Wind and fire wheels
Encyclopedia
Wind-and-fire wheels are mêlée weapons
, wielded as a pair, associated with Chinese martial arts
such as baguazhang
and taijiquan.
Each wheel is a flat metal ring approximately 38 cm (about 15 inches) in diameter. One quarter-segment has a padded grip with a cross-guard; the other three segments have protruding flame-styled blade
s. With one wheel in each hand, the practitioner can slash, stab
, parry
, or disarm an opponent.
In the mythological story Fengshen Yanyi
, the Immortal Taiyi gave Nezha
a wind-wheel and a fire-wheel. These were tread on whilst chanting incantations, to serve as a magic vehicle.
In the Dynasty Warriors
videogame series, the weapons wielded by character Sun Shang Xiang, named "chakram
s" in-game, are wind-and-fire wheels. In the 6th game she uses a more historical bow and arrow to fight, and in the 7th she gains the weapon back, but they are much larger and called "wheels"
Similarly, in the Kingdom Hearts
videogame series, Organization XIII
member Axel also wields weapons styled after wind-and-fire wheels, and are also mislabeled as "chakram
s" in-game.
Mêlée weapon
A melee weapon is any weapon that does not involve a projectile — that is, both the user and target of the weapon are in contact with it simultaneously in normal use...
, wielded as a pair, associated with Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
such as baguazhang
Baguazhang
Bāguàzhǎng is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice...
and taijiquan.
Each wheel is a flat metal ring approximately 38 cm (about 15 inches) in diameter. One quarter-segment has a padded grip with a cross-guard; the other three segments have protruding flame-styled blade
Blade
A blade is that portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with a cutting edge and/or a pointed tip that is designed to cut and/or puncture, stab, slash, chop, slice, thrust, or scrape animate or inanimate surfaces or materials...
s. With one wheel in each hand, the practitioner can slash, stab
Stabbing
A stabbing is penetration with a sharp or pointed object at close range. Stab connotes purposeful action, as by an assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself or others.Stabbing differs from slashing or cutting in that the motion of the object used in a stabbing...
, parry
Parry (fencing)
A parry is a fencing bladework manoeuvre intended to deflect or block an incoming attack.-Execution:To execute a parry, fencers strike the opponent's foible, or the area near the tip of the blade, with their forte, or the part of the blade near the handle of the sword...
, or disarm an opponent.
In the mythological story Fengshen Yanyi
Fengshen Yanyi
Fengshen Bang, also known as Fengshen Yanyi in Chinese, and translated as The Investiture of the Gods or The Creation of the Gods, is one of the major vernacular Chinese epic novels written during the Ming Dynasty...
, the Immortal Taiyi gave Nezha
Nezha (deity)
Nezha, Na Zha or Nata . He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prince" after he became a deity.Modern scholarship has shown that he is based on two figures from Hindu mythology, namely Nalakubar and Krishna....
a wind-wheel and a fire-wheel. These were tread on whilst chanting incantations, to serve as a magic vehicle.
In the Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...
videogame series, the weapons wielded by character Sun Shang Xiang, named "chakram
Chakram
The chakram , sometimes called a war quoit, is a throwing weapon from India. Its shape is of a flat metal hoop with a sharp outer edge from in diameter...
s" in-game, are wind-and-fire wheels. In the 6th game she uses a more historical bow and arrow to fight, and in the 7th she gains the weapon back, but they are much larger and called "wheels"
Similarly, in the Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
videogame series, Organization XIII
Organization XIII
is a fictional group of characters featured in Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios' Kingdom Hearts video game series. The group comprises thirteen beings without hearts called NobodiesIn the video game series' setting, beings comprise a body, heart and soul, known as a 'Whole'. When a heart...
member Axel also wields weapons styled after wind-and-fire wheels, and are also mislabeled as "chakram
Chakram
The chakram , sometimes called a war quoit, is a throwing weapon from India. Its shape is of a flat metal hoop with a sharp outer edge from in diameter...
s" in-game.