BSL Lyrics: Spring Autumn Long Handled Knife

Ofetn called the Kwan Dao, Sifu Lam once said that this is somewhat of a misnomer. He mentioned that technically, the Kwan Dao has a slightly different blade shape than the spring autumn, which lacks a dorsal hook. It is a minor difference though, and doesn't affect the set at all.

CHUN CHOW DAI DO: SPRING AUTUMN LONG HANDLED KNIFE
1. Jade belt around the waist.
2. Snap the clothes, hold the moon.
3. Lift up the weapon, swing the arm.
4. Turn around, spinning knife.
5. Guan Gung dragging the knife pose.
6. Big spinning plum flower.
7. Green dragon raises its head, peering about.
8. Uppercut kick with foot.
9. Lift up the torch and burn the sky.
10. Big chop around the waist.
11. Spinning body, continually chopping.
12. Guan Gung dragging the knife pose.
13. Lift up the torch and burn the sky.
14. Left jade dragon coils around the pillar.
15. Right jade dragon coils around the pillar.
16. Big spinning plum flower.
17. Green dragon raises its head, peering about.
18. Turn around, down chop.
19. Spining flower around the neck.
20. Old tree gnarls its roots under the lake.
21. Left-right uppercut.
22. Black dragon swings its tail.
23. Hanging the golden bell upside down.
24. Body spinning and knife turning.
25. Golden rooster nods its head.
26. Second son carries the mountain.
27. White crane perches on the tree branch.
28. Spinning flower, turn around.
29. Single post holding up the sky.
30. Spinning flower, turn around.
31. Guan Gung dragging the knife pose.
32. Lift up the torch and burn the sky.
33. Sitting in horse stance, down chop.
34. Hawk turns in flight.
35. Guan Gung lifts up the rope.
36. Spinning flower, turn around.
37. Sitting in horse stance, down chop.
38. Hawk turns in flight.
39. Big hawk spreads its wings.
40. Snoflakes cover the head.
41. Bend down, bow, carry the flower.
42. General lifts and cuts.
43. Wild horse running through the stable.
44. White ape drags the knife.
45. Jade belt around the waist.
46. Rhinoceros gazes at the moon.
47. Lift up the weapon, finish form.

Gene,

Everything is the same with the exception of one move. We do not have #13. Instead we go from #12 onto #14.

My sifu said the same thing about the name. I also know another Spring Autumn Big Knife and the same holds true for that set too. When I specifically ask why is that, he stated that the name, Spring Autumn, was at one time associated as THE FAMOUS SET and thus past masters would re-name their Big Knife set as Spring Autumn to attract students. (Does it sound more attractive to learn a set called Spring Autumn rather than Big Knife?)

In the old days, the dead give away was the type of head used in performing the set and as everyone knows, the knife head came in many shapes. Today we see only what is available and sold in the stores which is a limited number of shapes with one of the most popular shape, Spring Autumn. People observe a Big Knife set performed with a Spring Autumn Big Knife and assume that the set is a version of Spring Autumn Big Knife.

However, experience CMA can tell if the techniques performed fit the weapon used in the set. For example if the big knife are lacking the horns on the back of the knife, then the set should not have the techniques that would trap and snap off the spear head of the opponent's weapon.

So what are the the other real names of these other Big Knife sets? Some of them still exist, such as Ghost Head Knife but unfortunately, many of them are forgotten and lost.

The single forms with

I've seen lots of variations on pole arms heads - most of which seem to be cosmetic now. It's all blurred into Kwan Dao sadly, so the individual qualities get lost. Things like how to use the dorsal hook fall to the wayside. That kind of detail always fascinates me because it really shows an understanding of the weapon.

r.(shaolin) - That's cool that you still have some unique blades in your practice. I'm curious if you find that the sets make significant use of the different blades shapes, ie. do you do anything with the nine-ring that really uses the rings? I'd also be curious to get a better picture of the other two.

Gene and NorthernShaolin I agree

Worthy of an article even. At this stage, it's probably the only way these things will be preserved. Think about it. I'd love to see you publish more of your research. Northern Shaolin, that goes for you too.

Horns, hooks, spurs, whatever you want to call them certainly had their utility as what western hopologists 'sword catchers.' They were also an expression of the smiths skill, making the blade more artsy, if you will. Pole are heads are easier to make than sword blades - they can be thicker like a butcher blade over razor thin. It requires less technological know-how, which is way you see pole arms as the early dominant weapons in almost every society. Still, I'm sure the smiths of the day liked to show their skill and would create these variations part as functional, part as whistle and bell, or ring as the case maybe. The rings in Chinese weapons I find particularly fascinating. You see rings in some Indian stuff, but not so much in the west. They certainly add more impact to the blow and give a certain psychological advantage of making the weapon look more fearsome. The probelm with adding hooks and rings was functional - it increases the chances that your weapon would get stuck in a body - not at all good for the battlefield. Still, very interesting developments.

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The problem with adding hooks

I had to read his stuff back in my fencing days. Barely remember it now. Nice pull quote. And agreed about the "olde english" style, very cyber. It's like that old saying about an infinate number of monkeys and an infinate number of typewriters, one will come up with the compete works of shakespeare. Well, we've had the net for a bit now, and we're still waiting. Figures it would sound so.

Certainly adding hooks and things are, well, a two-edged sword. It certainly makes the weapon look more cool and may well have some applicative uses, but one only need look at the absurd 'fantasy' swords that are so prevalent today to realize how quickly things can get out of hand. It's like what happened to Japanese swrods and armor under the shadow of the gun. They became so ornate that they lost their functionality. Ironically, we seem to be up against the opposite problem - now that these weapons are obsolete, the functionality of hooks and rings is disappearing. This relates to some degree with the tassel discussion we've been having on the tamo sword thread - few people go far enough into weapons to really get at the underlying meanings.

Then again, few people read di Grassi ;)