Miao Dao Origins and Skills

The Miao Dao (苗刀) – literally, Sprout Saber, is also referred to as the Grain Leaf Saber. It is a single-edge type of sword. The name derives from the sprouting leaf of a seedling.

Origins

The Miao Dao is often associated with ancient types of Daos (刀) such as the Huan Shou Dao (環首刀) – Ring Hilted or Ring Pommel Saber, which dates to the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), and the Mo Dao (陌刀) – Narrow Path Saber, of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907). All they had in common was that they were single-blade swords.

Note: All Chinese “Cold Weapons” with one cutting edge are referred to as “Dao,” or “Knife,” regardless of the length of the weapon. I prefer the word “saber” instead of knife.

The Chang Dao (長刀) – Long Saber and General Qi JIguang (戚繼光, 1528-1568)

Since the late 14^th century, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) had been subjected to raids by large fleets of pirates, known as Wokou (倭寇). The Wokou were a mix of Japanese pirates, Chinese sailors, and some Ronin (浪人) (masterless samurai), who adopted the tactics of Japanese warfare. These coastal raids escalated drastically during the reign of Emperor Jiajing (嘉靖帝, 1507-1567).

The period between 1522 and 1566 became known as the Jiajing Crisis. This coincided with the Sengoku period in Japan. A weak Shogunate led to the rise of regional warlords, known as Daimyo. The lack of a strong centralized government meant that Japan did little to suppress the Wokou and often backed the raids and the illegal trading that arose from this piracy.

Efforts to fight off the Japanese pirates were often disastrous. It was not until General Qi took over that the situation began to change. In 1555, Qi Jiguang, after proving his military skills in various campaigns, was assigned as Assistant Commander (參將) in charge of reforming the coastal defense in the provinces of Zhejiang (浙江) and Shandong (山东).

Qi Jiguang introduced many innovations to fight the Japanese pirates. He pioneered the Yuan Yang Zhen (鴛鴦陣) – Mandarin Duck Formation, which employed shields and long tridents to counter the superior swordsmanship of the Japanese. He also developed the Chang Dao – Long Saber, fashioning the design from a captured Japanese Odachi (大太刀) – Big/Large Sword, which was widely used by the Wokou.

Qi Jiguang’s design for the Chang Dao consisted of a length greater than that of the Odachi and featured a straighter blade design. Qi Jiquang was highly skilled in the use of the spear, and the new design incorporated spear as well as saber skills to combat the Japanese sword. He also compiled the Xin You Dao Fa (辛酉刀法) – Xin You Saber Methods, to transmit the techniques he devised for this weapon.

Note: While some types of long sabers, referred to as Chang Dao (長刀)– Long Saber and Shuang Shou Dao (雙手刀) – Two-Handed Saber, had been used during earlier dynasties, they had fallen into disuse by the Ming Dynasty. The Long sword devised by Qi Jiguang served a specific purpose and was all but forgotten after the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

The Length of the Chang Dao during the Ming Dynasty

During the Ming Dynasty, the average height of an adult Han warrior was between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 4 inches. The length of the Chang Dao at that time was between 5 feet 2 inches and 6 feet. Weapons made for warfare were produced to a standard size and could not be customized for each soldier. What is depicted in the photo is a general estimate. What is obvious is that the weapon was of considerable length and typically required two hands to wield.

The Modern Miao Dao

The name “Miao Dao” did not come into use until the Ming Guo (民国) – Republican Era, which is when the weapon was given its current name. At that time, Liu Yuchun (劉玉春), a renowned martial artist from Cangzhou (滄州), used the unified name “Miao Dao” for various types of Chang Dao.

Liu Yuchun taught his skills and the Miao Dao Yi Lu, the First Routine, to his disciple Guo Changsheng (郭長生), who further refined the techniques. He created the Miao Dao Er Lu (苗刀二路) – Miao Dao Second Routine and devised the Miao Dao Jin Qiang (苗刀進槍) – Transforming Saber into Spear Techniques. The latter became a required course at the Nanjing Guo Shu Guan (國術館) – Central Martial Arts Institute.

Miao Dao Parts

The Miao Dao consists of Six Parts:

1. Dao Bing (刀柄) – The Handle which includes the Shou Dui (首鐓) – Pommel
2. Hou Shou (護手) -The Hand Guard
3 Hou Bei (厚背) – Thick Spine
4. Dao Jian (刀尖) – Tip
5. Hou Ren (後刃) – The Back portion of the cutting edge
6. Qian Ren (前刃) – Front portion of the cutting edge

Note: When produced for military use, the Miao Dao would have been of a standard length. At the time of the Nanjing Guo Shu Guan a Miao Dao’s total length would have been nearly 5 feet. Today, the Miao Dao is available with different blade lengths to fit the individual practitioner.

A weapon similar to the Miao Dao was the Yu Lin Jin Dao (御林軍刀) – Imperial Forest Guard Saber. Yu Lin Jin referred to an elite corps of highly skilled guards tasked with protecting the Emperor and Imperial Palace, and the capital city.

Tong Bei Quan (通背拳) – Through the Back Style and the Miao Dao

Guo Changsheng had inherited the Miao Dao and the Tong Bei Quan martial arts style from Liu Yuchun. While at the Guo Shu Guan, he established a close relationship with Ma Yingtu (馬英圖, 1898-1956) who was from the same area of Cangzhou. Ma Yingtu was proficient in Baji Quan (八極拳) and Pigua Zhang (劈挂掌) – Ax-Hitch Palm, and two masters worked together and exchanged techniques. They cooperated in the systematization of Pigua Zhang by combining it with techniques of Tong Bei Quan, essentially creating a new system.

Guo Changsheng transmitted his skills to his two sons, Guo Ruilin (郭瑞林) and Guo Ruixiang (郭瑞祥,1932-2013). While both sons were skilled martial artists, it was Guo Ruixiang who became known for his propagation of Pigua, and especially the Miao Dao, producing books and video training materials.

Note: In some cases, Tong Bei is translated and written as Tong Bi Quan (通臂拳) -Through the Arm style. Essentially this is the same style: “tong” (通) signifies “through” and refers to the transmission of power through the back or through the arm.

Fundamental Miao Dao Skills as transmitted by Guo Ruixiang 

The following skills were shared with me by Liu Xiaoling, who was a student of Guo Ruixiang, and are embedded in the photo below.

A Final Word

The skills of the Miao Dao have slowly been adopted by other martial arts styles, largely due to the efforts of Guo Changsheng, Ma Yingtu, and their direct descendants.  Masters who had trained at the Nanjing Guo Shu Guan might have learned some basic skills there because Miao Dao techniques were a required course of study. No doubt this was due to Japanese aggression and the coming war.

My appreciation goes out to Master Liu Xiaoling for his willingness to share information on this topic.

Note: Check out the movie God of War. it depicts General Qi Jiguang fighting the Japanese pirates. This is a fairly accurate historical film directed by Gordon Chan and starring Vincent Zhao and Sammo Hung as fellow General Yu. It’s available through Amazon Prime Video and several other platforms. Sadly, the Chang Dao is not featured in this film.