A shorter Paiwan knife

[yuanzhumin]

Hello all,

Nothing for few months, and then all of a sudden more knives than I could collect. At least, I caught this one but, at the same time, I had to let go two other beautiful ones, a Rukai and a Paiwan.

Here is a nice little Paiwan knife (total 45.5, handle 10.5x3.5cm, blade 29x3cm, scabbard 35x5cm). Japanese colonial period (pre-1945).

Not a ceremonial knife, it’s probably a hunting knife, yet nicely decorated. On the scabbard, there are remnants of black, red and yellow paintings, and we can see a traditional snake skin patterns on its open side, with a protecting ancestor on the other. The same ancestor is also carved on both side of the handle. Blade is less elaborated and looking more “local”. Great patina and lively design!

Best

Nicolas

[KuKulzA28]

Nice to see a Paiwan tjakit with a gradually tapering tip instead of an abrupt "katana"-point. I wonder, where these gradually tapering tips as common as the other style of blade? Any particular use or time period that they were more common? Or where they both existent at the same time?

All I know is today's Paiwan make and use both styles of blade...

[yuanzhumin]

Hello Kukulza,

They were already using both tips before the ned of Japanese colonial period.

I’ve noticed that the gradually tapering tips on Paiwan or Rukai knives are found mostly on shorter and/or working/hunting Paiwan and Rukai blades.

This particular Paiwan knife here is shorter and is designed more for hunting – a working task.

Best

Nicolas

[KuKulzA28]

Ah, thanks yuanzhumin for clearing that up for me. If the gradually tapering tips are used for work, then the abruptly ending tips must be for war and ceremony yes? I wonder, is there any advantage of using tjakit with abruptly ending points for combat versus utility tasks? Or maybe it was simply a sort of cultural preference...

Did the Paiwan have metal socket handled tjakit as the Atayal have for laraw? I ask because I know that some smiths today do make socket handles on tjakit, but I haven't seen any pictures of antiques with such handles.

Maybe I haven't seen enough...

[yuanzhumin]

Hi Kukulza,

You're welcome!

Your question about the utility in combat of the abruptly ending tip is very interesting, and I have no answer to it. May be more experienced members of the forum have an idea. Like you, I would be curious to know more about this.

Concerning the socket handle in Paiwan knives, yes, I have seen some contemporary and old ones, and they were all working knives.

Best

Nicolas

[yuanzhumin]

Hello Kukulza,

A fact is that among the Taiwan aborigines, only the Paiwan groups have traditionally the katana tip on their knives. If you can find sometimes this kind of tip among other groups, mostly among the Amis, it is because of the Paiwan group influences had on them – mostly through the Puyuma tribe.

Puyuma had a strong military organisation at the end of the 19th century, and surrounding tribes/villages were giving tributes to their chief. It’s not unfrequent to see Amis people from this area holding knives with such a tip. Here is a link to a Amis working knife with a katana tip: http://www.formosatribal.com/show.php?item_id=34
(It is definitely a Amis knife, because of the bump on the handle, a typical Amis design that reminds me of the Dayak knives)

Well, if the ‘katana’ tip is reserved for the ceremonial/war purposes among the Paiwan, the curved tip is for working. Here after you can see a drawing of a working knife. Together with its working sheath.

Concerning the socket handle among the Paiwan, it was used before and is still, but for working knives. Please, see the pics.

Best

Nicolas

[tom hyle]

Having greater width toward the tip absorbs vibration and thus makes a blade better for impact cutting at the tip, increasing its effective length (for cutting) vs. a narrow tip. For an extreme dichotomy think of smallswords as compared to katzbalgers or to execution swords of the same culture. So it shows an interest in having reach for high-impact cutting. This is often seen on work blades, such as machete or bangkung.
Also, the abruptly angled division between tip and edge is seen on several varieties of East Asian swords, and is used in some East Asian martial arts as a focus point for cuts.
The idea that of Japan's cultural isolation is highly over-played. Japan has traded and warred (or piratted for whatever the difference may be) with its neighbors continuously and always, laws and declarations to the contrary.
The idea of "great cultures" from which ideas spread out, is not factually established, though it is often spoken of as fact. Chokuto, the ancient Japanese sword, had this type of tip; it seems general and ancestral to the region in some degree. If anything, katanas display a down-toned version of it, usually.

[KuKulzA28]

Originally Posted by tom hyle

Having greater width toward the tip absorbs vibration and thus makes a blade better for impact cutting at the tip, increasing its effective length (for cutting) vs. a narrow tip. For an extreme dichotomy think of smallswords as compared to katzbalgers or to execution swords of the same culture. So it shows an interest in having reach for high-impact cutting. This is often seen on work blades, such as machete or bangkung.

This is a very good point, thanks!

Originally Posted by tom hyle

The idea that of Japan's cultural isolation is highly over-played. Japan has traded and warred (or piratted for whatever the difference may be) with its neighbors continuously and always, laws and declarations to the contrary.
The idea of "great cultures" from which ideas spread out, is not factually established, though it is often spoken of as fact. Chokuto, the ancient Japanese sword, had this type of tip; it seems general and ancestral to the region in some degree. If anything, katanas display a down-toned version of it, usually.

Yes, the Japanese didn't truly attempt to isolate themselves in the way we think of it until after Tokugawa yes? And yet, still, there was a lot of trade between China, Taiwan, Japan,and SE Asia...

I know Tang Dynasty Chinese dao had this abruptly angled tip, as does the Chokuto as you mention, and the Paiwanic swords. I wonder if perhaps this was an old Han blade form that dispersed through cultural influence and trade. Ironically the two-handed long-saber style of blade form declined greatly in popularity in China until wokou pirates (mostly Japanese) began raiding the Ming dynasty coasts and this blade style, now further refined by the Japanese, caught the interest of Chinese. And we get all sorts of military forms/training and variants of chang dao, wo dao, miao dao, zhan ma dao, etc.

Maybe the tjakit had the old blade form but it too was changed to suit the needs of the southern Taiwanese villages... for work and war in an organized tribal warfare setting.

[KuKulzA28]

Ah, I understand, thanks so much for the info! The working tjakit's sheath seems a LOT like the knife holders that people use for sickles, short machetes, and 開山刀... I guess the best way to translate a 開山刀 is to call it a Chinese billhook?

yuanzhumin, I was wondering, do you know of any easily obtainable books or articles on Yuan Zhu Min Zhu history and their weapons/knives? I already have a few books, but they deal mostly with their cultures overall, or the affects of Sinicization. If you think you could help me out in that regard, please send me a PM! I'm always trying to learn more about my people's island...


Thanks