Southeast Asian DHA sword - Siamese Edge reviewed & tested 

17th-century Ayutthaya was one of the most diverse places in the world. In addition to the Siamese (Thai) majority and certain indigenous minority ethnic groups like the Mon, there were many significant foreign populations. King Narai the Great (1656-1688) employed large numbers of Japanese and Persian mercenaries and advisors. The Persians mostly came as merchants, while many of the Japanese were descendants of Christians who had fled their country to escape persecution or members of samurai clans that had fought on the losing side in the Sengoku Period and fled for political reasons. Some Japanese also came to trade through the Red Seal ships. The most prominent Japanese in 17th-century Siam was the mercenary adventurer Yamada Nagamasa (who grew up about 20 minutes from my wife's hometown). The Persians wrote some valuable accounts of the country, such as the Safine-ye Solaymani by Ebn Moḥammad Ebrāhim. Later in his reign, Narai's most important advisor was Constantine Phaulkon (born Κωνσταντῖνος Γεράκης), a Greek adventurer from Cephalonia, in the Ionian Islands (the same part of Greece where I was born). You can still visit the ruins of his house in Lopburi. Major foreign Asian populations in the city were those of the Chinese, Malays, and Indians - all of whom had an influential trade presence there. Another important merchant community in this period was the Portuguese, who had their own district in Ayutthaya called the "campo Português." Many of these people were refugees who had been driven out of Portuguese colonies by the Dutch, who took advantage of the period of the Iberian Union (1580-1640) to seize under-defended Portuguese colonies in the Spice Islands. A lot of them were of mixed descent (Portuguese + SE Asian or S Asian via Goa). The Dutch and the English also established a presence in Ayutthaya in this period, although the French were the most influential European faction during Narai's reign. Narai sent two famous embassies to Paris to establish an alliance with King Louis XIV. One of the gifts presented by the Siamese ambassadors to the French court was a pair of beautiful small field cannons. A little over a hundred years later, these would be found by revolutionaries ransacking royal storehouses in Paris and used to fire on the Bastille, only to end up in the personal collection of Napoleon Bonaparte. (Today, they can be seen in the UK's Royal Artillery Museum.) There are several interesting French descriptions written by Jesuits who visited Siam in the late 17th century, as well as the excellent account of the ambassador François Timoléon, abbé de Choisy (who was famous in his day for his transvestism and posthumously for his scandalous Mémoires of his days at court). Sadly, most native Siamese sources of the period were destroyed when the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya in 1767 and burned the city to the ground. One can imagine that a very wide range of arms and armour would have been found in Siam in this period: local designs, Japanese and European trade swords (and guns and armour), Malay and Chinese styles of blade, Persian and Indian swords, etc. would all have been in common use.

Wow, this is very interesting. I've been watching your videos for years now and this is the first vid I've seen on dha/dhab. I am actually of the hmong ethnic group and and it just occrued to me that these types of swords are very commonly seen in hmong households too. They are very common heirlooms. Another common hmong heirloom is also a dhiab(knife). The knives also have a similar blade shape to the dhab. I never thought this would be covered by any sword expert but hey, here we are. Awesome to see this! Thanks Matt!

I've looked at these before, beautiful swords! Hey Matt do you think you could make some videos on Southeast Asia's warfare/battles? I think it's a super interesting topic that has few videos on it!

That is a weapon that manages to look both elegant and imposing. Also, loving the subtle reverse tapering in width

If I recall correctly, one of the standard phrases that you find in ancient Greek legends is "hung a sword under his arm" when a man prepares for a journey with a good chance of fighting. On C15th and C16th re-enactment battlefields I wore my longsword in much the same way because, in close melee, it's hard to draw a long weapon at the hip.

Bhurmese style siamese sword?? That sentence makes my siamese blood boil. Jk great video. We mightve killed each other alot in our history, but thailand and Myanmar are cool now. (I hope). We share a very interesting history and culture together.

I have an example that is around 100 to 150 years old and at some time in its history someone stuffed fishing weights in the back of the handle to counterbalance the blade and they did a good job as it feels almost weightless in hand. I use it to cut light brush and vegetation and it works very well.

Common...It's not "Dah"...It's called "Darb" always..... especially from "Siam" Please correct it.

Beautiful blade

At my grandfather house we've an antique Siamese dha sword as an heirloom, the grip and handle are quite longer(around elbow) in order to use it as an arm guard and much faster to rotate or swing the sword around your wrist because center or gravity is at the center of the grip or base of the hilt, but I heard there's a lot variations of handle range from short to long depending on the region or school they learn the swordplay

Loved that. The Dha/Dhab has always been one of my favourite types/styles of blade. So, thanks for that . Enjoyed it immensely . It might be interesting to see a comparitive test against a kukhuri , particularly a long bladed Kukhuri of a sirupate style. The opposing curve and counter-curve of the 'belly' of the blades would create an interesting area of comparative testing .

Burma has many ethnic groups. So, there are many types and shapes of Dha such as Shan Dha, Kachin Dha, Chin Dha, Mon Dha, etc, and the Dha, you are using belongs to the Bamar ethnic group so-called "Bird's Feather Blade" "ငှက်ကြီးတောင်ဓား" in Burmese.

My dad had an antique(?) one of these, with a slightly shorter blade. Just for decoration, although it did get used for cutting once - my sister's wedding cake!

I really enjoyed this review! I’m fond of carrying a blade like that as well. It’s very widely practical, comfortable, and cool looking.

I would like to see how the Dha performs cutting flesh. I'm especially interested in the thrusting capabilities compared with other Asian blades such as various types of Dao.

Hello, Matt. I'd be interested to see this sword tested against a European sabre of a roughly equivalent period, and against a tulwar.

I am Thai Lanna sword partitioner in Thailand. This is one of Suvarnabhumi Usa-khanay Dhaab (ดาบสุวรรณภูมิ อุษาคเนย์). By the short handle, let's guess this is not Thai or Siamese. Because Thai(Siamese) sword handle is one time longer than this one. Bai-Khaw blade shape style (ดาบใบข้าว) is common famous use by any type of soldier. Thanks for review

Love the dha. I would like to see it compared to anything. It would be great to hear more about the distal taper as well as other features of the blade geometry, also the weight and balance(I know you mentioned that specs are available on their website.) It would be great to see some comparisons of the different regional dha and their characteristics such as short grip/long grip, blade size/thickness/length, high status/low status(design and features/decoration). Also, it would be great to know more about uses(self defense, tool, warfare,etc.) One more point, if you slide the sword while wearing it around to your back a little more, you can carry it and it will be out of the way while doing other tasks(I learned a similar thing with archery quivers) Thanks, awesome sword and review.

I think that if swords were carried around today these would be very popular. Behind katanas and medieval longswords.

The Thai sword was designed for use with the martial art known as muay thai. It is short, slender and light so that the user can wield it in tight corners and in hand-to-hand combat.

"dhar" means knife in Burmese. With such accuracy & agility, a warrior who is also skilled in marital arts making use of two Dhars simultaneously would be very effective in hand to hand combat.

It is a nice Dha. I also like that method of wearing/carry. It's how i've got my machete set up for hunting & trailblazing. It's quite comfortable & it doesnt get in the way of the shooting of my bow either.

6:29 "anyways, I'm not gonna bang on about this" no sir, please do. I would watch an entire video where you speak in detail comparing the different ways that different cultures held their swords on their bodies. PLEASE SIR I WANT SOME MORE!

Looks beautiful. I know nothing about swords but I l’ve sword fighting and weapons usage called krabikrabong is inseparable from Muay Thai.

Dammit man, I can't order another sword. My wife will kill me.... probably with it.

There are traditional cutting competitions that they still do in those areas, (I remember specifically seeing it for the Naga people of the Assam region). It'd be interesting to see if you can do some traditional cutting tests to see. (There's one that shows up as a trope in Japanese media as a summer-time or beach game, I think it's cutting either watermelon or bamboo, as an example, can't remember the exact details right now unfortunately)

ขุนศึกดาบคู่ ทหาร-ไพร่ดาบเดียว ดาบบางกำลังดี คม เบาคล่องตัว ถือดาบสู้กับข้าศึก มือจะไม่ล้า สะพายหลังดาบคู่ หรือดาบเดียว มีดสั้นเหน็บเอว 1 เล่ม ดาบสวยแบบมีเอกลักษณ์ วัฒนธรรมความเป็นไทย มาช้านาน ขอบคุณที่ให้รับชม

I have a golok from a similar company(if not the same) and have used it to clear brush and for fire prep for a few years and had no build issues or chipped/easily dulled edges. And I do believe it has a legit hamon.

What a lovely piece. Of course there is practical and artistic value to complex guards and bows, but I appreciate these simple designs for their aesthetic elegance.

were there later period Dha swords with European made blades? since some hanger cutlass and even large machete blades will still be suitable for them

I know next to nothing about swords, but that does look really great. Great size, great carrying method, great finish. Pretty slick.

Nice video as always. The Thai people call swords Dha also. A knife is called "Meeth" and a large knife "Meeth Yai". Cheers 😃

DHA is not siamese. DHA is burmese language. Dha means sword. Thailand stoled burmese culture. Search and learn about burmese Dha weapons. There are various kinds of Dha in burma. This one is Ngat Kyi Taung Dha, traditional burmese long sword for knights. You need to learn history of burma and thailand.

I think its funny n cool how traditional names for some swords just translate plainly to "sword" Dha in my language means sword, Katana in Japanese means....sword. 😅 so we're basically saying "sword sword"

Seems like a guard might be in the way a little wearing it up like that. The music is a nice touch!

There is also a sword of the ahom Kingdom called the hangdeng . The shape and design is almost similar mostly due to the fact that the ahoms did migrate from that region. Would love it if you do a video on it . The ahoms were in the north east region of the India

about swords on the back in a sort of suvculture : long time ago I read a biographie of General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell. There was a passage where a voyage in China in the end of the 1920s in warlords area was described, and there a letter is quoted, that he was "afraid of white Russian Mercenaries, rootless guys, riding around wearing broad chinese hangmans swords on their backs". I d assume, those were rather short, though.

May be a new favorite sword. That is beautiful.

The weapon and the foliage... Conchin-China?

Vietnamese has access to Thai, Chinese, and Japanese sword types through trade and design influences. You should compare them as a prospective buyer. What would someone buy if they could only afford one?

DHA means sword in Burmese language. South East Asian countries copied it from Myanmar by its shape and outside form but they do not know the secret of its unique feature of quenching method. one way for a quick check is put the center of its spine on your palm horizontally while your palm is keep moving around and shaking, then result is Burmese sword never fell down.

Wow those look so good; and it’s so fast! I love the simplicity too.

You look so happy to be holding that sword in the thumbnail. It’s great 😎👍

Cool sword, I'd like to see the Siamese Edge go up against swords made by competitors around the same price point.

Nice looking sword Matt, very nimble an an ideal weapon for close quarters.

Actually, I would really like to see you try out the dha/daab out with shield/buckler and see how that's like as that was a major weapon combination. It is also commonly used especially by the Burmese to use the sheathe like a shield in the other hand like how Gurkhas use the musket/rifle with the kukri.

Try hooking the thumb over the top of the grip, alongside the base of the blade. Edge alignment is easy when you're touching steel.

If you please, or if you don't please 😼😾

Gorgeous sword - I want one! I like the carrying method too, so practical. Thanks again for the hard work you put into your videos Matt.

Beautiful sword, but I wish that the whole thing had a bronze finish. Before I saw it up close the fact that hilt was bronzed caused the scabbard to also appear bronze to me, which isn't bad. But it has a fetching wood finish that comes off as a being a little camouflaged owing to the hilt.

Thank you so much for the review and testing in this video. It seems like a good weapon ⚔️

You little sharper..

Burmese swords is called Hnak Kyee Daung Daha it is inspiration from feather. Depending on Burmese state and region Daha style is little different.

I'm glad more companies are making lesser represented traditional blades from places other than Europe, Japan & China! Not only does this help in broadening the collector's market but helps bring attention to less well known swords. African swords, and to a lesser degree Indian swords, are still needing representation in the market but I imagine that they will in time.

as southeast asian, i do wonder why other people wear sword on waist its so uncomfortable. instead of sword, i wear knife, but i wear it horizontally on my belly/waist belt, its comfortable and easy to reach, draw, and holster it back again and again repeatedly, specially when i go hiking alone on the forest for 2 or 3 day.

Dha: I am siamese if you please :)

The more it is the sword of the nobles The more beautiful the decoration, the more ancient times, just holding the sword of the position to walk through the city streets. Just by looking at the decoration on the sword, you can tell what rank the owner of that sword has.

14:45 - There's a movie called Only God Forgives in which such a sword is also featured I think. There's a meditation / training scene in which similar moves are also present. Thanks a lot!

Gorgeous blade. I wouldn't mind seeing it up against a simple $20 machete from Walmart, because I expect the comparison would be quite stark and because such a blade is something a lot of us on here are likely to have on hand (if I owned a blade like the one in this video, I think I'd be too timid to experiment with it on various materials because I'd be afraid of damaging it). Out of curiosity, do you happen to know the bevel on that particular blade? I'm just curious. Wondering if they're historically beveled differently from other Asian and European swords. Guessing historically, by hand sharpening it was less precise and depended on the user, but have never come across much on the topic.

thanks

i like a lot of the Asian weapons.Right now im using a barong,a kukri and i have a wall hanger katana.Great channel!

scary cuts! i have a very cheap modern production in this shape that i've always loved, might have to get a real one!

The position of keeping the sword on the body and use it. I suggest an example from this movie. I'm not saying it's all correct. But the team that created this film, he studied both the Thai and Burmese sides a lot about the characteristics and uses. to bring information to create a device in this movie ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C4ATtBDAQcE.html

Beautiful sword, really!

It’s like a wakisashi

I like dhas.

Beautiful set! I love the look of well crafted simplicity over things that are extremely ornate.

With all these details and fitting I'm gonna guess scabbard alone is half the value of the package. Really nice

I really dig that one. Thanks for the video.

3:56 thank me later

Lovely and informative video and a very well built and intriguing sword. Also dangerously affordable for the quality.

Gorgeous looking sword, a deeper dive into SE asian weaponry may be in order...

Thanks on your nice review. Actually, Thai Sword as use as dual swords for battle, unlike European or Japanese Sword as single sword.

i hv used GG translate jus hope u guys understand.. Thai’s Ancient swords have a very heavy tip, focusing on chopping from momentum. This shape should be displayed.

ดาบไทยโดยเนื้อเหล็กอาจจะไม่ใช่ดาบที่ดีที่สุด แต่เมื่ออยู่ในมือนักรบไทยจะกลายเป็นอาวุธที่ไร้เทียมทาน เรื่องอื่นเราไม่รู้ แต่เรื่องชกต่อยพี่ไทยไม่เป็นรองใคร

Not only is that a beautiful sword, but the cutting was impressive.

Dha means " ဓါး " Burmese word blade or sword

Fun Fact: Dha means sword, knife or any type of blade in Burmese

8:18 thats very nice!

Enjoyed the video. I have a similar sword made at Inle Lake, Myanmar. I'm curious to see what it will cut. I'm a little scared to try because it's so cool. But It'll be even cooler if I can show it off by cutting bottles.

Blind fury.

ดาบไทยถือ2มือ ดาบเหล็กน้ำพี้ มีวิญญาณศักดิ์สิทธิ์สิงสถิตย์ ไว้ใช้ในยามสงคราม

I think I found my everyday carry sword! (grin) After seeing paracord everywhere on RU-vid, that cord on the scabbard looks huge. Any idea what it's made of?

Yep, I want to see more of this beautiful blade and learn more about east asian sword in general.

Yes! I had the pleasure of test cutting with Khun Bright in Bangkok. I’m glad you got to examine one of his other darbs. By the way, in the Thai language, they barely pronounce the final consonant in words, so “darb” would effectively be pronounced “da”.

As far as I understand it, Daabs are meant to be used and abused. In Thai martial arts they block with the edge, that's got to take a toll in the blade, so I'm guessing the swords for the common soldier would be used once during campaign then melted down and reforged for the next and they don't bother too much with perfecting blade quality. Exceptions would be the status swords carried by nobility given to them by the royal court.

In Northeast India we have this tip of swords i have 4 swords and make some videos adout indian bows

I'd like to see it go up against the Dao

มีดเล่มนี้จากประเทศไทยหรือเปล่าครับ มันสวยงามมากครับ ช่างที่ทำชื่ออะไรครับ

Video duration 18 minutes: 16 Minutes : Bullshit 2 Minute : Action

in Ayutthaya that time we had good friendship with japan and japannese is one of the blacksmit and tester we also get gun from Eu Cannon From Ru before WW2 we win France in war many time untill the japan said us to stop and go kill Burmar 1st

ทรงดาบมันคล้ายกันเเหละ อย่าหาข้ออ้างมาทะเลาะกันเลย รักกันไว้ดีกว่า เราก็เพื่อนบ้านอาเซี่ยนเหมือนกันมีอะไรก็ช่วยเหลือกัน รักจากไทยนะ พม่า

สวัสดีครับ ขอบคุณครับ🥰 ดาบสยาม(ไทย)จะมีลวดลายประดับยศด้วยครับ ว่าใครยศตํ่าหรือสูง

Is that a curved sword I see before me ? how can we in UK have one then ?

Ohh we call it Da / Dau in Asam, a term most likely (just an educated guess) coming with the Tai Ahoms (who share same genetic origin with Thais and Manipuris I think).

man, I love all sorts of sabers because of your channel

it's Ayutthaya sword. this model of sword maybe use by infantry scouter. because the blade pretty small.

Thai are rarely use a sword. We usuuslly use two sword for both hand or a sword and a wooden shield. Thai sword mean for quick move fighting similar to Muy Thai so it will be very light and easy to handle. Anyway Thai sward alway related to magic. Ancient Thai sword forged with bone from the dead body , blood and some spell.

So using burmese word for sword and showing siamse sword or other way around? Not sure which one, but i feel something is off with description. Also i highly doubt you are supposed to wear it under armpit. But still good video.