The weapon does look like it was made with a rather hot needle in tailoring terms... The blade is very badly fixed. Slightly difficult to tell from a photo but I agree with the assessment as tourist item.
I know I have posted these before but these mark the quality of Kastane from a Royal Workshop ...

An interesting conundrum appears in the shape of Sri Lankan Spears. The question as to whether Partisan Spears migrated to Sri Lanka as a shared form since the Sri Lankan Patisthania appears as an almost identical weapon to the European Partisan Spear...wings and all. That is not to say point blank that it is; since we are all aware of parallel developments in completely unlinked regions of the world. This is not just apparent in items such as dishes or utility items but weapons particularly in basic form. So is it related or not? For anyone not familiar with the weapon please see cleandungeon.com where it states Quote"

Partisan
Location: Europe
Common Construction: Wooden haft with steel head

The partisan has a central spear, but on either side of the spear are "flukes" that jut out. These flukes evolved over time into what the partisan is commonly described as; a spear with an axe head on either side. This design provides many advantages. First, it limits how far the spear can penetrate so it won't get trapped inside an object. In hunting, spears have crossbars called "lugs" for the very same reason. Second, you can use the weapon in two ways now, by thrusting it like a spear, or bringing it down on someone like an axe. Once you knock someone off their horse, it's hard to stab through their armor with your spear because the steep angle of attack deflects the spearhead. The partisan allows you to perform a chopping motion that is much more effective". Unquote.

On the possibility of some sort of design crossover I refer to the description at Henry Parkers famous presentation on weapons of that region in which he writes Quote "Although the winged spear-head of recent times seems to be copied from from weapons carried by the early Europe and invaders it is certainly of much more ancient date. On the side of the crown of a wooden statue which is supposed to be that of Duttha-Gamini,at the Nikawaewa Cave wihara, there are carved relief which evidently represent spears winged heads like those now in use, as well as others resembling the fourth and fifth types just described. I have already mentioned that these sculptures possibly date from the eleventh century A.D.''Unquote.

Are we looking at an accidental non related spear design with a similar name but purely unrelated or is it possible that either the Portuguese or Dutch form has some bearing on the Sri Lankan version.

Comments are welcome... :)

Spears from the Kandyan Period:

THE Veecharuval ... This weapon may have spread from Southern India moreover there it is banned in many areas since it has been used in frequent attacks and murders... It is simply a machete often with a curved hook like tip section...The use of agricultural tools as war or fighting weapons is not unusual and this is an example of such an item. For interest I show the South Indian version in the blacksmiths shop though there is, perhaps, little difference... :shrug:

Silamban..(long bamboo staff) This is stick fighting Southern Indian Style and it is an excellent technique of all round fighting with the simple staff weapon... press into computer search and see a host of videos showing the technique. :shrug: or see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YlpcHjOFXU

Kuttu Katai (spiked knuckleduster) See http://www.sangam.org/taraki/article...s.php?uid=1510 This is a fascinating article on the general martial forms focusing on Tamil influence ... The spiked knuckle duster technique is a highly specialized vital point or nerve point strike technique with an animal claw type weapon. :shrug:

Spears and \Lances Daggers /Swords Battle Axes, Bow. Etc. Fairly extensive coverage exists at https://sirimunasiha.wordpress.com/a...-dunumadullan/ :shrug:

Quilons or Iconic Religious Architecture
 

The question arises as to whether the quilons on a Kastane are real fighting weapon additions or in keeping with a Court Sword of Badge of Office and not for a Battle Sword.
This weapon has been linked by several renowned sword experts in history but have they appreciated the situation or situated the appreciation? :shrug:

To my eye the Quilons look crushed and unable to trap an opponents blade. They do not look substantial enough and in addition the blades look too flimsy to even need Quilons. Surely this cannot be a fighting weapon.
It is in fact a court sword. In its secondary role a Badge of Office for the secretariat Officers of Mudalier rank in the civil service. In this regard there appear to be two swords... The earlier Kastane may well have been the Golock bladed similar to Storta weapon seen in the famous stone carving but soon after another Kastane appeared ...The Badge of Office almost Bling format court sword.

Because it has apparent turned down Quilons it seems to be embroiled with Islamic weapons such as the Nimcha. In my view this is a muddle perhaps undone since the Quilons of Kastane go back to 14th Century and beyond.

The Vajra was introduced by The Great Buddha into Tibet. Following that it appears on a cutting tool reserved for religious pageants. The 14th Century Tibetto-Chinese sword at Boston Museum for Fine Arts shows a Vajra on a parade sword illustrating the Quilon effect; Below.

Conclusion The Kastane in its Court Sword garb... was never a battle Sword but a badge of Rank/Office only. It took its entire hilt form from the Buddhist traditions including the zoomorphic hilt with Buddhist Deities, Peacock tail and Vajra Quilons;..none of which were intended for a Battle Sword. The Battle Version went before perhaps...but this implement was peaceful but only Traditional, Religious and Iconic.

The link to European weapons in this regard is questionable and cannot be attached to the Quilons because by definition the Kastane doesn't have any since it is not a fighting weapon; so why should it?

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Hello Ibrahiim,

It's tough to reason with circular logic: If you define kastane as a court sword only, it is not surprising if all kastane sensu Ibrahiim were court swords... ;)

Nobody is arguing that the late court kastane was not meant for fighting. This doesn't imply that earlier members of the same sword lineage can't ever have been fighting swords though.


The Tibetan sword you show clearly has the vajra included into the hilt design. However, I don't think a compelling case can be made that it's the same for any kastane - it's certainly an interesting thought but doesn't fly without a lot more supporting evidence!

A vajra is a 3-dimensional object symbolizing a four-sided diamond; those 4 "limbs" join into a solid tip - sort of like a war hammer. A kastane only shows 2 planes and the 2 mythical creatures don't really connect to the blade.

Moreover, these creatures are obviously taken from Hindu iconography and already have been utilized as cross guards in Hindu weapons. Much of the early Buddhist iconography is based on Hindu roots. Sri Lankan weapons were obviously based on Hindu weapons (certainly allowing for some additional cross-cultural influences, too).

Last not least, the vajra is the icon of the Vajrayana lineage of Buddhism which never had much of any presence on Sri Lanka.


Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater unless we have a really compelling reason to do so, shall we? Convincing the mother first, wouldn't hurt either... ;)

Regards,
Kai

Salaams Kai ~Please see any site you like about Buddhism in Sri Lanka...It will say something like this...Sri Lanka's population practices a variety of religions. As of the 2011 census 70.19% of Sri Lankans were Theravada Buddhists, 12.6% were Hindus, 9.7% were Muslims (mainly Sunni) and 7.4% Christians (6.1% Roman Catholic and 1.3% other Christian). It will further say how melded into one format are Hindu respected traditions and Buddhist ones.. I would say pretty inseparable. The form is very old 250 BC ...and has had a chequered and changing application of Buddhism and style but the central theme and influence has largely been from its core and from Tibet.

Makara. In the Tibetan Buddhist format it evolved from the Indian form of makara. However, it is different in some ways such as, "display of lions fore paws, a horse's mane, the gills and tendrils of a fish, and the horns of a deer or dragon. From its once simple fishtail, sometimes feathered, now emerges as a complex spiraling floral pattern known as makara-tail design (Sanskritmakaraketu)". At the same time and not to dwell on the hilt variation the makara hilt is known to be similar to the lion style and this difference is placed to one side so the other aspects can be viewed.

In Tibetan iconography, THE VAJRA is depicted as a weapon of strength and tenacity. The Vajrayan weapons which have makara symbolism are; axe, iron hook, curved knife, vajra, and ritual dragon, in all of which the theme is "emergence of the blade from the open mouth of the makara".

The Vajra on the Kastane is usually two because the blade is so flimsy / you cant really fit four around it..but I think the architects of the sword skirted around that by placing two other quilon Iconic animal forms one on the guard and another on the Knuckle guard and the last one on the lower guard making 5. It so happens that 5 or 9 are the accepted ways to illustrate Vajra.

No one to date has fielded such exact proof of technical transfer as this... I show a 14th Century Sword of Tibetto-Chinese form with Vajra in exactly the right position at the throat. Would you like to see more Tibettan weapons with Vajra? The Great Buddha himself walked into Tibet with a Vajra which is why it is so revered across regions.

I didn't say that all phases of the Kastane were non battle weapons ... On the contrary the early stone frieze shows a possible original type of battle Kastane...with a similar blade to the example taken back by Hasekura to Japan and currently in their Museum. I am however linking the Vajra to the Kastane directly from the Tibettan source making it very clear that the Quilons are not European but home grown....and they aren't Quilons!! but are religious decorations known as Vajra.

I do, however, say that the bling hilt is purely court sword and Badge of Office. (There are also reports that the Kastane went into Battle not as a weapon but a badge of rank.) Later but not much later it became a secretaries sword ...but only a badge of Office ...See Mudaliers and below with KASTANE.

Here it is ...

As an interlude in proceedings I have unearthed a documented list of items said to have been removed by the Governing powers of the day ruling Sri Lanka. The period covered is extensive thus I searched there in case an early Kastane could be discovered.

On page 15 of this document http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/000...7/038748eb.pdf
I found IM 10/19/10 held at The Britich Museum the hilt portion (incomplete) of a sword Kastane described as ; Pommel of Ivory with Simha head, Grip curved with typical scrollwork, Vaka Deka Motif and floral bands.

15 Century Said to have been presented by King Parakrama Bahu V1. 1415 TO 1467 to a chief of the Weerasinghe family . Very much weathered. Parts missing. Sold for 3 Pounds in March 1910.

There are other swords and weapons but this one is particularly important as it predates the Portuguese. (I dont know if these are still abroad or have been returned to Sri Lanka.)

The Kirtimukha.
 

Please also note the figure on the scabbard which is also the revered figure seen in Sri Lankan door and window carved relief as the devourer of all evil; The Kirtimukha.

Also seen on door and window carvings.

For a vast array of Buddhist Vajra please see~ http://drilbudorje.tripod.com/_Dorje.htm where the clear defined thunderclap device can be understood as the same design on the Tibettan Sword pictured above and its technical transfer across the regions to the Sri Lankan Kastane pictured below. :shrug:

The quilons appear vestigial but they are not since they are not Quilons per se but form a part of the motif held in high esteem by Buddhist and Hindu alike and represent diamonds or thunderbolts and can be illustrated in an open aspect or closed as on the Kastane. [/B] The quilon aspect is purely Iconic as part of the Buddhist / Hindu display and revered by all...and are generally known as Vajra.

It is my view and as part of this hypothesis that the closed form shuts out the possibility of this as a sword form when its true place is only ceremonial; Rank and Badge of Office / Court Sword only and that this usage is generally agreed upon. In addition since the Kastane was not a fighting weapon as outlined in several reports by notable Sri Lankan experts.

Placed for interest is another weapon form : The Mace from Tibet another Icon for religious ceremony and not a battle weapon but with Vajra at each end. This adds weight to the fact that such iconic weaponry parts transferred across regional boundaries following the religious tide in that part of the world.

I therefor place this conclusion;[B]Thus by the simple method of comparison and detail presented herein; it can be seen that the Kastane is very much a home grown design from Buddhist and Hindu sources and not a European import. By the same proof there is no relationship except by accident of design between the Kastane and the Nimcha.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.


See Below for comparison of Vajra and Kastane Architecture / Quilons.

I bet you didn't know this !!!!

"We learn a good deal about Jewish craftsmen from the Geniza, the fact that some of them were employed in the imperial workshops of the Fatimids; or that around 1140 three Jewish silversmiths - including two from North Africa - emigrated to Ceylon to pursue their livelihoods; or that a Tunisian Jew ran a factory in India, in which Jews bearing Arabic names, possibly from Yemen, made brass vessels which are described to us I detail primarily for the sake of beauty..."

As an aside to this thread; I was unaware that there was a sect of Christian Jews. But then I don't get out much. :o
The picture is from The Last Empire, an Aperture publication (out of print).
Full of period photographs.

So early as around 1140 ? Wouldn't this be a Hijri date ... corresponding to Gregorian 1748 ?
In a line with those Sefardit Jews that were expelled from Spain and have reportedly gonne to North Africa, chosing a later option to make it to Ceylon and India ... as it is also reported ...


.

Excelent picture Rick, but ... this is breaking news !!!
Christian Jews ? Wouldn't this be the author's own way to allude to those known as Converted Jews (Cristãos novos) ?
One may only be either a Christian or a Jew ... i guess :shrug:
Could you in any case improve the picture bottom left, to have a better text reading ?

BTW, do i read "Bene Israel", a Jewish group that leaved mainly in Bombaim, Calcutá, Delhi e Ahmedabad, whose native language sas the Marathi ...

AND~ Regarding the Atlass Mountains ..."The Jews appear as a group, specializing in trading and crafts, which is ritually and socially separated from the Moslems, who specialize in agriculture... The Jews are non-combatants, not being allowed to carry arms. Yet in their role as smiths, they are responsible for making and repairing arms."

Thus we come to the realization that the ancient North African guns, knives and swords of exquisite workmanship, weapons whose hand-wrought and tooled metals were engraved with elaborate patterns or inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the very weapons that now command high prices on the antiques market, are not of Arabic provenance at all but were produced by Judaic smiths! And that is not all!

"[Jewish] blacksmiths fan charcoal fires and create useful tools; hammers, axes, hatchets, scythes, plows, and all the other tools required by the people of the region. They also repair weapons. These artisan’s shops are in the entrances of their homes. The Berber who needs any tool will bring the metal and the charcoal to the Jew’s house."

See also http://www.hebrewhistory.info/factpa...017-1_gold.htm

Text
 

Beni-Israel Teachers, Bombay, 1856, from ' The Indian Amateur's Photographic Album.'
The Beni-Israel are Christian Jews who first settled in India during the early years of the Christian era.

Verbatim from the text.
It's a windy day here and keeping the pages from flipping could be problematic.
This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

Also (Northwest) windy over here, as usually in August, but my pages are virtual :cool:.

Pity i don't have such book, but that photographer must have had his own source.
From the Chazt Hanoar website, an international Sionist movement:

"The Bene Israel resided mainly in Mombay, Calcuta, Dwhli and Ahmedabad; their native language was the Marathi. They aledged to be descendants from the Jews that escaped the pursuit from Galiley. They resemble non-Jew Marathas in appearance and customs, which indicates mixed marriages between Jews and Indians. These also maintained Judaism basic customs like circumcision, the kashrut and respected Shabat. Bene Israel aledge being desendent from the Cohan, which was corroborated by a genetic test in 2002, which indicates that they have the heriditary of the Cohnaim. Since 1964 this comunity is fully recognized as Jewish and may perform Aiá ".

... No Christian merge cited :o .

What is peculiar about this Kastane is the blade size and configuration almost machete like...

First of all, I am not aware of anyone from a geographical place called "Geniza" ( Ibrahiim's first post).
Geniza is a Hebrew word for a ritual place dedicated to the " burial" of sacred texts and any objects containing G-d's name. By law, they cannot be destroyed, so they are deposited in a specially-assigned place.
They are a treasure trove for the historians: written documents dating to ancient times, fragments of Torah scrolls etc.
The most famous one was Cairo Geniza.

The story of Christian Jews is strange. As mentioned, converted Jews cease their affiliation with Judaism, unless forced to do so and do not re-affirm their old adherence when the fear of death is removed. Jews in Holland/England are the classic example. Bnei Israel mostly emigrated to Israel in the 1950-60s, and had always been viewed as impeccably Jewish by the Israeli religious authorities.

And it is not Ala: it is Alia, ascent. Returning from another country to Israel is viewed as ascent, elevation. Those who emigrate from Israel are called Yordim, descending, coming down. Israel in general, and Jerusalem in particular are viewed by Judaism as the highest spiritual place in the world.

The contribution of Jews to North African trades and crafts both before and after 1492 ( when Jews were evicted from Spain) is well established. But there were significant Jewish communities all over N. Africa dating back to Greek and Roman occupation of Judea. As a matter of fact, one of the recurring motives of the current Berber Independence community ( they call themselves Amazig) is their purportedly Jewish origin and forcible islamization. They claim that their Queen Kahina ( from Cohen?) who resisted invading Arab armies for 3 years was Jewish.

I ONLY STUCK IN THE QUOTATION MARKS ... SEE https://books.google.com.om/books?id...iza%2C&f=false However I think this term also refers to a manuscript hoard see Cairo Geniza - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_Geniza
The Cairo Genizah, alternatively spelled Geniza, is a collection of some 300,000 Jewish manuscript fragments that were found in the genizah or storeroom of the ... etc etc ... It is referring to the manuscripts...and what they have learned from them... not a geographical location.

Yet since the beginning of such compulsion, several Converted Jews remained secretely faithful to their religion and had to resource determined 'convincing' practices to hide such creed from their pursuers. We still have remnants of such culture over here; one such community has recently been brought to the open, in a village called Belmonte.
... Unless we have a different view of such status.

I meant to write Aliá; sorry my mistyping.

As a reminder to Forum the reason why I brought the detail to thread about the expulsion of Jews from Toledo and the Iberian peninsula was to point to their redistribution around the Mediterranean regions as one of the key source of transfer of design and possibly the influence on Nimcha style since as artisans and particularly sword makers ....and where as migrants to Ceylon they could have had some bearing on sword making in that sphere...but that it was really only a sketch in the margin for interest rather than a topic to change the threads direction. :shrug:

The bigger blade seen at #321 is probably from the VOC often seen on late Kastane but as such it changes nothing in the general theory being discussed viz;

Thus by the simple method of comparison and detail presented herein; it can be seen that the Kastane is very much a home grown design from Buddhist and Hindu sources and not a European import. By the same proof there is no relationship except by accident of design between the Kastane and the Nimcha.

The Kastane . From the Higgins Collection. Probably a European blade on an older hilt ...perhaps early Dutch Period. The addition of European blades whilst fairly common should not serve to confuse the issue. Whatever blades were introduced by the Portuguese, Dutch or English should not complicate the issue.and since none were battle weapons it changes nothing but of course is very interesting. At this point the sword was purely a badge of office and court sword....and it is offered because of its powerful Buddhist and Hindu links that it has always been so; A purebred Sri Lankan item.

Reference;
A. https://www.colonialvoyage.com/portu...re-war-dutch/#


An interesting little sketch... anyone recognize the tribal infantry on the right with shield and weapon... Its a sketch but that looks like a Storta...but also similar to the Pinhao sword in the stone relief also shown again for comparison. Could they be the same weapon type? :shrug:

The sketch illustrates the landing by Sebald de Weert on 28 Nov 1602



Arrival of Sebald de Weert in Matecalo/Batticaloa

Here is another related style of decoration and architecture on an ancient Indian spiked Vajra Mushti The quilons shown are dragon form often seen in Northern Indian form (Afghan Pulour) and other swords including the Kastane.

The Portuguese chronicler Fernão Nunes records the practice of vajra-musti in the southern Vijayanagara Empire. Vajra musti is the martial arts form without the long spikes.

For further detail see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajra-mushti

:shrug:

:shrug:

Here I remind viewers to check out http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...1&page=2&pp=30 which is like a sister thread split to consider different viewpoints of the Sri Lankan weapon situation but equally relevant in the long and clouded history particularly regarding the Kastane.