The Jangchang, literally ''long

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

'', is a Korean weapon first described in the 16th century martial arts manual,

Muyejebo The ''Muyejebo'' (''Compendium of Several Martial Arts'') is the oldest extant Korean martial arts manual, written during the reign of King Seonjo (d. 1608). The king died before the compendium was complete, and it was first published, with ...

. The weapon was preferably made from the

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

of the yew tree, but other types of wood could be used as well, such as

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and chestnut. On average, the spear measures about four meters, making it unwieldy and unsuitable for use as a thrown projectile weapon.

Techniques

In the

Muyedobotongji Commissioned in 1790 by King Jeongjo (r. 1740–1810), the ''Muyedobotongji'' (or ''Muye Dobo Tong Ji''; translating to "Comprehensive Illustrated Manual of Martial Arts") expanded on the eighteen weapons systems identified in the '' Muyeshinbo' ...

, two forms are described to practice with the ''jangchang''. The first one being ''jangchang jun chong bo'' (장창전총보, 長槍前總譜), and the second one being ''jangchang hubo'' (장창후보, 長槍後譜); the forward and backward moving forms, respectively. The movements of these forms are also illustrated in diagrams called ''jangchang jun chong do'' and ''jangchang hudo'', where the word ''do'' (도, 圖) means 'drawing' and stands for 'diagram'. Spears were used by both the infantry as well as the cavalry.

Techniques

See also