Heng Dao, a knife worn by soldiers in the Tang Dynasty, namely: palace soldiers, government officials, police officers, soldiers guarding the city, and patrol soldiers. (Similar to the guns and batons worn by police and traffic police today), it must be the most common in cities. Therefore, the swords spread to Japan at that time were mainly horizontal swords and ceremonial swords. It is not difficult to understand that most horizontal knives are 60 to 80 centimeters. With its narrow blade, this kind of knife is not very powerful as a main combat knife! The horizontal sword of about one meter is called the big horizontal sword in the Tang Dynasty and Japanese ancient books: the big horizontal sword of the Tang Dynasty.
Heng Dao, a two-handed sword, was developed on the basis of the "Huanshou Dao" of the Han Dynasty. It removed the ring at the end of the handle that was common in the Han Dynasty and extended the short length. The handle was changed to a long handle that can be used with both hands, making it a long straight knife with a narrow blade and thick spine that can be used with both hands. The basic shape of the horizontal sword is very similar to the "Japanese sword", but the blade and blade of the Tang Dynasty horizontal sword are basically straight, unlike the common "Japanese sword" which is curved with an arc. The Tang Dynasty horizontal sword The shape is a straight knife shape. It can be said that the shape of the "Japanese sword" is generally derived from the "horizontal sword" style of the Tang Dynasty in China. Although this is embarrassing to the Japanese who like to flaunt the attack power of the "Japanese sword", it is indeed true. history. The forging technology of horizontal swords was extremely advanced in the world at that time. The forged blades were extremely sharp and could be used both on foot and on horseback. The technology of making horizontal swords was later learned by Japan, which contributed to the reputation of Japanese swords for later generations. After being introduced to Japan, due to the Japanese terrain creating more opportunities for combat in deep valleys and dense forests, coupled with the needs of the samurai class, it gradually evolved into a more conducive arc for chopping. The exquisite smelting perfectly combined toughness and sharpness to reach the level of individual weapons. peak. However, since the Warring States Period, ancient China bid farewell to aristocratic wars and entered a form of all-out war. Mass-produced weapons that can be equipped on a large scale have become more effective. This is also the reason why Tang Dao has different fates in China and Japan. China's all-out war requires quantitative weapons, and Japan's aristocratic war requires small and refined weapons. Therefore, demand has created the development of weapons. China is good at bows and crossbows, and Japan is good at swords. Since there are few Tang knives unearthed in China, but not none, and after the long history of evolution, the craftsmanship of Tang knives was once lost. Those who are making Tang knives in China are mainly knife makers in Longquan, the hometown of swords and swords in Zhejiang, who are constantly exploring. In recent years, many products called Bent Tang knives have flowed from Longquan to all parts of the country, and the masters who really devote themselves to the study of traditional knife-making techniques are making real Tang knives. Although many traditional craftsmanship have not yet been recovered, these masters' reverse research on Japanese sword technology has also gained hope for the Tang sword to be rediscovered. It's just that the current real modern Tang knives are still on the road of high-quality products, mainly for collection, gifts and decorations, often costing thousands or even more than 100,000 yuan. Tang knives are still far from the road to revival as a truly household name.