Certainly the current interest in the martial axe results more from the virtual worlds of video gaming than a curiosity about history. Though the axe played an important role on ancient battlefields, only the smaller styles still find official use by the military. In fact, many of the combat applications once used by Americans who carried tomahawks into battle are now lost. To find axe techniques, students of that old skill now go to the few Asian martial routines based on this heavy blade.
Combat axes evolved into specialty blades designed for nothing else but combat and were often combined with spears to add chopping attacks to the long range thrust of the pike. The oldest combat axes served dual purposes as tools for woodsmen and farmers — broad axes in particular, designed for hewing round logs into squared timbers, often went to war virtually unchanged.
For mayhem, the axe evolved in many directions, from heavy double axes with crescent blades to battleaxes with blades for chopping and slashing and spiked pommels for driving holes through armor plate. Today’s combat tomahawk, used by special forces soldiers, copies that old form in a smaller design useful both for fighting and for camp chores. Many good reproductions of battleaxes are still available and popular with collectors as well as martial artists.
A great display piece for the wall but also a fully functional combat axe, the Hero’s Axe by Paul Chen recreates the battle axe of ancient Japan.
A recreation of an old Danish war axe, Paul Chen’s Danish Battle Axe shows the transition from farm tool to weapon.
From the other end of history, SOG’s Fusion Tactical Tomahawk reworks the Special Forces axe and does it right.
The Mythos Fantasy Axe by Paul Elhers is much more sculpture than knife. Produced by Fantasy Master, this ten-pound replica piece of heavy cast metal does incorporate a stainless steel axe blade, but the axe certainly isn't the most striking thing about it.
Custom knife designer Paul Elhers might be ...
A faithful reproduction of one of the main weapons wielded by Gimli son of Gloin in the movie version of The Lord of the Rings, the Battle Axe of Gimli looks like it should actually work. With twin 11-1/2-inch-wide blades of 3/8-inch-thick tool steel, even though this ...
Although this modern version of the war hammer -- a weapon which brought down many armored knights on the battlefields of medieval Europe -- isn't pretty, this is still an impressive and combat-ready instrument of destruction. Cold Steel's practical defense weapons often look like farm tools, but they were ...
I like this surrealistic Fantasy Battle Axe and Dagger combination, since it's definitely one of the more unusual fantasy weapons of recent times, but I also have some reservations about it. The drawback to this bizarre and decorative weapon is the amount of plastic that went into its creation. Maybe ...
The Skeleton Chaser Fantasy Axe from General Edge could have dropped from the hands of a fallen orc warrior. Though the handle is aluminum, there's plenty of high level sharp stainless steel in this twin-bladed fantasy battleaxe.
If you haven't seen this axe up close, you may expect a larger ...
This surprisingly well-made replica war hammer copies an old medieval battle hammer used against heavily armoured knights and their war horses. The cast high carbon stainless steel hammer head outshines the old weapons, yet holds close to the old functional design with only a few modern weak points.
Compared to museum pieces, ...
The Nemesis Battle Axe, sold as a fully functional battle weapon, does outclass most other modern martial arts axes. Many of the modern versions of this intimidating double-bladed axe are intentionally lightweight, built more for kata than for fighting. Though this is a very nice axe, and a type of weapon that ...
Medieval weaponry history tells us that the Danish axe surfaced somewhere between the reign of the Vikings and the Middle Ages. It's another example of a peaceful agricultural tool that evolved into a hunting weapon over time, much like the Japanese sickle or kama.
A traditional Danish axe can ...
Here's the original Hero's Axe, not the antiqued version, by Hanwei designer Paul Chen. This original model is beautifully embellished and polished, and honestly would look a lot better mounted for display than the antiqued Hero's Axe, making it a much better choice in our opinion. The biggest reason for ...
The naginata is quite an important weapon in the field of martial arts. It's identified by a curved blade, a long wooden shaft, and a traditional tsuba similar to the ones you'd find on an ancient Japanese sword.
Hanwei's version of a Japanese naginata is of course designed by none other than ...
In the Black Legion, the fiercest warriors were the Barumen Axemen of Lokonia. The Axemen wore heavy armor of steel and leather, and carried two fearsome Battle Axes.
This axe is a faithful replica of those carried by the Axemen. Thirty-five inches in overall length, it features excellent detail, 15 inch ...
Valiant Armoury is known for producing real swords that are faithful to traditional designs while incorporating the newest and best materials.
All of their medieval swords and axes are based on historically correct designs, and the Avenger Battle Axe is no different.
It sports a hand hammered forged carbon steel 9-1/2 inch primary ...
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