Show off your Chinese fighting knives :)

[KuKulzA28]

Now here's a topic that doesn't seem to surface very often! Knives seem to play less of a role in traditional Chinese martial arts. The stage is given to spears, staves, sabers, and swords. But, my impression is that thick fighting knives were pretty common, at least in the south, and on Taiwan. I have seen pictures of "River Pirate knives" and Pai dao or "shield knives" and Hu-dieh-dao or "butterfly knives" or the more specific baat jam do or "eight slash knives". There's no real set form, except that the blade is always pretty similar - something like a long sharpened wedge. They range from large (but concealable) knives to shortswords. They are single or paired. They have guards or don't. Sometimes they have diamond checkering on grips, sometimes some floral design, sometimes a spiraling carve, and sometimes just plain wood. And they typically have thick spines, hefty handles, and a stabbing point.

Well, I got one awhile back. No sheath. It's hefty for a knife, but because of the heavy pommel, the balance is right at the guard, making it very manageable and nimble. Spine very thick, blade is sharp, and the tip made for stabbing. Seems like you could jam this through thick clothing, rattan armor, leather - whatever was worn back then in the south for protection. The simple design also lends itself to versatility. It can be held different ways, all of which feel good for stabbing.


Some thoughts...

• Do these normally come in wooden sheaths? Leather? Pig-skin?
• Who used these? I'm assuming not the regular standing armies - probably civilians looking for a self-defense weapon, bandits, pirates, local martial artists and bodyguards... ?
• Did this type of knife make it out of Guangdong and Fujian to the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia with the merchants and pirates? How did it fare against native designs?
• Is there a specific name or term for this style? I have a feeling there isn't.

(on a side note, you can see a similarity between this style of knife and some of the Taiwanese aboriginal knife styles)

I figure it could be good to consolidate them into a thread for the purposes of sharing, showing off, and discussion..

So you have one of these Chinese fighting knives? Let's see 'em!