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:''This article describes the medieval weapon. For the Finnish heavy metal band, see Falchion (band). A falchion (; Old French: ''fauchon''; Latin: ''falx'', "sickle") is a one-handed, single-edged sword of European origin, whose design is reminiscent of the Persian shamshir, the Chinese ''dadao'', and modern machete. The weapon combined the weight and power of an axe with the versatility of a sword. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 11th century up to and including the 16th century. In some versions the falchion looks rather like the weapon-seax and later the sabre, and in some versions the form is irregular or like a machete with a crossguard. == Types == The blade designs of falchions varied widely across the continent and through the ages. They almost always included a single edge with a slight curve on the blade towards the point on the end and most were also affixed with a quilloned crossguard for the hilt in the manner of the contemporary arming swords. Unlike the double-edged swords of Europe, few actual swords of this type have survived to the present day; fewer than a dozen specimens are currently known.〔(The Conyers Falchion )〕 Two basic types can be identified: *Cleaver falchions: One of the few surviving falchions (the Conyers falchion) is shaped very much like a large meat cleaver, or large bladed machete. This type is also illustrated in art (e.g. the Westminster Hall mural, shown to the right) The type seems to be confined to the 13th and 14th centuries. *Cusped falchions: The majority of the depictions in art reflect a design similar to that of the ''großes Messer''. A surviving example from England's 13th century (The Thorpe Falchion) was just under in weight. Of its length, are the straight blade which bears a cusped or flare-clipped tip similar to the much later kilij of Turkey. This blade style may have been influenced by the Turko-Mongol sabres that had reached the borders of Europe by the 13th century. This type of sword continues in use into the 16th century.〔Oakeshott (1980), p.152〕 In addition, there are a group of 13th- and early 14th-century weapons sometimes identified with the falchion. These have a falchion-like blade mounted on a wooden haft long, sometimes ending in a curve like an umbrella. These are seen in numerous illustrations in the mid-13th-century Maciejowski Bible.〔(e.g. folio 3v., folio 14v )〕 A number of weapons superficially similar to the falchion existed in Western Europe, including the Messer, hanger and the backsword. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「falchion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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