Jineta/nimcha/kattara

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by fernando

It all appoints to my eyes that, Captain (Pinhão?) is holding a military Portuguese sword. Some 'hollow' in the upper section of the guard in the faded carving (or picture), impeaches to even guess it is a military cup hilted one.

Yes indeed however the sword I bring notice to is lying on the ground straddled by the Portuguese Officer but I welcome your remark upon the Portuguese weapon. Regarding the other sword ...on the ground... which is I suggest the battle version of the KASTANE though without quilons and with a straight guard and no knuckleguard ; a few points.

My question to you is why would a battlefield weapon, then, have the style of quilon seen in later Kastane? ...Swords which were clearly weak bladed and which had no fighting practicality but were in fact badge of office tokens... or Icons awash with Buddhist designs..

Surely a religious Icon like the hilt, the peacock tail rain-guard, the other zoomorphic creatures and the very important religious architecture of the misnomered "quilons" or thunderbolts..."the Vajra" ...be placed on a battlesword when they were so revered in Buddhism from the very beginning... The Great Buddha himself carried the Vajra to Tibet; It would not be placed on a blade...on a battlesword... Thus I point to the Kastane Quilons in the bling badge of office version as misplaced and misnamed by European experts ...but very real as religious architecture.

To be precise I would have to show an earlier Tibettan sword with Vajra Quilon architecture illustrating my point.

For that I refer to the Boston Museum of Fine Art for the 14th Century Khadya Tibetto-Chinese sword with Vajra styled Quilons acting as they are designed ... as thunderbolts ...and in the pure sense as religious Icons.

Please see http://sword-site.com/thread/1018/tibetan-sword-khadya

See also http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...680#post218680 where I have updated details in that thread and for comments.

and below with a reminder of the Vajra cutting device added;