Dangpa, or dang pa, is the
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
name for a
Ranseur (three-pronged
trident
A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm.
The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mar ...
-like
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 fastene ...
) first described in the ''
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 ...
'', a
Korean martial arts
Korean martial arts ( Hangul: 무술, Hanja: 武術, ''musul'' or Hangul: 무예, Hanja: 武藝, ''muye'') are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and ...
manual
Manual may refer to:
Instructions
* User guide
* Owner's manual
An owner's manual (also called an instruction manual or a user guide) is an instructional book or booklet that is supplied with almost all technologically advanced consumer ...
of the
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...
(published 1610).
Types
There were several types of dangpa, such as the iron (, ) and the wooden (, ). The two outer teeth of the would be slightly crooked. The teeth of the were made of wood, but covered with iron.
The middle tip would always be slightly longer than the two other tips. This design was intended to lessen the chance of the weapon becoming stuck in an opponent's body.
At the other end of the pole would be a sharp tip as well, in case two-handed combat with the dangpa became necessary in battle - this way soldiers fighting with the dangpa had fighting edges on both ends of the weapon.
Usage
The dangpa is a defensive close combat weapon used to trap an enemy's sword between two of the three prongs.
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' ...
'' one set of techniques is given. This form of 22 movements is called (, ) accompanied by a diagram to explain the same form called (, ).
Traditional Korean weapons
Polearms
Spears
Tridents
{{Polearm-stub