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Japanese cultural influence on Western pop-culture reaches its relative apex in the likes of Seven Samurai directly and in Star Wars by a degree of separation. You can see how the relatively "domestic" jian might be less exciting to the Western eye and consciousness than the "exotic" katana. On the other, we have the Japanese katana, which is both somewhat "alien" to the Western perception of swords (which are overwhelmingly cruciform or otherwise straight in pop culture) and highly praised by Eastern martial culture. Japan's closer, more amiable relationship to Western powers assisted in establishing cultural export, which has over time expanded, contracted, and altered its demographics. What does this all boil down to? There are countless different types of jian and dao, but they all share these defining characteristics. For the lover of European swords, there is also large range of sharp to blunt pracical European swords and historical replicas of the Viking period up to the late Renaissance. Traditional vs Modern Differential Hardening for Swords. The reason they are more famous is because of the association of Katanas to the heavily romanticized Samurais. In comparison, all or most dao have a curbed blade. If Reddit was more famous amongst Chinese internet users, and had a thriving native Chinese community, there would be much more discussion about them. Star Wars is easily one of the most influential films in Western history, informed just as much by the ideologies of foreign cultures as the pulp cowboy fantasy. Rather than sharpening just one edge, warriors were forced to sharpen two edges. Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. On one hand, we have the Chinese jian, imperial extraordinaire and comparable in many significant ways to European cruciform swords. Between the nerd culture mainstays of anime and video games (and keeping in mind that post-70s video games almost completely owe their existence and shape to Japanese games), Japan has continued to remain relevant to at least a segment of modern culture -- people roughly yet to come to middle age, with "nerdy" interests. To recap, there are two primary differences between the Chinese dao and jian. Just an added note: while jian, in English, refers to a specific kind of Chinese sword, in Mandarin it can refer to any double-edged sword (it's cognate to the ken in Japanese kendō). However, as modern nerd culture expands (as evidenced by the overwhelming popularity of recent Marvel blockbusters, for instance), the influence of Japanese media culture and (to a more moderate degree) martial culture does the same. On top of that, however, mid-late 20th century relations with each country have been substantially different in the West. Whether valid or invalid, that prominent political actors are still willing to bare their teeth against the now aged and feeble idea of communist assault on Western representative democracy and the capitalist system says a lot about the political and ideological gulfs that still exist. What was the superior sword: the European longsword or Katana? But while the share some common characteristics, the jian and dao are two unique types of swords. Straight vs Curved Blade. Recently, a handful of Australian politicians (whose names escape me currently) advocated doubling the Australian military budget. Traditional Chinese swords are classified as either jian or dao. Between the true failures of communist-monikered states, outright Anglophone propaganda, China's comparatively authoritarian position and Mao's brutal regime, China alienated itself from the West. Also, reddit is primarily an English website, frequented mainly by Americans, Europeans, Australians, Indians, etc. In comparison, all or most dao have a curbed blade. This is one of the defining characteristics of this style of traditional Chinese swords. It's one of a number of loanwords that have been given a more specific meaning in English than in their source language – for example, in Spanish any sauce is a salsa, in Polish any sausage is a kiełbasa, in Japanese any animated cartoon is an anime, etc. People are probably more interested in the katana because of its pushed reputation by way of Japanese enthusiasm and the Western disciples of that. Furthermore, the use of two edges increased the risk of damage to the sword upon impact. Chinese bladesmiths soon discovered, however, that using a curved blade allowed for a superior level of versatility. Showing 1–9 of 46 results. The jian features a straight blade, whereas the dao features a curved blade. This promoted Chinese bladesmiths to invent the dao, which featured a single-edged blade. Katanas are much more famous than jian. There are many reasons for this, but from the perspective of popular media, Japan established itself as a relevant player in pop culture consciousness as early as the 50s. Quite simply, fame. All jians have a straight blade that runs vertically without curving to either side. Initially, all Chinese swords, including the jian, were designed with a straight blade. The Portal for Public History Films such as Seven Samurai and Gojira found relatively quick Western releases, and were praised worldwide for their sense of austere compassion; these were films that approached gross injustices with minimal restraint or fear, earning the respect of both critics and mainstream cinema audiences. So, how exactly does the jian differ from the dao? On the other hand, China has media export to the West primarily through its martial arts cinema, reaching the apex of its fame during the 80s -- roughly the same time as Japanese media export reached the height of its popularity among mainstream Western audiences. We all know what the katana is, so going into a discussion on it is kinda superfluous. The jian first appeared in China during 13th century B.C., while the dao appeared during China's Song dynasty (960 to 1279). Their reasoning? Whereas the Chinese jian and its wielders do not have much modern represantation, espicially overseas. With the dao, only a single end of the blade is sharpened. Both types of swords have played a pivotal role in the country's history, providing warriors with the weapons needed to defend their land from invading forces. For example, searching through askhistorians, there are several questions about the katana, but virtually zero when querying "jian". With two edges instead of one, the dao was more difficult to maintain. Katanas are much more famous than jian. Another key difference between the Chinese dao and jian is that the former features a single-edged blade, whereas the latter features a double-edged blade. Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more …, The 4 Key Elements of a High-Quality Traditional Japanese Sword. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. With a curved blade, the dao and similar swords were able to flex somewhat under pressure, thereby protecting them from damage. Japanese cultural export would become so relevant, in fact, that Star Wars was significantly based upon Japan's "samurai" genre. Whereas the Chinese jian and its wielders do not have much modern represantation, espicially overseas. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the AskHistorians community. This means that Japan has had some degree of cultural influence over the Western arts since the 1950s, if not sooner, whereas China remained more culturally estranged from the West for a longer period of time. Let's come at this from a Western cultural background, as we're discussing the fame of various swords in context of an Anglophone message board. That alienation is only really beginning to end, with China and the West at something of an economic understanding while remaining ideologically opposed. As shown in the photo here, the jian features a straight blade. Can somebody explain to me why there are numerous questions about the katana, but not about the jian? Japan, however, has had much closer relationships with Western powers after World War II. Press J to jump to the feed. Kodachi vs Wakizashi: What's the Difference? Well this does not answer a few simple questions. Had China and Japan been in reversed positions artistically and politically at the end of World War II, it might well be that Western people with an interest in exotic weapons would more often discuss the jian, dao, or variants thereof than the katana. To this day, however, Japanese media exports have continued to be moderately relevant, moderately popular consumer goods in Western countries. #1: Armor, What are they all using? This ultimately paved the way for newer and more effective swords, and there's even some belief that curved Chinese swords like the dao influenced Japan's bladesmithing practices, paving the way for world-renowned swords like the katana and wakizashi. And the jian's blade has two edges, whereas the dao's blade has a single edge. In essence, what all this means is that Western people are more aware of some elements of Japanese culture when compared to Chinese culture, especially when it comes to popular media, niche media, and martial matters. This is one of the defining characteristics of this style of traditional Chinese swords. #2: Skill, I’m going to assume that they are all = in skill. As shown in the photo here, the jian features a straight blade. The other end of the blade remains dull. Particularly throughout the 80s, 90s, and some of the post-millennial decade, there was a pop-cultural belief in the complete superiority of the katana as a sword. The threat of Communist China. The very detailed Chinese lines consist of the Jian swords, Sabers, Dynasty swords, Dao’s and Tai Chi Jian swords and the highly functional Jian swords. Please read the rules before participating, as we remove all comments which break the rules. All jians have a straight blade that runs vertically without curving to either side. So, how exactly does the jian differ from the dao? 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