DISCUSSION

 

 

II.
THE MEDIEVAL WEAPONS

 

4 - The Shock-Arms

 

 

THE BATTLE MALLET

 

WAR MACES
« CHÙY » & « TRÙY »

-

 

 

 

 

       The Battle Mallet includes Three categories :
       A - Those of Battle Mallet With No Apical Point ;
       B - Those of Battle Mallet holding an Apical Point ;
       C - Those of Battle Mallet under the shape of War Flails called Shooting Star War Maces.

              A - The Battle Mallet With No Apical Point, called War Mace « Chùy » (鎚) available in Tthree kinds :

                
1) The « Unique War Mace - Độc-Chùy » (獨 鎚) : there's War Mallet with short handle and includes :
                      α)
The « Unique War Mace - Độc-Chùy » about 20 cm long, used for throwing : it's la specific weapon from China, employed as a "Hidden Weapon - Ám-Khí" during the Three Kingdoms (Tam-Quốc 三 國) period (220~280 AD), called « Phi-Chùy - Flying War Mace ».
                     β)
The « Unique War Mace - Độc-Chùy » about 72 cm long, used with one handed wielding : it's a specific Battle Mallet from China under the MING Dynasty (1368-1644), as the « Lục-Giác-Chùy - Six Edged War Mace », the « Hủy-Lôi-Chùy - Destructive Thunder War Mace », etc. ;

Flying War Mace
« Phi-Chùy »

飛 錘
MING Dynasty
(1368-1644)

Destructive Thunder War Mace
« Hủy Lôi Chùy »

毀 雷 錘
MING Dynasty
(1368-1644)



Snake Headed War Mace
« Xà-Chùy »

蛇 錘
QING Dynasty Period
(1644~1912)

( Photo Credit : pinterest.com)

Snake Shaped and Snake Headed War Mace
« Xà-Chùy »

蛇 錘
QING Dynasty Period
(1644~1912)


( Photo Credit : pinterest.com)



                 2) The « Great War Mace - Đại-Chùy » (大 鎚) : there's Battle Mallet Without Apical Point, but holding a long shaft for wielding with two hands. This was the Shock-Arm favourite of Mongol Warriors in 13th century and of Đại-Việt Officers in 17th century.
It exists Two kinds :

                       2a) The « Great War Mace - Đại-Chùy » holding a middle shaft about 95 cm long (often erronemously confused with the Mase Unique War Mace - Độc-Chùy) for being wielded with two hands in the Heavy Cavalry :

 


Statue of Armoured Đại-Việt Officer from Heavy Cavalry
bearing No Apical Point Great War Mace
- Đại-Việt - 17th Century -

Mausoleum of Generalissimo Phạm-Đôn-Nghị

(Thanh-Hóa - Việt-Nam)

Mongol Officer of Heavy Cavalry wielding the Great War Mace
Đại-Chùy (大 鎚)
- Middle-East - 13th century -



                       2b) The « Great War Mace - Đại-Chùy » holding a long shaft for being wielded with two hands in the Infantry and sometimes in Cavalry :


Statue of Armoured Đại-Việt Officer from Infantry
bearing No Apical Point Great War Mace
- Đại-Việt - 17th Century -

Temple of the Trumpeting Elephant
(Điện Voi Ré - Việt-Nam)

Statue of Armoured Đại-Việt Warrior from Infantry
bearing No Apical Point Great War Mace
- Đại-Việt - 17th Century -


Mausoleum of Generalissimo LÊ-Trung-Nghĩa
(Thanh-Hóa - Việt-Nam)



                 3) The « Two Matched War Maces - Song-Chùy » (双 鎚) : there's the War Mallet with short handle, holding a Head in various forms - Roundness shape Head, Hexagonal shape Head, Octogonal shape Head, etc. - to make use by pair and it's a favourite Weapon of China (i.e. : Two Matched Maces with Octogonale Head 八 稜 双 鎚 of Mandchus Qing).

Two Matched War Maces
with Octogonal Head
« Bát-Lăng Song-Chùy »
八 稜 双 鎚
QING Dynasty
(1644-1911)
(1778-1802)

(Photo Credit : Wing-Lam Drill Hall )

Two Matched War Maces
with Hexagonal Head
« Lục-Lăng Song-Chùy »
六 稜 双 鎚
NGUYỄN Dynasty
(1802-1945)


(Photo Credit : Nguyễn Hồ Sĩ )

 



              B - The Battle Mallet holding an Apical Point, called War Mace « Trùy » (錐) available in Two kinds :
                 1) The « Great War Mace with Apical Point - Đại-Trùy » (大 錐) : there's Battle Mallet holding an apical point and a long shaft for wielding with two hands in Cavalry :

 

The Great War Mace holding an Apical Point - « Đại Trùy »
(大 錐)


(Photo Credit : Võ-Trận Đại-Việt Department)



Martial Student from Đại-Việt Medieval Martial Arts
Academy wielding on Horseback
the Great War Mace Đại-Trùy (大 錐)
holding an Apical Point

(Photo Credit : Bình-Định Sa-Long-Cương France )

Statue of Armoured MING Warriors from Chinese Cavalry
bearing Apical Point Great War Mace
- China - 16th Century -


Detail of a silk scroll « The Emperor's Approach »
- Jiajing MING Emperor's reign (1522–1566 AD)
-

 


                 2) The « Two Matched War Maces with Apical Point - Song-Trùy » (双 錐) : there's Battle Mallet holding an Apical Point, with short handle, to make use by pair and it's a specifical weapon of Việt people (i.e.: Two Matched War Maces on the time of Tây-Sơn Dynasty).

Two Matched War Maces
with Apical Point
« Song-Trùy »
双 錐
TÂY-SƠN Dynasty
( Đại-Việt - 1778-1802 )


(Photo Credit : Bình-Sơn Drill Hall)

Two Matched War Maces
with Apical Point
« Song-Trùy »
双 錐

NGUYỄN Dynasty
(Việt-Nam - 1802-1945)


(Photo Credit : Mr Nguyễn Xuân Huy )

                C - The Battle Mallet under the shape of War Flails called Shooting Star War Maces, constituted of War Mace « Chùy » (鎚) linking with Metal Chain and belonging to the Category of Light Shock Arms. It includes Two kinds :

                 1) The « Shooting Star War Mace - Lưu-Tinh-Chùy » (流 星 錘) holding no Shaft : there are Two War Maces linked to two ends of a Metal Chain in order to hold for projecting and bindind ;

                 2) The « Shooting Star War Mace - Lưu-Tinh-Chùy » (流 星 錘) holding a Shaft : that's a weapon having One to Three War Maces linking with Metal Chains to an end of the Shaft.

« Shooting Star War Mace » holding no Shaft
- India -

 

« Shooting Star War Mace » holding a Shaft
- Europe -


« Shooting Star War Mace » holding a shaft
- Europe -


« Shooting Star War Mace - Plommée » holding a shaft
- France - Europe -

 

       

(To be continued...)

Committee of
Martial Arts Masters
VÕ-TRẬN-ĐẠI-VIỆT
Bình-Định Sa-Long-Cương
FRANCE

TRỊNH Quang Thắng.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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