? Chinese knife daosi

David · 19th August 2014, 02:22 PM

Is this the illustration of Highbinders weapons you mentioned? This is not my area, so i could be way off base here, but your knife, with it's Bowie-style clip point may not be of Chinese origin.

Here is what was written there about Highbinders' weapons.
“The weapons of the Highbinder are all brought from China, with the exception of the hatchet and the pistol. The illustration shows a collection of Chinese knives and swords taken from criminals, and now in the possession of the San Francisco police. The murderous weapon is what is called the double sword. Two swords, each about two feet long, are worn in a single scabbard. A Chinese draws these, one in each hand, and chops his way through a crowd of enemies. Only one side is sharpened, but the blade, like that of all the Chinese knives, is ground to a razor edge. An effective weapon at close quarters is the two-edged knife, usually worn in a leather sheath. The handle is of brass, generally richly ornamented, while the blade is of the finest steel. Most of the assassinations in Chinatown have been committed with this weapon, one blow being sufficient to ensure a mortal wound. The cleaver used by the Highbinders is smaller and lighter than the ordinary butcher’s cleaver. The iron club, about a foot and a half long, is enclosed in a sheath, and worn at the side like a sword. Another weapon is a curious sword with a large guard for the hand. The hatchet is usually of American make, but ground as sharp as a razor.

The coat of mail shown is the sketch, which was taken from a Chinese Highbinder, is of cloth, heavily padded with layers of rice paper that make it proof against a bullet, or even a rifle ball. This garment is worn by the most desperate men when they undertake a peculiarly dangerous bit of assassination. More common than this is the leather wristlet. This comes halfway up to the elbow, and pieces of iron inserted in the leather serve to ward off even a heavy stroke of a sword or hatchet.” (Feb 13, 1887. Harper’s Weekly. P. 103).

Shakethetrees · 19th August 2014, 06:28 PM

Somewhere I saw a Chinese daosi style knife illustrated that was made by Will & Finks of SF during the mid 19th c. I don't recall if the blade was a clipped point or a traditional point typically found on these knives.

I do remember that the pommel was the typical clipped-corner cube that is almost ubiquitous to daosi. My pommel's a strange form that I've never seen anywhere else.

I'm not in any way hinting that mine could have been made by W&F. Wherever it came from it appears to be the product of a small shop. Could it be, with its various anomalies, a knife that was made here in the US, from a memory of a daosi for a Chinese customer by American smith?

With the drastic language differences, a basic description verbalized to an American blacksmith may well have left the clip point and pommel up for interpretation.

When (and if!) I find the picture of the W&F knife, I will post it.

19th August 2014, 02:22 PM	#1
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,211	Is this the illustration of Highbinders weapons you mentioned? This is not my area, so i could be way off base here, but your knife, with it's Bowie-style clip point may not be of Chinese origin. Here is what was written there about Highbinders' weapons. “The weapons of the Highbinder are all brought from China, with the exception of the hatchet and the pistol. The illustration shows a collection of Chinese knives and swords taken from criminals, and now in the possession of the San Francisco police. The murderous weapon is what is called the double sword. Two swords, each about two feet long, are worn in a single scabbard. A Chinese draws these, one in each hand, and chops his way through a crowd of enemies. Only one side is sharpened, but the blade, like that of all the Chinese knives, is ground to a razor edge. An effective weapon at close quarters is the two-edged knife, usually worn in a leather sheath. The handle is of brass, generally richly ornamented, while the blade is of the finest steel. Most of the assassinations in Chinatown have been committed with this weapon, one blow being sufficient to ensure a mortal wound. The cleaver used by the Highbinders is smaller and lighter than the ordinary butcher’s cleaver. The iron club, about a foot and a half long, is enclosed in a sheath, and worn at the side like a sword. Another weapon is a curious sword with a large guard for the hand. The hatchet is usually of American make, but ground as sharp as a razor. The coat of mail shown is the sketch, which was taken from a Chinese Highbinder, is of cloth, heavily padded with layers of rice paper that make it proof against a bullet, or even a rifle ball. This garment is worn by the most desperate men when they undertake a peculiarly dangerous bit of assassination. More common than this is the leather wristlet. This comes halfway up to the elbow, and pieces of iron inserted in the leather serve to ward off even a heavy stroke of a sword or hatchet.” (Feb 13, 1887. Harper’s Weekly. P. 103). Attached Images

19th August 2014, 06:28 PM	#2
Shakethetrees Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Louisiana Posts: 363	Somewhere I saw a Chinese daosi style knife illustrated that was made by Will & Finks of SF during the mid 19th c. I don't recall if the blade was a clipped point or a traditional point typically found on these knives. I do remember that the pommel was the typical clipped-corner cube that is almost ubiquitous to daosi. My pommel's a strange form that I've never seen anywhere else. I'm not in any way hinting that mine could have been made by W&F. Wherever it came from it appears to be the product of a small shop. Could it be, with its various anomalies, a knife that was made here in the US, from a memory of a daosi for a Chinese customer by American smith? With the drastic language differences, a basic description verbalized to an American blacksmith may well have left the clip point and pommel up for interpretation. When (and if!) I find the picture of the W&F knife, I will post it.