Lang Xian

The lang xian, meaning wolf brush, is a Chinese polearm from the Ming dynasty consisting of a long shaft studded with multiple branches tipped with spikes of bamboo or iron, the blades sometimes poisoned, likely devised by the Ming general Qi Jiguang and described in his military manual Jixiao Xinshu. It served a defensive role in formation fighting, backing up soldiers carrying rattan shields, and Ming naval forces used it against Japanese pirate raiders; a lighter variant called the xian qiang reduced the branches to four or five layers for easier handling. Korea adopted the weapon by the 16th century under the name nangseon, recorded in the martial arts manual Muyejebo. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/