The number and variety of weapons in the Chinese martial traditions is simply unbelievable. Some evolved from farm tools, pressed into martial use because of their familiarity to those most likely to be drafted into the many armies. Others developed as the specialized tools of bodyguards looking for a way to upstage the competition. This style of double sword, the Butterfly Swords, was created as a non violent way for Shaolin monks to defend themselves. That may seem odd to us today, but the idea was to limit damage. The preferred target was the opponent’s hands. The blades were thick and short and sharpened only on the leading curved edge, in order to make them more efficient as non lethal and parrying weapons. Later on, masters of Wing Chun learned how to use them in more deadly ways.
This sword set is designed for training and for wushu competition, not for combat. The blades are unsharpened and made from light steel, easier to wield in wushu’s acrobatic and sometimes fanciful routines than the heavier combat swords would be. Wushu swords are not intended for striking or stabbing; their purpose is more theatrical, a way to train in the old techniques without fighting. In times of peace, when martial activities are discouraged, the old fighting secrets have often been kept alive by those who learned the dance.
Designed with that market in mind, these are not flashy or collectible swords; they are training tools, well suited to that and very useful in that arena.
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