Woldo
월도 · woldo
Literally: moon blade
Also known as: 月刀
A Korean pole weapon with a curved blade ("moon blade"), used by Joseon-dynasty horsemen and also in shamanic rituals.
Quick Facts
South KoreaAbout the weapon
Woldo (Korean 월도, in Chinese characters 月刀, literally "moon blade") is a Korean pole weapon named after its curved blade. It was used by the hwarang warriors of the medieval state of Silla, and under the Joseon dynasty by Korean horsemen too. In the 18th century it closely resembled the Chinese guandao, though proportionally smaller; the resemblance is explained as parallel development under Chinese influence. At the end of the shaft it usually had a spike, and a feather or tassel was fastened by a ring to the back of the blade. A variant with a larger blade was called danwoldo. The manual Muyedobotongji gives a shaft length of six feet four inches, a blade length of two feet eight inches, and a weight of three pounds fifteen ounces. The woldo is among the twelve disciplines that Crown Prince Sado added to the manual Muyesinbo in 1759. The techniques for fighting from horseback are called masang woldo (마상월도). Korean warriors and commanders seeking high military ranks had to demonstrate skill with the woldo precisely in this examination. In Korean shamanism, the woldo belongs among the shingal, "divine knives", which shamans use as ritual objects; in the saseulseugi rite it appears together with the three-pronged spear samjichang.
Related weapons
- Variants: Hyeopdo
Historical sources
- Muyedobotongji (1790) — Yi Deok-mu, 1790–1795 (woldo (월도) a masang woldo (마상월도); rozměry násady, čepele a hmotnost)