MYSTERY KNIFE

Ian · 31st August 2006, 01:54 PM

This is a type of Taiwanese knife made for sale to tourists. It is not strictly traditional in its style, especially the hilt. These became popular after WWII, notably from the late 1960s on. They come up on eBay quite frequently -- often misidentified as African because of the carvings.

This one probably dates from the late 1960s (circa Vietnam War era) but it could be a little earlier. I'm not aware of any of these appearing before 1950. Yuanzhumin might be able to provide more information about age, etc.

The blades are usually unsharpened and non-functional. I doubt the blades have been tempered although I've not tried to put an edge on one to find out what it can do.

BTW, the style of carving on your knife's scabbard and hilt is typical of Paiwan work. The slightly curved blade and open-faced scabbard with metal bands is consistent with Atayal work. So it is a hybrid of tribal designs. This is common with the knives prepared for sale to tourists. See this thread for discussion of tribal differences in Taiwanese knives: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000858.html

Ian.

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31st August 2006, 01:54 PM	#5
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,361	This is a type of Taiwanese knife made for sale to tourists. It is not strictly traditional in its style, especially the hilt. These became popular after WWII, notably from the late 1960s on. They come up on eBay quite frequently -- often misidentified as African because of the carvings. This one probably dates from the late 1960s (circa Vietnam War era) but it could be a little earlier. I'm not aware of any of these appearing before 1950. Yuanzhumin might be able to provide more information about age, etc. The blades are usually unsharpened and non-functional. I doubt the blades have been tempered although I've not tried to put an edge on one to find out what it can do. BTW, the style of carving on your knife's scabbard and hilt is typical of Paiwan work. The slightly curved blade and open-faced scabbard with metal bands is consistent with Atayal work. So it is a hybrid of tribal designs. This is common with the knives prepared for sale to tourists. See this thread for discussion of tribal differences in Taiwanese knives: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000858.html Ian.