The rattan shield (Chinese: 藤牌) was used by the militaries of China and Korea since the Ming dynasty and the Joseon dynasty, respectively. The Ming general Qi Jiguang described its use in his book, the Jixiao Xinshu, which was reproduced in the Korean Muyejebo that contains the first Korean account of the shield. The rattan shield is circular and often have a fierce tiger face on it, so it is also called the tiger shield.
Use
The rattan shield originated in Southern China, seen as early as the Three Kingdoms Period(三國時代), carried by the jungle tribal warriors in the south of the Shu Kingdom(蜀國), where it is hilly, wet, and foresty- where rattan can be found and grown. First rattan is harvested, then dipped in oil to harden to make armor and shields. The shields are light but durable, and in later ages where guns are used, the firearm projectile/sharpenals get stuck in the softer rattan rather than pierce straight through and hit the user.
In the classic Chinese and Korean martial arts manuals the use of the rattan shield (藤牌 téng-pái), or deungpae, is explained in combination with both the spear and the sword. Often a soldier would hold the deungpae and sword in the dominant hand, while holding a spear in his other hand. The spear would be thrown at the opponent, after which the soldier would attack with his sword.
In the Ming Dynasty, a soldier with a Lang xian would back up the soldier with a tengpai and saber. They would be part of the Mandarin Duck Formation (鴛鴦陣) which was invented by the Ming general Qi Jiguang and is described in his book, the Jixiao Xinshu.
Shield specialists trained in how to advance and retreat but were not allowed to retreat in combat situation because their withdrawal would leave their whole squad exposed, leading to its possible collapse.[1]
The military of the Ming Dynasty employed Rattan Shieldmen (Teng Pai Shou - 藤牌手) on the battlefield equipped with a rattan shield, dao, and javelin (Biao Qiang - 鏢鎗).[2]
The Rattan shield Teng Pai was a common shield type employed by the armies of the Ming as it is cheap, light, flexible, and durable, greatly outperforming comparable wooden shields and metal shields. As rattan has no wood grain, it does not split easily.
However, rattan does not grow in the climate of Northern China, so troops equipped from that region bore Yuan Pai (圓牌, 'Round shield'), made of willow wicker and covered with leather or rawhide.
The average size of a Ming period rattan shield was roughly the same size as a small Viking shield and rarely featured metal bosses (although exceptions do exist), unlike similar shields in Tibet and Southeast Asia.[citation needed]
During the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Southern Ming general Koxinga(Zheng Chenggong 鄭成功), inherited a large fleet of marines(former pirates) from his father Zheng Zhilong(鄭芝龍). While mainland China was lost to the Qing Manchus(Later Jin 後金), Koxinga invaded the island of Formosa(Taiwan), which at the time was the colony of the Dutch. Koxinga successfully defeated the Dutch and founded the Kingdom of Tungning on Taiwan. While the Kingdom of Tungning did not last long until the Qing forces took over. The Qing wrote on their encounter with Tungning's army: "The rebels wore quilts, had tiger skins on the body, and many of them held rawhide, rattan shields." This shows that the concept of the Tiger clothed rattan shielders started during the Ming-Zheng era. Zheng Chenggong called the "Tiger Guard".
During the Qing Dynasty, an elite special forces troop emerged wearing a tiger uniform, the Tiger-Skinned Rattan Shield Soldiers 虎衣藤牌兵. The name "Tigers of War" was given to them by European missionaries.
Naval Infantry trained in the use of the Rattan shield and Swords (Tengpaiying) 藤牌营 were used by Qing forces against Russian forces in the siege of Albazin in the 1680s. These specialists did not suffer a single casualty when they defeated and cut down Russian forces traveling by raft, only using the rattan shields and swords while fighting naked.
Thereupon [Marquis Lin] ordered all our marines to take off their clothes and jump into the water. Each wore a rattan shield on his head and held a huge sword in his hand. Thus they swam forward. The Russians were so frightened that they all shouted: 'Behold, the big-capped Tartars!' Since our marines were in the water, they could not use their firearms. Our sailors wore rattan shields to protect their heads so that enemy bullets and arrows could not pierce them. Our marines used long swords to cut the enemy's ankles. The Russians fell into the river, most of them either killed or wounded. The rest fled and escaped. [Lin] Hsing-chu had not lost a single marine when he returned to take part in besieging the city.
The above text was written by Yang Hai-Chai who was related to Marquis Lin, a participant in the war.[3]
The rattan shield is still popular in many types of Southern Kung Fu, for example, Hung Gar. The rattan shield can also be seen as a tradition and culture of the Han in Taiwan, seen in cultural and religious martial arts, dances and rituals.
References
- ^ Ehwa University Press 2008, Sippalgi: Traditional Korean Martial Arts, Dr. B.K. Choi
- ^ Jixiao Xinshu, 戚繼光
- ^ Lo-shu Fu (1966). A Documentary Chronicle of Sino-Western Relations, 1644-1820: Translated texts. Published for the Association for Asian Studies by the University of Arizona Press. p. 80. ISBN 9780816501519.