Kukri from Birmingham (UK) antique arms fair.

[David R]

The piece I am possibly the most pleased with from Brum. It's been a while since I last bought a Kukri, and this is a cracker, well forged and finished and in good condition, with just a little surface rust and some degradation of the leather. The grip is brown-green horn (with a small crack) rather than black, and with a steel butt-cap held by two screws as well as a tang peen. My guess is tween the World Wars and private purchase by an officer. I just gave it a little scrub with oil and wire wool for now to keep it safe and a little dressing on the leather.... Found in the cheap box mixed in with the all-sorts!

[drac2k]

She is a beauty; with all of the luck that you have been having lately finding blades, I think that you need to buy a lottery ticket.

[RAMBA]

More around WW1 with a butt cap with the 2 screws like that.

[Kmaddock]

Well Done David a lovely example.
My understanding of Kukuri is limited but I believe having the fullers on the blade (known as chirra) is desirable.
Great to see the horn handle not cracked and from the sounds of it a good price also, which is always preferable.
Keep well,
Ken

[RobT]

Hi David,

Very nice khukri indeed. I assume that the ferrule is steel also? That type of fuller is called ang khola. From what I have read, it originated in northern India (a lot of khukri blades, even Nepalese GI ones, were forged in India). What is the length of your blade as measured in a straight line from the ferrule to the tip?

Sincerely,
RobT

[AHite]

Very nice Kukri! I've not seen one with the fuller in the blade, but am now in the hunt. I own three decent ones and have passed on a number of tourist grade kukris that seem to be fairly common here in the States.

[kronckew]

This blade shape is my favourite. They do not have the odd 'knuckle' discontinuity more modern khuks have from around just after WW2. The M43 was the last before they did that. Definitely an ang khola khukuri. Ang Khola means 'back valley' for it's one fuller near the spine. I've seen them with up to 5 fullers (chirra). here's mine with a stag grip and a rough leather cover over the more std. black leather & wood scabbard. She's a beast, so I call her 'Godzilla'.

[David R]

Originally Posted by RobT

Hi David,

Very nice khukri indeed. I assume that the ferrule is steel also? That type of fuller is called ang khola. From what I have read, it originated in northern India (a lot of khukri blades, even Nepalese GI ones, were forged in India). What is the length of your blade as measured in a straight line from the ferrule to the tip?

Sincerely,
RobT

All steel, no brass anywhere.

[RobT]

David R,

You must be a pretty big guy or at least have big hands because the khukri looks smaller than it is in relation to your hand. Still, it is small enough that I wouldn't rule out a private purchase by a WWII airman. For me, a steel ferrule is more desirable than brass because of its strength. Altogether, a great find (especially since you got it in a bargain bin).

Sincerely,
RobT

[Marc M.]

This kukri is my most recent purchase, inspired by David's kukri I started looking for a kukri with a blade of this quality. Kukri's plenty on the net but mostly for those who travel and want a memento. This is the first one with a very good forged blade I have found for a reasonable price. The others I have are ok but have a standard simple blade. This one also has the nice rounded back versus the broken back of the more recent ones. The scabbard is in poor condition with remnants of a blue fabric. Could it be a kothimora kukri? Oal 46cm, blade length 35.5cm. No idea of age. Comments welcome.
Regards Marc

[BBJW]

Not a Kothimora. Likely post WW1.-- bbjw

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by BBJW

Not a Kothimora. Likely post WW1.-- bbjw

Thanks for your response, correct me if I am wrong, but in my opinion that what makes it a kothimora is the quality workmanship of the sheath, and a good blade which this ang khola is. There is not much left of the sheath outside of some leftover blue fabric so no idea if there were ever silver pieces on it. Probably a kukri for those who could afford it and belonged to their status at the time. Happy with the estimate of between the two world wars.
Best regards
Marc

[Battara]

Kothimora seem to be blinged out with silver (sometimes with gold too), given to a commander upon retirement or as a gift from the unit. Here is my example

[RobT]

BBJW,
I’m not saying that your age estimate is incorrect but I don’t see anything about this khukri that couldn’t be pre WW!. The blade profile is excellent and the cho and sword of Siva are well cut. From what I can see of the peaked spine, it is well done also and the ferrule is steel. I don’t know when the Ang Khola fullering was developed but if it started between the wars, then that would serve to give an earliest date to the piece. Another clue would be the size of the blade (as measured in a straight line from the center of the blade at the ferrule to the tip). Older blades tended to be larger.

Marc M,
That isn’t a kothimari hilt and ferrule on your khukri. The hilt on David R’s would be would be more in line with a kothimari although it would very likely have some decorative carving on it. Likewise, the ferrule and butt cap would likely be more decorated and the but cap would be pinned, not screwed.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by Battara

Kothimora seem to be blinged out with silver (sometimes with gold too), given to a commander upon retirement or as a gift from the unit. Here is my example

Impressive specimen, thanks for sharing.
Best regards
Marc

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by RobT

BBJW,
I’m not saying that your age estimate is incorrect but I don’t see anything about this khukri that couldn’t be pre WW!. The blade profile is excellent and the cho and sword of Siva are well cut. From what I can see of the peaked spine, it is well done also and the ferrule is steel. I don’t know when the Ang Khola fullering was developed but if it started between the wars, then that would serve to give an earliest date to the piece. Another clue would be the size of the blade (as measured in a straight line from the center of the blade at the ferrule to the tip). Older blades tended to be larger.

Marc M,
That isn’t a kothimari hilt and ferrule on your khukri. The hilt on David R’s would be would be more in line with a kothimari although it would very likely have some decorative carving on it. Likewise, the ferrule and butt cap would likely be more decorated and the but cap would be pinned, not screwed.

Sincerely,
RobT

Thank you for your info, my understanding of what the kothimora is have increased a bit again. With most of the kothimora I have seen ( internet) all have a richly worked scabbard, usually silver and a fairly simple handle, only a few times with a decorated handle, like Battara's specimen.
Best regards
Marc

[RobT]

Marc M.

I too have seen for sale rather pedestrian hilts (and blades for that matter) paired with kothimori sheaths but consider this, it is relatively simple to make a blingy sheath. It is quite another matter to make an elegant hilt with ornate furniture and even more difficult to make an elegant blade. I suspect that many online sellers have had kothimori sheaths made up for ordinary khukri in an effort to substantially bump up the price. I have in my collection a khukri with a tourist level blade (clumsy in profile and complete with the typical punched dot decoration). Its only redeeming feature is a rather simple but nicely done zinc and brass hilt. The khukri came with a kothimori style sheath. I only bought it because it was embarrassingly cheap and the blade had “BAHRAIN” inscribed on it. I believe that this khukri is a souvenir piece that was sold to a US soldier by an enterprising member of the Gurkha contingent in Bahrain. The sheath notwithstanding, it is not a kothimori by any stretch of the imagination.

Sincerely,
RobT

ps. By the way what is the length of your blade

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by RobT

Marc M.

I too have seen for sale rather pedestrian hilts (and blades for that matter) paired with kothimori sheaths but consider this, it is relatively simple to make a blingy sheath. It is quite another matter to make an elegant hilt with ornate furniture and even more difficult to make an elegant blade. I suspect that many online sellers have had kothimori sheaths made up for ordinary khukri in an effort to substantially bump up the price. I have in my collection a khukri with a tourist level blade (clumsy in profile and complete with the typical punched dot decoration). Its only redeeming feature is a rather simple but nicely done zinc and brass hilt. The khukri came with a kothimori style sheath. I only bought it because it was embarrassingly cheap and the blade had “BAHRAIN” inscribed on it. I believe that this khukri is a souvenir piece that was sold to a US soldier by an enterprising member of the Gurkha contingent in Bahrain. The sheath notwithstanding, it is not a kothimori by any stretch of the imagination.

Sincerely,
RobT

ps. By the way what is the length of your blade

Hi RobT
As a former blacksmith I know how difficult it is to forge a good quality blade, mastery of material and tools is essential. For me the blade is the most important part of a knife, dagger or sword without neglecting the whole. That things are put together is known to me as a collector but never thought that kukri's are embellished to look like kothimora. Length of blade is 14” measured in a straight line.
Best regards
Marc

[RobT]

Hi Marc M,

I believe that the size of your blade indicates that it was made when armed conflict (whether civilian or military) was considered very likely and a khukri was expected to be a primary weapon. In support of this contention, I offer examples from my modest collection. Of the sixty-three khukri I have, only nine are 14” (35.56cm) or more. (For obvious reasons, I’m not counting the 2 very large ceremonial items I have.) Of the aforementioned nine, three are shree tin Chandra marked blades and another is quite probably Gurkha military but bears no marks. Of the remaining six, I consider only three to be of post WWI (or possibly post WWII) manufacture. One has large, teardrop shaped bone inlays in a wood hilt with carved decoration and brass furniture (ferrule and butt cap). Another has a tin chirra blade with carved decoration on a horn hilt and brass furniture (ferrule, butt cap, and decorative disc). The third I suspect of having been made by a smith outside the culture. It has a crudely shaped but very heavy blade, a panna batta hilt (repaired with some sort of very hard, green substance), and a flat slug of metal for a ferrule. I call it my frankenkhukri.
Based on my interpretation of what is shown in my collection, I would bet an aesthetically pleasing, large size khukri of good manufacture like yours was made prior to WWI unless there is obvious evidence to the contrary (brass ferrule, etc). For me (as it is with you), the blade is of paramount importance. I think that the excellent quality of your khukri makes the question of whether it is a kothimori or not, irrelevant.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by RobT

Hi Marc M,

I believe that the size of your blade indicates that it was made when armed conflict (whether civilian or military) was considered very likely and a khukri was expected to be a primary weapon. In support of this contention, I offer examples from my modest collection. Of the sixty-three khukri I have, only nine are 14” (35.56cm) or more. (For obvious reasons, I’m not counting the 2 very large ceremonial items I have.) Of the aforementioned nine, three are shree tin Chandra marked blades and another is quite probably Gurkha military but bears no marks. Of the remaining six, I consider only three to be of post WWI (or possibly post WWII) manufacture. One has large, teardrop shaped bone inlays in a wood hilt with carved decoration and brass furniture (ferrule and butt cap). Another has a tin chirra blade with carved decoration on a horn hilt and brass furniture (ferrule, butt cap, and decorative disc). The third I suspect of having been made by a smith outside the culture. It has a crudely shaped but very heavy blade, a panna batta hilt (repaired with some sort of very hard, green substance), and a flat slug of metal for a ferrule. I call it my frankenkhukri.
Based on my interpretation of what is shown in my collection, I would bet an aesthetically pleasing, large size khukri of good manufacture like yours was made prior to WWI unless there is obvious evidence to the contrary (brass ferrule, etc). For me (as it is with you), the blade is of paramount importance. I think that the excellent quality of your khukri makes the question of whether it is a kothimori or not, irrelevant.

Sincerely,
RobT

Hi RobT
Thank you very much for your further explanation, very informative for me, my knowledge is limited as far as kukri's are concerned. A collection of sixty three kukri's is pretty impressive, pictures are always welcome. The ferrule is steel ( magnet sticks). I am very satisfied with my kukri and the fact that it is not a kothimora is of no importance. The question came to me because of the remnants of blue fabric on the scabbard, a different finish than the standard kukri scabbards. Since I suspected my kukri was older, but found no examples of scabbards with a cloth finish, kothimora might have been an answer , hence my question on this great forum.
Best regards
Marc