Broken Sabre

One-Armed Swordsman (1967), directed by Chang Cheh and starring Jimmy Wang Yu, features this broken sabre, a family heirloom bequeathed to the titular character by his late father. When one of his arms is maimed by his teacher’s reckless daughter, he resolves to master the Broken Sabre technique, with only a half-burnt manual, the broken sabre and his remaining arm, and succeeds in countering the enemy’s Gold Sword Lock and salvaging his clan.

This is the broken sabre featured in One-Armed Swordsman (1967), directed by Chang Cheh and which brought Jimmy Wang Yu to fame.

One-Armed Swordsman (1967) is recognised as a perennial classic, thanks not only to the extraordinary directing and delivery but also the outstanding martial arts choreography by Lau Kar Leung and Tong Kai. Lau designed a variety of signature moves for the one-armed swordsman, highlighting the tenacity of the character. Tong, on the other hand, invented the impressive Gold Sword Lock, a tool that renders all sabres useless.