Tag Archives: moon blade – 월도

My Personal Arsenal

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My Korean arsenal. The wooden sword on the left is Korean style and straighter than the Japanese version.

I’ve been developing an small arsenal of weapons both in the UK and here in Korea. My Korean based weapons consist of 4 wooden or bamboo swords in both Japanese and Korean styles and in varying weights: a wisteria pole (등나무), which is flexible and being around 6 foot long is useful as a substitute for a spear or moon-blade when I train on my roof. Then I have a oak bo which I currently only really use to do warm-up exercises.

My blunt sword (가검 – ga-keom).

My ga-keom with its tacky furniture

The weapon I spend most of my time with however, is my ga-keom (가검). A number of my swords have an important significance. The Korean style (han-sword) on the far left (at top of post) was the first sword I bought since taking up Komdo; it has a grip and is useful in hot, sweaty weather. The sword second from the left, along with the scabbard, was a present from my present master and the first sword I used. My ga-keom, (blunt sword) cost 200.000 Won (£100) and, I agree, as far as swords go it’s bottom of the range and definitely ‘tacky’ but for general practice and multiple drawing and sheathing it’s extremely durable. In my dojang, a significant number of this ‘brand’ are used by students. All are owned by students who are now dan grades and the battered scabbards and worn hilt grips testify to their durability. As tacky and cheap as it is, I treat it with as much respect as I do my more expensive swords. The original tassel was light blue, the same as most of the other swords in my dojang and I wanted a yellow one. I had to traipse all over a local market in mid-summer to find tassels and when I did the choice was enormous. If you can find such tassels in the UK they are between £8-16. In Korea they cost between £1 and £1.50 (2000-3000 Won). My Korean name was engraved on the blade at  no extra cost.

Bling bling but still appealing

In the UK I have also a growing arsenal of weapons which unfortunately, I rarely get to use. First there is my moon-blade, this being a Chinese style Guan Dao (關刀). It weighs 2.5 kg and is little different from ones I’ve used in Korea. The moon-blade is blunt and feels so much better to wield than a wooden version, or worse, a long-pole substitute. My spear (창), apart from the tassel, differs little from Korean versions.

The heads of my spear and moon-blade

I’ve also an oak bo, a bamboo practice sword as well as two bokken, one extremely heavy which I’ve had since my taekwon-do days and a new one with a deep ‘home’ (호므 – blood grove) which amplifies the passage of air on correctly angled strokes. I also have the first sword, a katana, bought in 1982 when I gained my taekwon-do first dan. I bought it in Germany for around £150. I never learnt to use it and years of neglect have caused it to rust. I’m not sure how functional it is, or was; the blade was semi sharp and today the wrap on the handle is loose and it’s probably dangerous to wield. Beside, it feels overly heavy and un-balanced. The sword’s furniture is not just basic but unattractive and I suspect its really a clumsy wall hanger but it has sentimental value.

My UK long-pole and bokken arsenal

Bought in 1982, it’s now rusty but I don’t think this was really anything but a wall-hanger

Out of my entire collection, my favourite sword is a Hanwei, Tori Iaito (basically, a blunt blade sword for the practice of drawing and sheathing). It’s Japanese in style and has attractive furniture and as far as ‘ga-keom’ go, at around £400, (8000.000 Won), it’s the Rolls Royce of blunt swords. It’s made from ‘case tempered,’ forged stainless steel.

My ‘Tori Iaito’

Specifications – 27″ Blade
Overall: 38.5″
Blade Length: 27″
Handle Length: 10.5″
Weight: 1lb 15oz
Point of Balance: 5″
Width at Guard: 1.21″
Width at Tip: .86″
Thickness at Guard: .24″
Thickness at Tip: .13″
Sori: 3/4″

The furniture is especially attractive

The ‘Tori’ unsheathed.

The Tori’s furniture is attractive without being excessive and I particularly like the rattan coiling towards the top of the scabbard. On my last vacation, I was able to acquaint myself wit it and it feels good to practice with. I like the leather hilt and the weight and balance, from what little knowledge I have of swords, is comfortable.

My ‘Cloud’ sword, a true Korean jin-keom (진검)

Unfortunately, the next sword only arrived three days before I left the UK to return to Korea. I didn’t have time to use it and didn’t even remove the oil  from the blade. The Korean Cloud Sword, by Hanwei, a ‘live blade,’ has been discontinued and this was one of the last ones available. The sword is forged from AISI 1566 high carbon steel with ray skin wrap scabbard and handle. The RRP is around £700 but I managed to get this one at half price. As yet I have no idea how it handles and although it is very attractive I have two concerns: the handle is ray skin and I’m worried about it slipping in my grip and in my opinion the tassel has been placed in a very daft place on the hilt. When I eventually get to use the sword I’ll probably remove the tassel, especially if I’m cutting.

Specification Metric Imperial
Overall 96.6cm 38″
Blade Length 69.9cm 27½”
Grip Length 22.9cm 9″
Weight 0.950Kg (2lb 2oz)

the ray-skin hilt and scabbard are highly attractive and so is the intricate Korean knot-tassel but it seems to be located in a very bad position.

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©Zen Sword – 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.

Interesting Links on Traditional Korean Weapons

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A page of the Muyedobotongji (c1790)

Here are links to two interesting Korean documentaries on Traditional Korean weaponry, training and modern-day ‘warriors.’ Most of the weapons appear in the Muyedobotongji (武藝圖譜通志 – 무예도보통지) which was commissioned by King Jeongjo in 1790. Some of the treaty was based on earlier writing. The Muyedobotongji appeared in 4 volumes containing 23 chapters and outlining 24 methods.  The work was written in Hanja though a further volume was produced in Korean script, (Hangul).

The first video focuses on cavalry training and the use of weapons on horseback most especially archery. There are numerous organizations researching ancient texts such as the Muyedobotongji and those involved are usually proficient in various Korean martial arts and are proficient at reading Hanja. Symposia are regularly held to discuss various interpretations of text and diagrams. Both videos are in Korean but they are largely self-explanatory.

The second video focuses on various weapons including the spear (창), pole (봉), and the moon blade (월도 – wol-do). The Korean style sword is also featured. This is similar to the Chinese (Han) version which was both straight and had a double blade. Though the terms ‘keom’ (검) and ‘do’ seem to be used interchangeably, the ‘keom’ was in fact double edged while the ‘do’ consisted of a single blade. Most interesting is the appearance of the both the chuk chang ch’ang (죽장창) and the nangseon (낭선). The chuk chang ch’ang (bamboo long spear) was 4.2 meters. The nangseon is quite an incredible weapon and something I had previously only read about. It is equally as long and looks like a small tree except the branches were sharp and thorny and often tipped with  poison. You can’t miss this weapon in the video; it makes its appearance at 7.55.

The somewhat bizarre nangseon (낭선)

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©Zen Sword – 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.

Moon Blade Form – Wol-Do (월도)

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The Korean wol-do (월도) is a pole weapon similar in design to the Chinese Guan Dao. In hanja (Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and appearing in Korean),  wol-do is written ‘月刀,’ basically, ‘moon blade.’  The wol-do is usually larger than the guan dao though both Chinese and Korean versions exhibit great variation. In both countries, proficiency in the ‘moon blade’ was a means of gaining promotion in the military and often, the higher the rank sought, the heavier and larger the blade.

The Korean ‘moon blade’ (월도 – 月刀)

The Chinese style Guan Dao (關刀)

In the Muyedobotongji, 무예도보통지 (c 1790), the wol-do is cited as having a 6″4′ handle and a blade of 2″. It was a popular weapon of the Hwarang during the Shilla period. However, the weapon is cited earlier and appears in the Muyejebo (무예재보), published in 1749, where it was an infantry weapon. When the Muyedobotongji was published in 1795, an addition was the use of the ‘moon blade’ as a cavalry weapon (masang wol-do – 마상월도, 馬上月刀).

The wol-do original with accompanying hanja text

Numerous groups, such as ’24 ban-mu-ye’ (24반무예) have studied and continue to study the ancient texts in attempts to recreate the forms and individual techniques involved in the use of the wol-do and other weapons. However, doing so requires not just proficiency in Korean martial arts (musado – 무사도) but proficiency in hanja – the script used for much of the text.  My teacher has studied in one such group and had to hone his hanja skills in order to understand the ‘instructions.’ Koreans study hanja in school and are supposed to be able to read around 1800 characters, but for many their ability is limited and indeed my hanja is better than some of my Korean friends. The significance and influence of hanja is very much similar to that of Latin or Greek in Europe. Groups will then research the practicality of movements, testing techniques and subsequently meet to discuss their merits. For this reason, Korean wol-do as well as other traditional weapons forms, exhibit some variation.

The Korean wol-do form, of which I only know of one deriving from original texts (though there may be another), differs significantly from Chinese Kung-fu style forms. It is much less dramatic, less ‘flashy’ and the individual moves all have instantly recognizable practicalities. The awe of Korean traditional weapons lies in their battle field application rather than individual artistic beauty and for this reason they can appear quite boring practiced by a single person. The immensely long na-seong for example, a branch-like spear with thorny off-shoots, has no appeal on its own.  Long pole weapons such as the wol-do, need to be experienced as prescribed in texts, as battle field weapons used in cohorts or ‘squadrons.’  When the wol-do is displayed as part of a group, its power and effect can be better appreciated.

The wol-do, like the jin-keom (진검 – live blade), is also used in cutting demonstrations, most especially of straw (짚단). Indeed, we have a ‘live’ wol-do in my dojang and I am eagerly awaiting being able to wield it. For practice purposes, we use wooden wol-do.

One of the most widespread Korean cultural images concerning the Wol-do, and frequently appearing in comic books and animations, is that of the blade held behind the back with a fist or open pal extended. Indeed, this stance appears in a number of weapon forms.

one of the most famous stances

Monday is my long pole training day and I began learning the wol-do form several weeks ago. In 35 degree heat and in the middle of the monsoon season with extremely high humidity, wielding a wol-do hasn’t been easy. It requires space and a safe environment in which to practice. Back at my Korean apartment, I manage some practice on the roof with a wisteria long pole but this is a poor substitute because it is simply too light. Slowly however, the form is coming together.

Below are my ‘video notes’ on the wol-do (훨도), demonstrated by Master Danny Kwon (권용국), 6th dan.

The video is useful for stringing the moves together, and as I begin to appreciate the finer points of the form, I will include updates.

UPDATES:

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©Zen Sword – 努江虎 – 노강호 2012 Creative Commons Licence.