The earliest type of Korean sword is Hwandudaedo (ring-pommel sword). The Hwandudaedo sword appears in Korean history during the Three Kingdoms period. This sword basically used in battlefield and used as a military symbol. Its use declined since the 6th century AD, as only officers who were mostly of noble origin possessed these swords while the lowly warriors who were commoners were armed with spears and bows.
The initial
design of this sword is thought to have come from mainland China, to be precise
the Han Dao sword. This hypothesis stems from the shape of the Hwandudaedo
sword which had a round ring at the pommel. Moreover, the Han Dynasty really
had a very large influence on the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
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| Hwandudaedo swords artifact |
The Hwandudaedo
sword is not only used in Korea, Korean people (especially the Baekje Kingdom)
also export this sword to Japan. In Japan this sword is known as, "Chokuto".
In future, the Japanese people produced their own swords and imitated the
design of this sword, they also changed the shape of the pommel to a ball shape
like a peach.
