A Very Humble "Shashka"

Pitt1999 · 26th June 2023, 06:17 AM

I acquired this shashka a short while after acquiring that military example I posted. This post would serve as a companion to my "A Very Humble Kindjal" thread but the kindjal posted in that thread is Turkish, not Georgian/Caucasian. With that being said the shashka in the title is in quotes because I hesitate to give this sword that moniker. While it is a guardless sabre, the blade seems to be of proper form (with two tiny nicks in the edge as shown), and the length seems about right for a shashka (overall 34.5in/blade 28in), it lacks a feature that I always associate with shashkas: the cleft/wedge cutout pommel. While not present on every example it is a very common feature and it is strange to find one lacking such a common element. This piece is very simple so it is possible that the maker just needed a simple sword and decided to forgo tradition. I am probably overthinking things and this is more than likely just a Duck Test situation. In any case all opinions and comments are welcome. These are the seller's photos, I really need to get a good photo setup.

mariusgmioc · 26th June 2023, 07:35 AM

Quite odd. That blade looks somehow Indian to me, albeit it doesn't have the characteristic ricasso.

kronckew · 2nd July 2023, 07:30 AM

Is the grip pinned or just glued in place?

Other cultures made pseudo-shashkas/guardless sabres, my Bedu version for one. Might be interesting to give a section a quick etch to see if there is any patterning.

I've added another guardless sabre of unknown origin, bit more curved, not very shashka-like, well-made but round grip, peened butt over a disk keeper.

Pitt1999 · 4th July 2023, 05:09 PM

There is a pin, but strangely it doesn't go all the way through the grip. The blade is also recessed into the hilt about 3/4 of an inch to an inch.

26th June 2023, 06:17 AM	#1
Pitt1999 Member Join Date: Sep 2021 Posts: 108	A Very Humble "Shashka" I acquired this shashka a short while after acquiring that military example I posted. This post would serve as a companion to my "A Very Humble Kindjal" thread but the kindjal posted in that thread is Turkish, not Georgian/Caucasian. With that being said the shashka in the title is in quotes because I hesitate to give this sword that moniker. While it is a guardless sabre, the blade seems to be of proper form (with two tiny nicks in the edge as shown), and the length seems about right for a shashka (overall 34.5in/blade 28in), it lacks a feature that I always associate with shashkas: the cleft/wedge cutout pommel. While not present on every example it is a very common feature and it is strange to find one lacking such a common element. This piece is very simple so it is possible that the maker just needed a simple sword and decided to forgo tradition. I am probably overthinking things and this is more than likely just a Duck Test situation. In any case all opinions and comments are welcome. These are the seller's photos, I really need to get a good photo setup. Attached Images

2nd July 2023, 07:30 AM	#3
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,205	Is the grip pinned or just glued in place? Other cultures made pseudo-shashkas/guardless sabres, my Bedu version for one. Might be interesting to give a section a quick etch to see if there is any patterning. I've added another guardless sabre of unknown origin, bit more curved, not very shashka-like, well-made but round grip, peened butt over a disk keeper. Attached Images Last edited by kronckew; 2nd July 2023 at 08:14 AM.

26th June 2023, 07:35 AM	#2
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,906	Quite odd. That blade looks somehow Indian to me, albeit it doesn't have the characteristic ricasso.

4th July 2023, 05:09 PM	#4
Pitt1999 Member Join Date: Sep 2021 Posts: 108	There is a pin, but strangely it doesn't go all the way through the grip. The blade is also recessed into the hilt about 3/4 of an inch to an inch.