Asian Arms
Rivers are the highways of Southeast Asia. In a region covered historically in dense vegetation and jungle, travel was difficult overland and waterways played a key role in commerce, warfare and political control. The great rivers of Southeast Asia such as the Mekong, the Chao Phraya and the Irrawaddy
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Barges and Swordsmen
Asian Arms
Knives and their role in ritual are a theme seen across many cultures. Knives with magic connotations are also not unusual, as common implements they often feature in myth, legend and tales of magic, being a fundamental tool found in almost all cultures.
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Knives, Ritual and the Muntjac
Asian Arms
This intriguing sword is from modern day Northern Vietnam, and likely from the provinces of either Thai Binh or Nam Dinh to the south and east of Hanoi. This was the territory of the Trinh Lords, the unified Nguyễn dynast and later Tonkin under French colonial rule.
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A sword from Northern Vietnam
Asian Arms
Burmese swords are an intriguing part of what we know as "dha" or "daab", in that they are some of the most commonly encountered examples on the collecting market but also some of the least understood, particularly from more remote states.
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Swords of the Chin Hills
Asian Arms
Laos is the smallest country in Southeast Asia by population and the most isolated, but it has always maintained an import role in the region's history. At times it was unified under a central kingdom known as Lan Xang, land of a million elephants, and in later periods it splintered into regional kingdoms.
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The Sword of the Elephant
Asian Arms
The sword that is the subject of this article typifies a stereotype, but a well earned one, regarding the Shan states of northern Thailand, Burma and historically extending into modern day Yunnan. Even today these areas are considered an enigma, difficult to access, with rugged terrain, wild and mysterious.
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Mysteries of the Shan
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Asian Arms
The kingdoms of the Chams, or Champa, are one of the least understood and popularised regions and cultures in Southeast Asia. While the Indic influenced Khmer Kingdom is well known and Angkor Wat stands as a "wonder of the world" the equally Indian influenced Cham civilisation is relatively unknown.
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A Sword of Champa
Asian Arms
The Preah Khan is a 12th century temple complex at Angkor. Translated as "Royal Sword" it was built by Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. It is an early example of the importance of the sword in Khmer culture and in particular its relationship to royalty and ceremony.
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Preah Khan - Ceremony, Royalty and Swords
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Asian Arms
Iron and bamboo are two materials which typify the weapons and culture of southeast Asia and are found together in this sword from Burma. While visually a quite plain and simple piece, this dha is in fact an intriguing example which exhibits the true fighting character of swords from this region.
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Iron & Bamboo
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Asian Arms
I have a fascination with working knives from all cultures but particularly those from south east Asia. One of the reasons for this is that you occasionally find examples like this one that are of a design which is completely practical, but also show a degree of workmanship and decoration that tells us something of the status of the owner.
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A Working Knife
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Asian Arms
The last sword added to this website was an impressive example from Isaan in modern Thailand which was likely paired with a shield. I have recently started to be fascinated by examples obviously made to be used in this manner. Many dha have deceptively long handles often leading to western collectors to misidentify them as 'two-handers' when in fact they are nothing of the kind and almost all dha are intended for single handed use.
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Sword & Shield
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Asian Arms
This is a sword that is a striking illustration of the diverse nature of southeast Asia and is a living testament of how peoples and cultures moved acrossed borders historically. This particular piece was 'found' in modern day Isaan, specifically in Ubon Ratchathani province of Thailand. On the surface it may look like any other lotus bud pommel, cast hilt style sword from these regions but the devil, as always, is in the details.
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