THE MING SWORD (SH2006) CAS HANWEI
The pattern of the Ming Sword dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD -- 1644 AD), which ruled China for almost three centuries after the fall of the Mongol controlled Yuan Dynasty. The beauty of this delightfully compact functional sword centers on its superb pattern-welded K120C blade, forged with a ridged central fuller providing the stiffness required for thrusting and the lightness required for speed. The grip is sculpted from brown buffalo horn, which is also used in thin, translucent wafers as a shell for the intricately decorated scabbard. The brass fittings are selectively decorated with dynastic designs plated in silver.
THE MING DYNASTY
The Ming dynasty began in 1368, and lasted until 1644 A.D. Its founder was a peasant, the third of only three peasants ever to become an emperor in China. He is known as Hongwu Emperor, and led the revolt against the Mongols and the Yuan Dynasty. As a result of his peasant origins, Hongwu created laws that improved the peasant life. He kept the land tax low, and kept the granaries stocked to guard against famine. He also maintained the dikes on the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. However, economically he lacked the vision to push trade. He supported the creation of self-supporting communities and, in a typically Confucian viewpoint, felt agriculture should be the country's source of wealth and that trade was ignoble and parasitic. A great cultural development of the Ming Dynasty was that of the novel. These novels developed from the writings of Chinese story tellers. As a result, they were written in the everyday language, not the language of the nobility. Some of the best known novels of the Ming Dynasty are still read today. Another accomplishment of the Ming was the building of the Great Wall. While Great Walls had been built in earlier times, most of what is seen today was either built or repaired by the Ming.
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