Unusual brass-hilted knife--opinions sought re origin

Ian · 7th December 2014, 04:45 AM

I posted these pictures on the old UBB Forum about 12 years ago and while we had a spirited discussion about the possible origins of this knife, nothing definite emerged.

This one has had me stumped for several years. I purchased it in about 2000 and the only history I have is from the seller who believed it was a WWII bringback, taken by a GI from a Japanese prisoner on Okinawa in 1945. There may be no truth in this story.

The knife appears to have some age, perhaps late 19th or early 20th C., and is heavy for one so short. The hilt is solid brass and, given the intricacies of design, seems to have been cast using the lost wax method. The decoration on the hilt is quite detailed and crisp. A blind tang construction, the hilt is secured by a dark resinous glue. The drop point blade is "chunky" being 1/4 inch just in front of the hilt and is still 1/8 inch just before the tip. The single-edged blade is a nice piece of polished steel, and may have been hardened along the sharpened edge. The sheath is wood covered with brushed copper sheet and brass or copper bands.

Dimensions: overall 9 1/4 inches, blade = 5 1/4 inches, hilt = 4 inches.

My first thought was an origin in mainland SE Asia based on the general shape of the blade and hilt, but the blade is much heavier than usually seen, the sheath is unusual for that region, and the decorations on the hilt with lots of spirals just do not seem to fit any of the Burmese/Kachin/Shan (Tai)/Khmer styles.

More recently, I have come across a reference to a similar knife attributed to the Chin-Lushai peoples of Assam (1). I believe the Chin have some distant relationship to the Shan (Tai) people of Burma/Yunnan/Northern Thailand/Laos.

In the previous post, it was noted that Egerton (2) also shows a similar knife that he attributed to Burmah (no. 233). After researching the travels of Egerton in India, I don’t think he ever visited Burma so I’m not sure how reliable he is with that identification.

Ian.

(1) Ian Heath. Armies of the Nineteenth Century: Asia. 3. India’s Northeast Frontier. Guernsey:Foundry Books, 1999, p. 74. (illustration based on N.E. Parry. The Lakhars, 1932)

(2) Wilbrahim Egerton. Indian and Oriental Arms and Armor. New York: Dover Publications, 2002, figure 19, p. 84. (a facsimile of Egerton’s original work published in 1880)

7th December 2014, 04:45 AM	#1
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,197	Unusual brass-hilted knife--opinions sought re origin I posted these pictures on the old UBB Forum about 12 years ago and while we had a spirited discussion about the possible origins of this knife, nothing definite emerged. This one has had me stumped for several years. I purchased it in about 2000 and the only history I have is from the seller who believed it was a WWII bringback, taken by a GI from a Japanese prisoner on Okinawa in 1945. There may be no truth in this story. The knife appears to have some age, perhaps late 19th or early 20th C., and is heavy for one so short. The hilt is solid brass and, given the intricacies of design, seems to have been cast using the lost wax method. The decoration on the hilt is quite detailed and crisp. A blind tang construction, the hilt is secured by a dark resinous glue. The drop point blade is "chunky" being 1/4 inch just in front of the hilt and is still 1/8 inch just before the tip. The single-edged blade is a nice piece of polished steel, and may have been hardened along the sharpened edge. The sheath is wood covered with brushed copper sheet and brass or copper bands. Dimensions: overall 9 1/4 inches, blade = 5 1/4 inches, hilt = 4 inches. My first thought was an origin in mainland SE Asia based on the general shape of the blade and hilt, but the blade is much heavier than usually seen, the sheath is unusual for that region, and the decorations on the hilt with lots of spirals just do not seem to fit any of the Burmese/Kachin/Shan (Tai)/Khmer styles. More recently, I have come across a reference to a similar knife attributed to the Chin-Lushai peoples of Assam (1). I believe the Chin have some distant relationship to the Shan (Tai) people of Burma/Yunnan/Northern Thailand/Laos. In the previous post, it was noted that Egerton (2) also shows a similar knife that he attributed to Burmah (no. 233). After researching the travels of Egerton in India, I don’t think he ever visited Burma so I’m not sure how reliable he is with that identification. Ian. (1) Ian Heath. Armies of the Nineteenth Century: Asia. 3. India’s Northeast Frontier. Guernsey:Foundry Books, 1999, p. 74. (illustration based on N.E. Parry. The Lakhars, 1932) (2) Wilbrahim Egerton. Indian and Oriental Arms and Armor. New York: Dover Publications, 2002, figure 19, p. 84. (a facsimile of Egerton’s original work published in 1880) Attached Images Last edited by Ian; 11th December 2014 at 02:54 AM.