The Rise and Fall of China's Cold Weapon Manufacturing
Excerpt from Book Manuscript (This article is reprinted from the internet)
Let's put aside the issue of what level Chinese swords and sabers were at from the Ming and Qing dynasties to modern times. Before discussing this, I think we should first talk about how China's sword-making craftsmanship fell to such a miserable state; and why, with thousands of years of ancient civilization, China doesn't have its own tradition of weapon manufacturing techniques and culture.
The answer is actually very simple, that is, this status quo, as well as the trajectory of decline and the special nature of China's historical development are closely related.
The source of Chinese ancient civilization is long and far-reaching, the overall development level of culture and science and technology in pre-Qin was significantly ahead of most parts of the world, and it was a member of the global top camp. After the mid-Ming dynasty, we gradually fell behind in some scientific and technological fields, and by the Qing dynasty, our scientific and technological development level had almost completely fallen behind that of the West, which is an undeniable fact.
However, in terms of metal smelting and sword forging, the situation in our country is quite special and differs greatly from other fields. The technology for manufacturing steel weapons in our country has been in a state of decline since the Song Dynasty and continues to this day.
The smelting and manufacturing of bronze vessels in ancient China, from the Shang to the pre-Qin periods, is a grand spectacle in world history. Due to the characteristics of the Cold Arms Era, the most advanced smelting technology was often reflected in weapons. The representative works of Chinese bronze weapons, such as the Yue King Sword of the Autumn and Spring Period, can be said to have reached the pinnacle of bronze smelting and manufacturing technology, even breaking some common sense that we currently know. The copper swords of the Qin and Han periods, especially the Qin swords in the Terracotta Army, were commonly over 90 cm to over 1 meter in length, with the longest Western Han copper sword reaching nearly 1.2 meters, far exceeding the usual length of 60-70 cm in the West, greatly surpassing the conventional limits of copper sword length.
Just like the reproduction of the sword of the king of Yue, even with the efforts of the country's top academic and research institutions, it still encountered great difficulties, and the development time was as long as one year. Moreover, even so, we can only successfully replicate it thanks to various advanced technologies available today. So far, we still cannot know how our ancestors manufactured such a treasure under such backward production and technological conditions at that time. If we completely restore the conditions at that time, I believe that basically no one can make the same thing now.
After the peak of copper soldier manufacturing, our country also mastered advanced technologies such as steel smelting and forging, heat treatment, etc. For example, the mature stir-frying method and pouring method in the Han Dynasty, for example, the technology of making a sword with two media quenching during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which is still widely used today, are extremely advanced. At that time, China's steel knife and sword manufacturing technology from smelting to manufacturing was already quite perfect, and it was undoubtedly at the forefront of the world.
By the Sui and Tang dynasties, judging from the few Sui and Tang dynasty swords that have been preserved to this day, the welding technology between different types of steel was no longer a problem for the people of Tang. Their heat treatment techniques had also developed further, using what is still necessary today in the manufacture of traditional Japanese swords - "togishi-yaki" technique. This has already gone beyond being just a practical concept and has reached the level where it can perfectly combine both functionality and aesthetics.
I think it can be said that the knife-making technology in China during the Sui and Tang dynasties had far surpassed the peak level of other regions in the world at that time, and it was not an exaggeration to say that it was unparalleled. Moreover, from a technical, craftsmanship, and aesthetic point of view, it had almost reached perfection.
Since then, even on a global scale, we have never had any essential breakthroughs. What we can have may only be various improvements and refinements in details.
Unfortunately, this possible improvement was soon proven not to have been realized in China. Moreover, the technology of sword manufacturing in our country has been declining ever since, and by the Song Dynasty, a literary giant Ouyang Xiu (1007-1073 AD) once wrote a poem "Riben Dao Ge", which says:
The path of Kunyi is far and no longer accessible, who can exhaustively cut jade as it has been passed down through generations.
A treasured sword is about to be unsheathed in the eastern part of its home country, and will soon cross the Eastern Ocean.
Fish skin inlaid with fragrant wood scabbard, yellow and white miscellaneous decorations with copper.
A hundred pieces of gold are passed into good hands, and worn as an amulet can ward off evil spirits.
It is said that his country is located on a large island, with fertile soil and good customs.
Xu Fu deceived the Qin people and went to gather medicine, but he lingered on with his group of young and old.
The hundred artisans and five kinds of craftsmen lived with him, and to this day all utensils and toys are ingenious.
The former dynasty's tribute came and went frequently, and scholars often worked on ornate language.
Xu Fu's writings were not burned when he departed, and more than 100 of his works still exist today.
The order was strict and did not allow transmission in China; no one in the world could recognize ancient characters.
The great king's grand canon hid the Yi and Man, with vast waves surging, no ferry to cross.
It's enough to move one to tears of gratitude, what need is there to mention the short sword that rusts away.
Although the poet's poem has its exaggeration, such as the literary rhetoric of "cutting jade" and so on, but after removing these decorations, Ouyang Xiu's poem still tells us a lot of very important information.
One piece of information is that in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, Japanese swords were already a rare and expensive decorative treasure in China. The fact that it can be called a "treasure sword" shows its excellent quality. In the poem, "The treasure sword recently came from Japan, Yue Jia got it from the East China Sea. Fish skin wrapped around the fragrant wood scabbard, mixed with yellow and white jade and copper. Worth a hundred gold, passed into good hands, wearing it can ward off evil spirits." These few sentences fully illustrate this point.
It can be seen from here that in terms of general standards, the quality of Chinese swords and knives in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty had already fallen behind Japan.
The second piece of information is that the Song people already knew that rì had preserved a considerable number of China's lost or declining cultural heritage. For example, "Xu Fu's journey was not burned, and his book has survived to this day. Emperor Qin did not allow it to be passed on to China, and no one in the world can recognize ancient characters. The great classics of the former kings were hidden among the Yi and Man tribes, and the vast expanse of the ocean had no through route" These sentences clearly indicate that Ouyang Xiu knew that there were many ancient books in rì at that time that had been lost in our country; And "Xu Fu deceived the Qin people, stayed behind to collect medicine, and lived with the old man. The five types of artisans lived with him, and to this day, their artifacts are all exquisite" These two sentences, when read together with the surrounding text, almost explicitly point out that rì's knives are products of China's ancient knife-making techniques.
And regardless of where Ouyang Xiu's statement came from and how he knew it, through this poem we can at least know that in the Song Dynasty there should have been a saying that the manufacturing technique of Japanese swords was inherited from ancient Chinese sword-making techniques. This saying has been widely spread and has been verified to some extent, otherwise it would not be possible for Ouyang Xiu, a literary giant of his time, to adopt it into his poem without being criticized by people, especially those who were contemporary with him.
Of course, based on what we know now, Ouyang Xiu's statement is still correct. The shape and manufacturing skills of Japanese swords have been learned from China's Jiangnan region since the 6th century, and then followed China's footsteps all the way to the Tang Dynasty, from the ring-headed knife of the Han Dynasty to the Tang knife, and only after that did Japan start to develop its own unique sword-making system on this basis.
During the Ouyang Xiu period, rìben was in the late Heian period, and rìben knives had just begun to depart from the Tang straight knife shape and embarked on their own development path. The craftsmanship of rìben during this period was still largely consistent with Chinese Tang knives, while the shape was between the Tang straight body knife and the later fully curved traditional rìben knife, which is the period of the "Mabuta" knife, that is, the period when the blade was almost straight and the tang formed a large angle curve. This is the initial stage of the formation of traditional rìben knives. Therefore, in essence, Song knives did not lose to rìben knives, but lost to the Tang knife heritage left in rìben.
In addition, the word "" in Ouyang Xiu's poem "Huangbai xianza yu tong" is a common term used in modern Japanese sword terminology. The outer fittings of a Japanese sword and the guard often feature an alloy called "shin-chu", which refers to a combination of copper and zinc (or brass). The zinc referred to here is actually what we commonly call brass, with only slight variations in its composition.
In fact, the word "brass" and its usage were originally transmitted from our country to Japan. In the "Ouyang Xiu Collection" of the "Complete Library of the Four Treasuries", there is a note under this poem that says: "True brass resembles gold, true copper resembles silver."
The name "Tong" is mentioned in Zhang Ji's book "Bei Cang" as early as the Wei Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, and a detailed explanation is given: "Tongshi resembles gold but is not gold. It is a medicine from the Western Rong Fan country, made by smelting copper. There are two kinds of Tongshi, good and bad. The bad one is white in color and is called Hui Zhe; the good one is yellow in color and is called Jin Zhe. Also known as Jin Zhe, also known as true Tong. Commonly referred to as not being able to smelt gold."
It can be seen that "Tong Shi" was a kind of copper smelting product from the Western Regions at that time. The inferior quality had a white color, called "Hui Ze"; the good quality had a golden yellow color, also known as brass, commonly known as "Bu Bo Jin".
"Taiping Yulan" also quotes the "Shu Xian Ji" by Zhong Hui of Wei State in the late Three Kingdoms period, which says: "The grain looks like millet, and the iron stone resembles gold."
Actually, the records of "Tongshi" have never been interrupted in China and have been a high-end material for a long time. By the Sui and Tang dynasties, this product began to popularize and its use became widespread, entering ordinary households. As in Tang Yuan Zhen's poem "Guessing Guest Delight", it says: "Tongshi armlets are made of brass, glutinous rice is used to make hairpins".
When exactly brass was successfully smelted in China is still uncertain, but the view that its finished products were first introduced from Western Regions to Central Plains is widely accepted by scholars. Although a small amount of copper-tin-zinc alloy, or brass products, had appeared in China before, the quality and output of early brass products were unstable, and it was difficult to separate lead and zinc from ores, so it is likely that they were natural brass ore products or accidental products, rather than intentional ones. According to records from Xinjiang, during the 4th and 5th centuries AD, most of China's "鍮石" (brass) came from Western Regions as imported goods. By the Sui and Tang dynasties, it can be basically believed that China was able to smelt a part of brass on its own, which had spread to the civilian population. After that, the number of domestically smelted products gradually increased. By the Ming dynasty, although imports continued, domestic "鍮石" (brass) had reached a considerable height in terms of technology, quality and output, making brass an extremely common material for utensils.
After Japan dispatched envoys to China, including the Kentōshi and the Tang envoy, they also introduced "shakudō" products and the name "shakudō" to Japan. According to Japanese legend about smelting "shakudō", it wasn't until the Bunroku era (1592-1596), which was during the middle of China's Wanli period in the Ming dynasty, that they successfully smelted this material on their own. The Buddhist monk who supposedly received divine guidance in a dream and smelted "shakudō" became the ancestor of Japan's shakudō craftsmen. Before this, the "shakudō" used in Japan mainly relied on imports from China; even after they were able to smelt it themselves, the zinc needed to manufacture "shakudō" was still mainly imported from China.
The name "Tong" and the usage of the character "" can still be seen in China during the Ming Dynasty, but gradually became less common during the Qing Dynasty, and has basically disappeared in modern times. In today's China, I think that apart from some professional historians, Buddhist scholars, and history and collection enthusiasts, very few people know what this character means. However, in Japan, the words "" (Tongshi) and "" (Zhēn Tóng) have continued to be used until now.
Ouyang Xiu said "The great codes of the former kings stored away the Yi and Man, with vast waves surging and no ferry to cross", which is really apt and still holds true today.
Figure: Japanese ancient copper autumn grass map short knife scabbard. In the Japanese sword fittings, "ground" is also a specialized term, similar to the concept of "ground tissue" in textile materials science. If the material that makes up its foundation is brass, it is called "brass ground"; if it is based on red copper, it is called "red copper ground", and so on.
So, why did Japan follow China in making swords before the Tang Dynasty but began to develop its own sword-making system after the Tang Dynasty, and why did China's sword-making skills begin to decline sharply after the Tang Dynasty, and within a short period of time, by the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, they had already declined to such an extent?
And why did the flourishing and decline of the knife-making techniques of two countries facing each other across the sea coincide in the Tang Dynasty?
One of the answers is related to the attitude of Chinese imperial dynasties towards civilians holding weapons.
Those who have some understanding of Chinese history know that during the Yuan dynasty, the rulers took control of civilian weapons to prevent armed resistance. The control was so strict that even kitchen knives were regulated. At that time, twenty households formed a unit called "jia", and they shared one kitchen knife. The leader of this unit was equivalent to the current neighborhood committee director. This precious kitchen knife was usually kept by the director, and people had to go to his home to queue up to use it. Later, the directors found it troublesome, so many times the kitchen knife was locked in a box at the well with a chain, and people would open the box to take it out when needed. I imagine that during that time, before meals, there would be dozens of girls, sisters, and old ladies gathering around the well, washing vegetables while queuing up to cut them. Therefore, the area around the well must have been a highly successful matchmaking venue.
This is indeed a great wonder in the history of ancient China and social history, as well as the history of weapons.
If I had to say it, this should also be a big event in the history of diet.
This move is not only a huge blow to the inheritance of Chinese cold weapon manufacturing, but also has a significant impact on the inheritance of food culture. Haven't you seen in "Water Margin", which is adapted from Song and Yuan dynasty's storytelling and drama, those heroes in Liangshan are all big meat eaters? In my opinion, this depiction not only shows the heroic spirit of these good men, but also reflects that at that time, the cooks in small village shops did not have their own knives to cut meat, so they could only boil large pieces of meat and serve them directly to customers.
At this thought, the heroic spirit shown by those good men in devouring large chunks of meat suddenly lost some color. At the same time, I also thought that at that time, in people's homes, gentle women opening their cherry-like small mouths to eat large chunks of meat was probably a common sight, so this move might just be an unintentional realistic portrayal.
The heroic image of good men who have been eating a lot of meat all along in my mind has almost disappeared.
I thought it would be hilarious when I wrote this part, but after finishing it, I couldn't laugh at all.
Although I was actually going to make a joke.
Many people know that the Yuan dynasty banned private soldiers, but what is not well known is that the Song dynasty was not much better than the Yuan dynasty in this regard, at most it's just a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
In fact, the possession of weapons by civilians has always been a topic of debate among successive Chinese dynasties.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the world, he quickly melted down the weapons of the world to make twelve bronze men. By the Han Dynasty, there were debates in the imperial court about whether to ban private armies, similar debates also existed during the Tang Dynasty; by the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the rulers finally implemented the discussion of banning private armies, and their attitude was extreme to the point of being abnormal in a very short period of time.
Actually, some emperors of the Han and Tang dynasties had a very clear understanding of the issue of private armies among the people. Alternatively, it can be said that they were very confident in their rule and did not pay much attention to this matter, so there was no large-scale movement to ban private armies. In Gu Yanwu's "Rizhi Lu Zhi Yu", there are records of two debates about banning private armies during the Han and Tang periods.
One of them occurred during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. At that time, Chancellor Gongsun Hong petitioned to ban civilians from owning crossbows. His reason was that if ten bandits had crossbows, then a hundred officials would not dare to advance. Therefore, he believed that as long as civilians were banned from owning crossbows, bandits could only use other short weapons, and thus government soldiers could boldly move forward to capture them, and the bandits would not dare to commit crimes again.
At that time, the Minister of Works, Wu Qiu Shouwang, expressed his opposition. He said: "I have heard that the ancients made five weapons, not to harm people, but to banish violence and punish evil. When people are at peace, they use these to control fierce beasts and prepare for emergencies; when there is a matter, they set up guards and deploy troops. After Qin unified the world, it abolished the king's way, established private discussions, destroyed poetry and books, and prioritized laws and orders, abandoning benevolence and kindness while emphasizing punishment and penalties. As a result, although it killed heroes and eliminated armor, the common people still rose up with farm tools as weapons, ultimately leading to chaos and downfall. Therefore, wise kings emphasized education and reduced prohibitions because they knew that relying solely on prohibition was insufficient. Now, Your Majesty is enlightened and governs the country with virtue, bringing peace and stability to the world. Although there are still thieves and bandits, this is due to the failures of local officials, not because the people possess crossbows. Moreover, the Rites have the great Shè ceremony; I only know that wise kings used Shè to clarify education and morality, but I have never heard of them banning crossbows. Therefore, what should be prohibited are the behaviors of local bullies and thieves, not weapons. Otherwise, if it is a bad person, they would not fear breaking the law anyway, so they would still possess crossbows, while good people who want to defend themselves with crossbows would violate the law, losing their ability to defend themselves due to following the law. Thus, banning crossbows not only fails to prohibit bandits but also deprives the common people of their self-defense capabilities and abolishes the great Rites of the former kings, making it impossible for future generations to learn from the wise and virtuous."
Emperor Wu of Han then used the words of Wu Qiu Shouwang to ask Gongsun Hong, and Gongsun Hong was convinced by them. Emperor Wu of Han thus did not adopt Gongsun Hong's suggestion to ban crossbows.
Here, Han Wu Di's attitude is actually quite biased. The book says "The Emperor was difficult with Chancellor Hong", this word "difficult" shows that Han Wu Di did not support Gong Sun Hong from the start, which is why he used the words of Wu Qiu Shou Wang to "difficult" Gong Sun Hong.
Here's the translation:
It's worth mentioning the Han crossbow. The Han crossbow was extremely advanced at that time, its range and accuracy far surpassing bows, and it's not an exaggeration to call it a high-precision sharp weapon. The reason why the Han army could control the Xiongnu was largely due to this thing. When the famous Han general Li Ling led the Dan Yang soldiers and taught them how to shoot on horseback, later when he led his lone army into the Xiongnu territory, with 5,000 Han infantry facing off against 100,000 Xiongnu cavalry and infantry mixed troops, they fought fiercely for eight days, killing and wounding over 10,000 Xiongnu soldiers, all thanks to this thing. In the end, when they were over a hundred miles away from the Han border, due to running out of arrows and being betrayed by traitors, the entire army was surrounded and annihilated. Every time I read about this in books, I feel regret and frustration, if only General Li had 100,000 more arrows, not only would the Xiongnu have been powerless, but he could have also achieved an eternal feat.
Thus, such a fierce thing, Han Wu was not concerned about the private possession of civilians, which shows his broad mind and high self-confidence. Moreover, in my opinion, there is another aspect that is more far-sighted. Not to mention the ancient six arts and the ritual and poetry classics, from the words of Qiushouwang, we can also see that by the Han Dynasty, martial training was still a regular part of the etiquette and law at that time. It was precisely this kind of martial training and policy of allowing civilians to possess weapons that made the Han people's bravery unbroken. The Central Plains dynasties in Chinese history were often no match for the northern nomadic peoples, but only the Han and Tang Dynasties not only did not fear them, but also conquered and subdued them, with military power shaking beyond the borders, which cannot be said to have nothing to do with this.
In fact, until now, the European country of Switzerland has been implementing a system of weapon possession, which can also prove that our country's Wu Qiu Shou Wang's point of view 2000 years ago was forward-looking.
Article 18 of the Swiss Constitution, which has been in force since the 19th century, stipulates that every Swiss soldier is entitled to receive free of charge from the state a first set of equipment, including weapons, uniforms and other items. The weapons can be kept by the soldiers after their military service. Therefore, after completing their military service, Swiss citizens can take home the firearms they used during their time in the army, including assault rifles. All that is required is to provide a guarantee not to use these weapons for illegal activities and a certificate of good conduct. Before completing their military service, they must participate in two shooting exercises on a firing range and in field exercises.
According to statistics from the Swiss Federal Office for Defence (2003-2005), 30-40% of Swiss citizens choose to take home the firearms they used during their time in the army after completing their military service. According to reports by Chinese news media, between 2002 and 2004, the Swiss government issued 114,000 automatic rifles and handguns to private individuals for this reason.
At the same time, the Swiss government has always believed that there are no consequences or problems arising from this gun-keeping system in Switzerland. In other words, the Swiss government believes that its country is not much different from countries that do not issue guns and ban guns in terms of social security and other related aspects.
In fact, Switzerland's social order is indeed very good, it is much safer than most countries in the world that prohibit civilians from owning guns, and even safer than countries that prohibit civilians from owning knives and small daggers.
A very interesting law, a very interesting government, a very interesting country and people.
Two thousand years ago, Wu Qiu Shouwang's view in our country has actually revealed the essence of the problem of private ownership of weapons, that is, the possession of weapons by civilians is not a problem, the problem lies in the poor governance of the rulers and the illegal criminal behavior itself.
Banning private arms, in my view, is an extreme manifestation of a ruler's lack of confidence and weakness, as they fear the people's discontent.
The problem is that if you govern poorly, the common people will rise up against you even with just a wooden stick. The Song and Yuan dynasties even banned ceremonial weapons with blades and kitchen knives, but rebellions continued to erupt, which is clear evidence. If the world is at peace, what are you afraid of the common people having some self-defense weapons? In any case, the military strength of the common people cannot be compared to that of the heavily armed police and army.
Moreover, the reason why criminals are criminals is precisely because they are not afraid of the law and dare to violate it. Since criminals are not afraid of the law, what use is this ban on private arms to them? Criminals will still take whatever they want, so if you ban knives, won't they just commit crimes with other weapons? The idea that a piece of paper can stop criminals from using weapons to commit crimes is simply too naive and ridiculous.
Another matter in the book of Mr. Tinglin is a story from the Tang Dynasty. It says that when Emperor Zhongzong of Tang ascended to the throne, he appointed Zheng Weizhong as the Yellow Gate Gentleman. Someone in the court proposed to ban the raising of livestock and possession of weapons by the leaders' families in Lingnan. Zheng Weizhong said that those who govern cannot lightly abolish the customs of the people. The "Rhapsody on Wu" from the Jin Dynasty says that in the south, every family has a crane knee (a type of bird) and every household has a rhinoceros horn (a type of animal), it has been this way for ages. If we suddenly ban it now, won't it cause alarm? Therefore, this proposal was not adopted.
"Crane knee" refers to a type of spear-like weapon, while "rhinoceros trough" refers to water buffalo and other livestock.
These two Han and Tang emperors, one acknowledged that prohibiting private armies could not reduce crime, his broad-mindedness and self-confidence were by no means ordinary; another changed the customs to disturb the people but did not prohibit private armies, also known as generous.
However, from the Song Dynasty onwards, the Central Plains imperial court's heroic spirit since the Han and Tang dynasties was no longer present. The weakness of the Song Dynasty due to its so-called "emphasis on literature over military" is well-known, but the attitude of the Song emperors in banning private armies also played a significant role in weakening the country and its people. Moreover, in my view, the relationship between banning private armies and weakness is not as straightforward as it seems.
In the opening of Mr. Jin Yong's "The Legend of the Condor Hero", there is a passage where two people from the Song Dynasty are chatting and laughing with each other. One person says, "What's so scary about the Golden Army? They have something, but we also have something to counter it." The other person says, "The Golden Army has the Golden Elixir Technique." The first person replies, "We have Han Shaopeng." The second person says, "The Golden Army has Guai Zi Ma." The first person responds, "We have Maza Dao." The second person says, "The Golden Army has Lang Ya Bang." The first person retorts, "We have Tian Ling Gai." Often when reading this passage, it leaves one feeling stifled and unable to relax.
This is indeed a plot, but it is quite in line with the weakness of the Song Dynasty's emphasis on literature and neglect of military affairs, as well as the social situation at that time. In fact, the people of the Song Dynasty could only use their bare hands to resist the wolf-tooth clubs of the Jin soldiers.
These two men, previously speaking on the level of officials and soldiers, such as Jin general Jin Wuzong having Song general Han Shizhong to resist, the Jin army's cavalry had the Song army's maces to counter them, and they were barely evenly matched. However, at the civilian level, due to the strict orders of the Great Song Emperor and the pressure from various government institutions, the people of Great Song had lost any self-defense weapons that could resist the enemy army since the founding of the country, so they could only use their own heads to resist the Jin army's wolf-tooth clubs.
Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, it has been vigorously implementing the policy of "protecting the people more than protecting the river", and loudly prohibiting civilians from holding weapons, gathering crowds, etc. Not only are those who privately store weapons in the civilian sector punished severely, but even craftsmen who make knives are also punished together.
So what is this concept of prohibiting the possession of so-called weapons in the Song Dynasty? Let's take a look at how historical records describe it.
In the third year of Song Kaibao (970), the founding emperor issued a decree that no private arms were allowed in the capital and among civilians. Later, the ban was extended nationwide, and roughly speaking, there were repeated issuances of laws prohibiting private arms in the second year of Chunhua (991), the fifth year of Tianxi (1021), the second year of Jingyou (1035), the eighth year of Qingli (1048), the seventh year of Jiayou (1062), and the sixth and seventh years of Xuanhe (1125).
These bans were very extensive, not only prohibiting the weapons used on the battlefield, but also banning the knives that ordinary people in mountainous areas used for farming and opening up mountains. As stated in the "Military History" of the Song Dynasty's history book: "In the second year of Jingyou, the manufacture of bows and crossbows in Qin State was abolished. An edict was issued stating that 'the people of Guangnan are not allowed to possess broadswords; those who violate this rule will be punished according to the law on privately owned prohibited weapons.' Previously, many bandits in Lingnan possessed broadswords, but the punishment for carrying them was light and could not be banned. The Transport Commissioner spoke out about this, so this order was issued."
In the "Song Hui Yao Ji Gao ? Bing" it is recorded that during the reign of Emperor Renzong, a decree was issued which stated: "In the 8th year of the Tiansheng era (1030 AD), in the third month, an edict was issued stating that on the Sichuan-Shaanxi road, no one was allowed to carry a 'zhāo dao' (a type of sword). The Transport Commissioner of Lizhou, Chen Yi, reported that there were two types of zhāo dao: those with short handles attached to the end of a spear or staff were called 'bá dāo', while those with short wooden handles were called 'tuó dāo'. Both types were worn at the waist. The tuó dāo was a tool used by civilians in Sichuan, and as the roads in Sichuan were treacherous, they were all using this knife to open up mountains and cultivate land."
In "Song Hui Yao Ji Gao ? Xing Fa", it is also recorded that during the 7th year of the Xuanhe era (1125 AD) under Emperor Huizong, the court once again issued an edict banning the use and manufacture of 'bó dāo' (which was actually another name for zhāo dao, pú dāo, tuó dāo, jiǎn dāo, etc., which were all the same thing but with different names in different places and times).
It is said that since the ban is on weapons, it naturally refers to banning civilians from possessing weapons for military use. The crossbow, being a high-level sharp weapon, goes without saying and is definitely considered a weapon. Including long knives and large swords would not be excessive either. However, if even the knives carried by ordinary people for farming and opening roads are considered as weapons, it would be quite ridiculous.
This kind of policy, which even prohibits the carrying of utility knives, not only severed China's accumulated craftsmanship in weapon manufacturing over thousands of years but also eliminated the possibility of inheriting and developing Chinese weapon culture. As a result, Chinese weapons fell from the world's top standards to dust instantly, being abandoned outside the ranks of famous blades worldwide, degenerating into mere iron sheets devoid of cultural connotation or craftsmanship heritage.
At the same time, since the founding of the Song Dynasty, there has been strict control over various folk gatherings, such as folk sacrifices and temple fairs. Local officials have repeatedly petitioned the imperial court to ban these activities, and records of this can be found throughout history. As a result, a series of decrees were issued prohibiting the use of military equipment in these folk and religious rituals, such as the "Collected Essential Documents of the Song Dynasty: Criminal Law", which includes an edict from the fifth year of the Tianxi era stating: "Strictly control the use of divine flags and other instruments, if anyone disobeys, they will be punished according to imperial decree." By the sixth year of the Xuanhe era, the court had simply declared that any real weapons with blades were strictly forbidden, even for ceremonial purposes. Therefore, people could only use bamboo or wood to create the shape of weapons and attach paper strips to simulate blades, otherwise... the authorities would arrest them without mercy.
Prohibiting private soldiers has reached this point, the golden army arrived and everyone can only surrender without discussion. The Zhao government had long helped them clean up the anti-riot equipment used by civilians. Not convinced? Then use the heavenly cover to carry the wolf-tooth stick of the family.
I suspect that the reason why we are still allowed to use small fruit knives and paired knives, a specialty of this place, is all thanks to the efforts of the beautiful Li Shishi; otherwise, you would have to peel with your teeth or hands.
At the same time as prohibiting private possession and manufacture of weapons, official-made weapons were also strictly controlled by the zhōng yāng zhèng fǔ. The prohibition on the use of weapons by local officials was extremely strict. As stated in the "Song Shi" Bing Zhi, in the fifth year of Xining, "The Emperor showed Cai TIng a sword with a handle, and Cai said that it was made for jīng and cāo strikes, so he ordered the central government to lead the workers to make tens of thousands of them as gifts for the border officials." In the first year of Yuanfeng, winter, "Lü Huiqing, the governor of Binzhou, requested new-style knives. The military equipment supervisor yù ordered Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces to manufacture them, but the Emperor did not permit it, and instead gave 55,000 short-bladed knives from the inner southern warehouse." This shows that at that time, the manufacture and supply of weapons for local troops were under the direct control of the Song emperor and his eunuchs, even if they were used by border armies.
In addition, there were many righteous and brave men in the Song Dynasty, who were known as "righteous and brave" or "team-trained village soldiers", which was modeled after the Tang Dynasty's fu-bing system. Especially those skilled archers who could counter the Jin people's cavalry had a considerable number of righteous and brave men among them. Therefore, each route in the Song Dynasty had an organization called "Archery Association", which was actually similar to a military household or reserve force. However, by the seventh year of Xuanhe (1125), there appeared a record in the "Military History" section of the "History of the Song Dynasty": "Private possession of weapons is strictly prohibited by law. The three routes' method of protecting and defending, although discussing military affairs during farming breaks, still requires that after the matter is finished, the weapons are stored in government offices. Now all the weapons of the Archery Association are kept at home by the people, which is almost like borrowing from bandits." As a result, all weapons had to be returned to the government, and all bows and arrows were confiscated. The officials who allowed the righteous and brave men to bring their bows and arrows back home were also dismissed from office.
It seems that in the eyes of the Song Dynasty emperors and officials, the people of the Song Dynasty, even if you are a reserve soldier, as long as you have weapons, it is equivalent to "borrowing" the weapons. This view of the people as enemies, treating all the common people as potential enemies and threats, fearing the people more than fearing the enemy, is precisely the root cause of the Song emperors' prohibition on private soldiers.
The emperor of the Song Dynasty has such a narrow and petty mind, compared to the Han and Tang Dynasties, it is not even worth mentioning. From the beginning of its founding, the Song Dynasty presented a comprehensive image of weakness, putting two emperors in the Five Nations City to watch the sky from a well, the queens entered the laundry room, and finally became a child emperor, which was inevitable.
Let's get back on track.
Perhaps someone would say that although the Song Dynasty banned civilians from manufacturing and holding weapons, weren't there still official manufacturers? And with such a large production quantity, couldn't the manufacturing techniques be passed down through generations?
The problem lies in this huge amount.
This actually involves the second answer as to why Chinese arms declined after the Tang Dynasty, which is the special nature of the Chinese imperial system of government.
The ruling system of ancient China was different from that of other countries, especially Europe and Japan. In China, there has been no existence of noble families by blood for two thousand years. The demise of the feudal system of dividing the country into vassal states during the Qin and Han dynasties marked the end of feudal rule in China and the beginning of imperial centralized rule, also marking the complete disappearance of the Chinese aristocratic system and the nobles by blood.
After China lost the aristocratic system, the political characteristics of "one dynasty's emperor and one dynasty's minister" made it impossible for any family or noble to exist for a long time. Even in the same dynasty, the founding nobles were basically extinct by the end of the imperial court, let alone those local landlords among the people.
The powerful are like this, and the craftsmen used by the officials are no exception. The saying "one day's emperor, one day's minister" has become an eternal truth in China. Superiors lead by example, and in various government institutions, once the superior changes, the people below also change more than half of the time. Therefore, it is impossible to expect that there will be any decent inheritance within Chinese officialdom. This is completely different from Europe, especially Japan.
The Japanese emperor is unchanging, and the imperial family, nobles, daimyos, and samurai can all pass down their families for hundreds or thousands of years without any problem. Their famous craftsmen mostly exist in the form of low-ranking nobility, passing down their skills from generation to generation through their families. Therefore, Japan has many swordsmiths with official positions, such as Yoshindo Yoshihara, who was a lieutenant general during the Muromachi period, and Tanba no Kami Yoshitsugu, who was a governor during the Edo period. There are many swordsmiths with titles like "lieutenant general" or "governor", which although were honorary, could guarantee their social status and certain privileges, providing them with good soil and climate for passing down their skills and culture. Even now, a registered swordsmith in Japan has a higher social status than a university professor, not to mention those craftsmen who have been designated as "Living National Treasures".
Looking at Europe again, the British royal family's exclusive tailor is Huntsman, which many people know. The hereditary Huntsman tailoring shop on Savile Row still exists today. In the first episode of "Die Hard" starring Bruce Willis, who often wins the "Golden Raspberry Award", the main villain with a gentlemanly demeanor wore handmade suits from this store. As long as you can spend two months in the UK, you can wear bespoke clothes tailored by Huntsman for you. I did have my heart set on it, but unfortunately, after asking around, I found out that at least two trips are required, and one of them must be at least a month-long stay, so I had to give up on this idea.
China's political soil is obviously completely unsuitable for this form of inheritance.
Moreover, weapons are also a special existence among official artifacts.
Other things, such as porcelain and clothing, were not banned in China because the emperor wanted to use them, so their inheritance in the folk would not be interrupted, and they would continue to evolve with trade and development. Therefore, even without a system that can guarantee its inheritance, official workshops can continuously absorb new blood from the folk, without worrying about loss or regression.
Things are different with a forbidden weapon. Originally, if it were a civilian object, as long as someone needed it, there would be room for survival, and the wealthy, powerful, and literati who do not despise jīng are not few in number, so as an industry, it can continue to be passed down and make progress. But once the civilian production is banned, the family skills that maintain the tradition will no longer have a living space among the people.
And the demand for official-made weapons has always been enormous due to various reasons. The number of standing armies in China's history is often counted in tens of millions, hundreds of millions. By the Ming Dynasty, according to Mr. Huang Renyu's estimation, it had already reached 20 million. In Chinese history, whenever a war broke out, the number of troops would be counted in units of 100,000, and battles involving tens of millions of soldiers on both sides were not uncommon.
Facing such a huge demand, if the official workshop is as meticulous as the civilian workshop for VIP customers, it will instantly empty the national treasury and owe taxes for many years. Therefore, not to mention the knives for beheading people, even the armor used to protect lives will also be forced to reduce costs under this demand. As recorded in the "Song Shi" Bing Zhi: "(In the third year of the Zhenghe era)... Yao Guo proposed to reform military equipment, previously two sets of armor were made into three sets; previously hand knives were too heavy, now they are all ordered to be light and easy to use." The reason for making the knife lighter is still acceptable, but this Chinese armor was originally a light armor made of iron leaves strung together, not like the European plate armor. After disassembling two sets into three sets, the iron leaves became even more sparse, and it can be imagined how protective they would be.
The traditional craftsmanship of family heirloom weapons has lost its living space among the people, and official-made weapons are only cheap mass-produced products with huge quantities. The inheritance and cultural connotation of weapon manufacturing techniques will naturally disappear in a short period. Therefore, so-called official-made weapons can only become uniform iron pieces that can cut people in the end. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, even the emperor's sword was just a luxurious exterior, such as the jade-encrusted knife made during the Qianlong period, where all the effort was put into the gold-inlaid jade handle. It seems quite difficult to find any redeeming qualities in the manufacturing technique of the blade itself.
In Japan and Europe, under the feudal system of those countries, there were only a handful of knights, samurai, and professional soldiers nationwide. Most soldiers were temporary recruits from farmers when battles broke out. If several thousand or tens of thousands of knights and samurai were mobilized for battle, it would be an unprecedented level. During Japan's Warring States period, famous battles like the Five Battles of Kawanakajima were actually relatively small in scale, with the largest being Uesugi's 8,000 men against Takeda's 18,000. The largest battles were Osaka Winter and Summer Campaigns, where both sides combined had no more than 200,000 troops. In other words, even if Japan was divided into two factions fighting each other, it would be on the scale of tens of millions of people. Among them, I estimate that true samurai accounted for at most one-tenth, while the rest were farmers armed with bamboo spears, also known as ashigaru.
Here is the translation:
Just like the famous Battle of Agincourt in the Hundred Years' War, it's unclear how many men France deployed, but it's generally believed that at least 25,000 directly participated in the battle, with at least 8,000 being noble knights. The English had far fewer, no more than 6,000, because the mobilization order was only effective for 40 days, which was extremely disadvantageous for overseas battles, and many lords arrived at Agincourt village with their men already greatly reduced. Therefore, Henry also conducted large-scale recruitment this time, simply giving everyone money to fight. In this battle, France's noble knights were killed by Henry's men and the recruited English longbowmen in half an hour, more than 5,000 were killed, and over 1,000 were captured, which directly led to a significant weakening of French power for a very long time afterwards. The British advanced triumphantly all the way until the appearance of Joan of Arc, when the situation finally improved.
For knights and warriors who were nobles, no matter how lowly they were, they were still nobles. These people were born to fight, and their emphasis on weapons was a given. In short, this matter is of great importance, directly related to the safety of one's own life, and cannot be taken lightly. Unless he was tired of living, he would not skimp on this aspect. It is said that in medieval Europe, it took a mature Venetian craftsman a year to manufacture a set of heavy cavalry equipment (including horse armor). However, fortune often depends on misfortune. In the Battle of Agincourt, the French knights were killed by their own excellent and heavy armor. Due to the excessive weight of human and horse armor, they became trapped in the muddy terrain after a rain, and after falling off their horses, they could not get up due to the weight of their armor. As a result, they were easily killed by the English commoners who approached them, opened their helmets, and stabbed them with daggers. One unlucky noble was even drowned in a shallow stream that only reached his knees.
The equipment of European knights is expensive, and the good swords that Japanese warriors love are not affordable for ordinary people. Many people know that Kondō Isami, the famous head of the Shinsengumi at the end of the Edo period in Japan, used a sword known as "Tiger Slayer" which was said to be the work of the second generation of the legendary swordsmith, Toshizuka Mitsuhira. He even wrote a poem about it, saying "Tonight, Tiger Slayer is hungry and thirsty, and will drink fresh blood". However, unfortunately, this "Tiger Slayer" was actually a well-known fake, made by Yamapura swordsmith Gen Nakamura. The signature on Japanese swords is difficult to forge, especially the hamon and jigane patterns, which are almost impossible to replicate, even for an excellent swordsmith like Gen Nakamura. Once it falls into the eyes of someone who knows about swords, it will be exposed. The reason why this happened was that Kondō Isami couldn't afford a real "Tiger Slayer" sword, it was too expensive for him, but he wanted to save face, so...
To equip hundreds of millions of Chinese standing army with this level of equipment, I estimate that even if the whole world unites, the financial situation will be very dangerous.
Two different military systems resulted in completely different outcomes for weapons and equipment in terms of demand and manufacturing.
Now that we've gotten to this point, I suppose someone will say, what about the Tang Dynasty? Did they have fewer troops? What about the Han Dynasty? Everyone had similar scales, why were their weapons not as trashy?
First of all, I must clarify that what is referred to as "trash" is in comparison to ancient times, not modern times. If a war knife's shape and quality remain the same after developing for a thousand years, can't it be said that it's very trashy?
Secondly, I'm going to talk about the car again. As I mentioned earlier, China's steel smelting and forging technology began to have substantial improvements starting from the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty was the first rapid development stage of China's steel weapon manufacturing skills, using the advanced technology of quenching and tempering at that time, they could directly produce knives and swords with good quality that could be used. Of course, this so-called "good quality" is only relative to the Han Dynasty, if placed in modern times, it would just be what I call an iron sheet that can cut people, therefore its cost was not high, and the government's finances could fully afford it.
In addition, the main tactics of the Han Dynasty's military array were to use a large number of infantrymen with crossbows to counter the Xiongnu cavalry, so the soldiers' armor and close combat weapons did not need to be of extremely high standards. Moreover, even so, their equipment had to be much better than that of the Xiongnu people... It's really true that technology is the primary productive force.
Furthermore, from the above text on the study of hundred-refined steel swords, it can be known that during the Han Dynasty, there existed a considerable number of high-end swords that required highly skilled smelting and forging techniques. However, these were not affordable for ordinary people. The inscription "straight thousand five hundred" on the Eastern Han "Fifty Moulds" sword unearthed in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province clearly indicates that this was a civilian-made high-end product worth four years' worth of food money for one person.
Because it was not forbidden for civilians to manufacture and store, the product structure of weapons was very complete, with high, medium and low-end products available. Allowing civilians to manufacture and store weapons played a very positive role in the development of Han Dynasty steel weapons.
As for the Tang, the problem with the Tang was that its military system was a militia-based system, similar to the current Swiss military system. There are many discussions about this system, but here we will only briefly mention the issues related to this book.
The Fubing system originated in the Northern Wei dynasty and continued until the Tang dynasty. The system was roughly as follows: local militiamen took turns serving in the Twelve Guards, with the exception of a few states near the capital, where they could pay to be exempt from service. According to some scholars, the total number of Fubing troops nationwide during the Tang dynasty was approximately 680,000, with about 260,000 stationed in the Guanzhong region around the capital. In addition, there were also permanent Fubing armies stationed in the capital, known as the "Southern Garrison Army" and others, which served for fifteen days each month and trained for fifteen days, with no other responsibilities, making them essentially professional soldiers with extremely strong combat capabilities. The rotating militiamen and permanent garrisons in the capital region formed the Tang emperor's standing army, also known as the Zhongyanging Army, which was the backbone of the Tang military. However, they were not numerous, so when a large battle broke out, the main force of the Tang army would be insufficient, and it would often be necessary to recruit more soldiers, such as during Emperor Taizong's campaign against Goguryeo.
In addition, the soldiers of the Imperial Guard actually took turns using a set of weapons. They would only draw their weapons from the armory when they were on duty and return them when they went off-duty so that the next shift could use them (this method of weapon management is very similar to the way the Japanese manage their swords, which makes me suspect that this was also something Japan copied from the Tang Dynasty). For this reason, the number of weapons needed by the Tang army was not very large.
The equipment of the ordinary Fu soldiers scattered all over the place was self-equipped, which is similar to the ancient European military system. Of course, what is called self-equipped refers to them paying for the equipment, and the government providing uniform equipment. However, the Fu soldiers and their families could receive compensation in other aspects, such as preferential treatment in terms of labor taxes, etc.
The burden of self-equipped armor on individuals was definitely a burden, but at that time it was not unbearable. The manufacturing process of Tang knives is very complicated, and this issue has been discussed before. From the existing Sui and Tang dynasty knives, the Tang knife-making technique used multiple materials composite forging, heat treatment, and complex processes requiring high technical standards and experience transmission of the "Tu Tu" burning blade technology. However, from the prices of Tang horizontal knives mentioned earlier, due to the development of smelting and forging technologies, the production costs and prices at that time were already relatively low. Even in the late Tang dynasty's Tianbao period, when it began to decline, the market price of a domestically produced high-quality steel horizontal knife was only 900 Wen, which was less than one person's annual food expenses. Mid- and lower-grade knives were even cheaper, which is completely incomparable to the prices of Han Dynasty's hundred-refined steel knives, at only a quarter of the price. Even luxury knives made with imported materials, such as high-quality horizontal knives with yellow copper decorations, cost only 2,500 Wen, approximately two or three people's annual food expenses, still not comparable to the prices of Han Dynasty's hundred-refined steel knives.
These factors combined to enable the Tang army to be equipped with high-quality weapons on a large scale. At least, the Tang army was fully capable of using state finances to equip itself with good equipment. Su Dingfang's ability to defeat 100,000 Turkic soldiers with only 20,000 Tang troops and recruits was due in part to the excellence of their armor and weapons. The Turks at that time used only composite bows made of curved wood and bone, and light leather armor. From archaeological finds, it can be seen that their ironworking and manufacturing technology lagged behind that of the Tang. For example, their good blades mainly relied on imports from the Khazars in the upper reaches of the Yenisei River at that time. When they encountered Tang troops using crossbows with a range of 300-400 meters, wearing plate armor and iron leaf war garments, and wielding composite material-forged Tang swords that had undergone heat treatment, it was basically no different from militia vs. a regular army.
It was precisely because from the Han to the Tang dynasties, there were no strict laws prohibiting private soldiers and civilian manufacture of weapons, and some dynasties even encouraged it, that the techniques and culture of weapon manufacturing were able to develop rapidly, finally reaching the pinnacle of China's cold weapon manufacturing in the Tang dynasty.
In the era of cold weapons, the culture of weapons had a significant impact on the entire country and its customs. The weakness of the Song Dynasty was closely related to its ban on private soldiers among civilians, the emphasis on literature over military affairs, and the violation of the previous dynasty's martial spirit. In contrast, the Han and Tang Dynasties were the most powerful in Chinese history, with the Han's cavalry defeating the Xiongnu and a small general shouting "Those who offend the great Han will be punished no matter how far away they are". The Tang army even conquered the Turks and briefly invaded the Middle East. This martial spirit was closely related to the development of steel weapons manufacturing technology in these two dynasties, which was the fastest and most successful in Chinese history.
However, by the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, in just over a hundred years, China had already regarded the rìben knife, which was learned from the Tang Dynasty, as a treasured knife. The speed and severity of its decline can be seen in this, revealing the devastating impact of the Song Dynasty's ban on private armies on our country's steel weapon manufacturing technology and military culture.
In Japan, which is separated from China and Korea by sea, before the mid-Heian period, there was a certain degree of control over weapons, but it only implemented military product manufacturing and did not ban civilian ownership. By the late Heian period and the Kamakura period, due to the rise of the shogunate and the warrior system, as well as frequent wars in various regions, the demand for weapons increased sharply, and this system gradually disappeared. A large number of craftsmen who made a living by making swords appeared in the private sector, and gradually formed swordsmithing groups. Later, based on this foundation, various swordsmithing schools were developed, divided by region, which led to the rapid development of sword-making technology in an extremely short period. Especially after the establishment of the "Banshō" system by Emperor Go-Toba in the early Kamakura period, the status of swordsmiths was greatly improved. Due to these reasons, Japan's sword-making technology and manufacturing industry developed rapidly on a large scale from the late Heian period to the early Kamakura period, and quickly stabilized, surpassing China, which was its original model but was now in a period of rapid decline or even retrogression.
