Designed by teacher and author, Scott M. Rodell, this simple yet elegant Miaodao is a revival of the classic Ming Style Chinese Two-Handed Saber. This solid weapon is a purpose-built sword. It is designed for both cutting and forms practice. Resting in its hardwood scabbard the blade is a hand forged folded sanmai steel. The overall design of this sword is based on Rodell’s years of study of 1,000s of antique Chinese swords. This historically accurate Miaodao features a blade with a facetted cross section, in the late Ming style and an edge geometry that was the standard for Chinese swords. In order to find the best, historically accurate edge for use by modern practitioners, teacher Rodell tested a number of different edge geometries during the course of the development his line of cutting Chinese Cutting Swords. The edge on this sword performs well whether cutting soft plastic targets or hard bamboo or wood.