Oxtail Saber (Niu Wei Dao)

The Oxtail Saber was used predominantly by martial artists rather than the military, making the design difficult to attribute to a specific time period. Nevertheless, the Oxtail Saber is the most popular and recognizable of the Chinese broadswords. The sheath is hand-carved from hardwood while the handle features a hardwood core wrapped in green cord. The fittings are based on an antique specimen attributed to the Qing Dynasty and have a highly stylized floral motif.