead of one piece
like mine), or that it has a very thin tang inside the
handle. It tells me that the two pieces were welded, or
that the whole sword (blade, and hilt) was produced from
pouring hot metal and synthetic mix into a mold (instead
of drop-forged like mine). In either case, the
likelihood of the sword snapping at the tang-blade joint
is very high; and the likelihood of the sword snapping
at any point of the molded sword is very high.
2-in-1 Swords
Grandmaster Moy Yat was not only a knowledgeable Wing
Chun master, but was also an artist. He was a Chinese
calligraphist and a poet. He was analytic and a very
detailed person; and to my knowledge, was the first
person to draft a blueprint of the wooden dummy (which I
believe, is the one widely used in the Internet). When
he was still in Hong Kong in the 60's, he had a pair of
BJDs made, either according to Grandmaster Yip Man's or
his specifications. The BJDs were made crudely by a
blacksmith (as opposed to a bladesmith); however, the
specifications were true to the form. When his god-son,
and Wing Chun protege, (Sifu) Nelson Chan, left Hong
Kong for Canada, GM Moy Yat gave him this pair of BJD as
his parting gift. (See pictures below.)
Note that Sifu Chan's BJDs are, what I refer to as,
2-in-1 swords; that is, the two are flushed together to
become one; in other words, each sword is half, and
become one when put together. In the old days, this
style was practical for concealment. Since the Manchu (Qing)
Dynasty banned the Han-Chinese from carrying weapons, it
was necessary for the Chinese insurgents to conceal
their weapons. This was possible because the fashion of
the era was loose-clothing, which allowed the BJDs to be
concealed without notice. The monks who carried BJDs
were also able to conceal them in their robes. Today, it
is not necessary or possible to conceal this type of
BJDs. In fact, it is not practical. When the handle is
half covered, it is difficult to get a good grip. The
hands would tire quickly, and would develop blisters
from long training. The swords will not be well-balanced
either, since each will lean outwardly towards the
covered side of the tang. So, how did the old-timers
manage them? Well ... they may have trained with fully
finished swords, but carried the 2-in-1 when traveling;
or maybe they just trained with the 2-in-1 BJDs and
adapted to them. As with anything else, if you train
hard enough, you will become proficient with your odd
equipment. For example, Jimi Hendrix, the most famous
rock guitarist, played with a right-handed guitar he
rigged for his left-handedness. He didn't use a guitar
especially designed for a left-handed person. He just
strung a right-handed guitar backwards, and played
backwards, unlike any other guitarist.
Here's an interesting note for you. To my surprise,
one of the blademasters I visited owned a single BJD,
exactly like that of Moy Yat's. As a bladesmith, he
collects all types of swords. He bought this in a bazaar
many years ago. He told me that he knows of a customer
who has a pair just like his, and that he had owned it
for over 50 years. The owner is an old Chinese Tong
(mafia) Snakehead. I'm curious to know if the Snakehead
is a Wing Chun practitioner. I wouldn't be surprised
since many southern Chinese migrated to Thailand during
WW II and Communist revolution. I have requested to meet
him and see his swords the next time I visit this town.
Our Swords
With specifications provided by Sifu Nelson Chan, my
understanding of BJDs, and the bladesmiths expertise, we
have produced the finest, the most accurate, and the
most practical BJDs in the market. For all practical
purposes, we've redesigned the BJDs as two individual
swords rather than 2-in-1. However, for those who are
adamant about having the 2-in-1 style, we have also
developed a pattern from GM Moy Yat's BJDs.
Note that buck and buffalo horn handles will be
curved because of their nature. The curvature is ideal
for gripping as the inside of our palms (in gripping
position) are also curved by nature. (That is why the
creases in our palms are curved.)
By nature, the two horns on an animal are not
identical in size or symmetry; just as a person's left
side is not identical to the right. This works to the
advantage of using them for grips. One of our hands is
always larger and stronger than the other (whichever is
used more). Therefore, do not cry "Imperfect!" when you
received two different sized grips. In fact, since the
swords are hand-forged, the two swords will not be
exactly the same. This again works to the user's
advantage. The bladesmith was informed that the BJDs
will be used as a pair .... one for the left hand, and
one for the right; not one for each person, as it could
easily be mistaken for. Therefore, they will be made
specifically for one to weigh slightly more than the
other.
The sword sheath or scabbard is a culture on its own.
Sometimes, it can be more elaborate than the sword. I've
used water-buffalo for most because of its toughness,
durability, and practicality. They can be worn better
than wooden ones. I've either seen BJDs sold without
sheaths, or with cheesy looking ones. A sword without a
sheath is like a sheath without a sword. How could
someone carry or look after a sword without it? I've
designed my leather sheath with a crossover shoulder
strap, as I think it is the most practical way to carry
the BJD. Alternatively, I can make a pair with wood, to
be carried crossways on the back, like ancient Thai
warriors. (See picture below.)
The Quillon
I've seen BJDs designed with brass guard and quillon.
This design is attractive because of the contrast
between stainless steel and brass. However, the brass is
not as strong as stainless steel. In fact the finials
(the quillon-extension that runs along the back of the
blade), which in the BJD is meant to trap an opponent's
weapon, should be flexible, so it can adapt to various
size weapons, and also prevent it from breaking under
force. It should be flat, not round and hard, for the
same reasons. The light and flexible finial concept is
in line with the Wing Chun principle of yielding against
hard force. The finials act as your forearms. They are
soft, and yield against attacks. Note the similarity
between the finials and the Wing Chun Bong arm. The
straight quillon represent the fixed upper-arm, and the
45 degree angle finial represent the forearm. I've made
some with more acute angles for other reasons. However,
none have the wide gaps as seen on other vendors'
swords. The wide open rounded finials of other "BJDs"
look more like the outside prongs of Japanese Sais,
which are really farm tools used as weapons. I have the
feeling that these BJD designers were influenced by the
design of Japanese Sai, which have absolutely no
connections or similarities to BJDs. For Wing Chun BJDs,
the finials (forearms) ought to be soft (yielding), the
blades (hands and fists) ought to be hard (forceful) for
striking. BJDs are small and short swords, therefore,
will almost always be encountering larger weapons. Like
anything else, the larger an object, the stronger it
will be against a smaller object of the same kind.
However, The concept of Wing Chun is to yield against a
larger force. Only through yielding can you overcome it.
So, consider these factors before deciding on the
combination. If you are purchasing the BJD for
collection or decorative purpose only, the brass
trimmings would make a handsome set. If you are going to
put the BJD to use, you will be better off with the
stainless steel.
Below is a picture of a pair of Shaolin style
"butterfly swords," sold in the market, made with
rounded brass finials. As you see, one is broken. You
will also see how poorly they are designed for Wing
Chun. The handle is way below the blade point. The
quillon and finials are too wide for trapping. An
opponent's weapon could slip out too easily. In order to
trap a weapon, the user will need to twist his wrist a
lot. A twisted wrist is not as strong as a
straight-flushed wrist. Obviously, this sword
encountered a stronger weapon, or perhaps, simply
dropped on a hard surface.
The Steel
For those of you who are not familiar with the
differences between the types of stainless steel, the
table below shows you the compositions for ATS34 and
440C.
| |
Carbon |
Manganese |
Phosphor |
Sulphur |
Chromium |
Silicon |
Molybdenum |
| ATS34
|
1.05 |
0.4 |
0.03 |
0.02 |
14.0 |
0.35 |
4.0 |
| 440C
|
1.2 |
1.0 |
0.04 |
0.03 |
18.0 |
1.0 |
0.75 |
Bladesmiths and knife-makers differ in opinions on
which of the two is stronger. The compositions are
similar except for ATS using more Molybdenum than 440C
steel, and 440C using more carbon and chromium than
ATS34 steel. The characteristics of chromium give the
steel a colorful luster, while the Molybdenum give the
steel a dark luster. Both types are used for commercial
aircraft, therefore, understandably very strong.
I lean more towards 440C because of the extra carbon
content. The carbon gives the steel more flexibility.
This is a good property to have in a sword. When
something is hard, it is also brittle. Under very strong
pressure, it can snap. Although it is unlikely you will
be swashbuckling your BJDs wildly with someone, the
extra flexibility would ensure longevity and resistance
against heavy use. On the other hand, ATS-34 is commonly
used for knives. The property of hardness is more
desirable for knife-length blades.
Namphi Iron
I made a pair of BJDs out of Thai Namphi iron for
collection and uniqueness. I don't believe it would be
as durable as 440C or ATS-34. However, the iron is
unique, rare and soon to become extinct. It has
historical and spiritual value. Namphi swords were
exclusively made for kings of Thailand. Namphi iron is
smelted from an ore pit located in the Namphi district
of Uttaradit province of Thailand. The ore contains
iron, manganese, silicon, aluminum, titanium,
cerchromium, boron, lead-tin, niobium, cobalt, arsen,
and 20 other unknown materials. The Thais believe swords
and objects made from Namphi ore possess magical power
and sacredness that can repel evil spirits and spells.
As part of the ritual, bladesmiths in Namphi engrave
ancient religious scripts on their blades to empower
them against evil spirits. (See pictures of Namphi BJDs
in the Bat Jum Dao Prices and Pictures chapter.)
The pictures below, taken in the Namphi Museum,
depict Namphi villagers making Namphi swords.
Uttaradit, where Namphi is located, is well known for
its teak growth. It boasts to have the most and biggest
teaks in the world. For this reason, I've made the
scabbard out of teak. The alternative is to use ebony or
rosewood; however, I chose teak not only for its
abundance, but also because it allows pearl-inlays to
stick. The oily property of the other two does not hold
the glue required to make the pearl inlays stick.
If you want, I can make plain scabbards out of ebony
or rosewood.
Pearl-inlay is an attractive feature. Namphi
villagers are very good at it. The labor extensive
artworks cost only $150 for two grips and one scabbard,
and $250 for two grips and two scabbards. (See pictures
of Namphi BJDs and pearl-inlay scabbards in the Bat Jum
Dao Price and Picture section.)
Whatever you order for your Bat Jum Dao, rest assure
that you will get the best and most unique Bat Jum Daos
available in the market.
Copyright (c) 2005 the Wing Chun Archive and
Danny Xuan 10/26/05 |
