Dear friends;
I'm always amused at what people collect and why. For me, the knife is one of the most basic tools. It has morphed into so many different forms all over the world, some more and some less functional, some highly ceremonial, and some very formalized. The bow and arrow is a standoff weapon; when you get to the sword and shield you're already getting closer to the person. The knife or the dagger is the closest item of defense. In fact, it's so close and personal that even in the court of the emperor people were allowed to retain their knives, even when they had to put their swords into safekeeping. Daggers were highly ornamented and cherished, and were very personal possessions.
I didn't set out to collect knives with a particular idea or style in mind, I would just run across things that I liked, and so my "collection" is pretty eclectic. I have a really nice Jambiya with a rhino horn handle that my sister got me when she was in Yemen. I have a few Keris, some more and some less valuable. I have various other daggers.
Of all the blade weapons that I have seen, I like the kard a lot. In some ways, I am a functionalist, and so I like a knife that is really A KNIFE, if you know what I mean. I like a knife that you can use to cut meat, to cut string, or to defend yourself. You know when Crocodile Dundee pulls out his knife and says "that ain't a Noife, THIS is a noife!" That's kind of the attitude that I'm talking about.
When I look at a kard, what I think is "knife". The blade of the kard has not become formalized at all, except to be better for stabbing. It's very much still a knife. A jambiya can be used to cut rope if it's absolutely necessary, but it's often accompanied by a companion knife that is used for everyday cutting.
This particular kard is really "down-home". Still sharp from when it was made, with what I find to be an outstanding blade profile, it fairly screams "knife". Even the kard that belongs to the Emperor is a functional tool that can cut rope in an emergency. Kards in Museum, even the most exalted ones, have a blade that is utterly functional.
So I've become more and more fond of these knives, and this particular one is completely functional. No ivory handle, like many kards that are on the market. Instead, a down-to-earth handle made of staghorn. A blade profile that will allow you to stab through chain mail if you have to, as well as cut a rope or some meat. Blade geometry that is extremely sophisticated and, from what I understand, difficult to make, and in fact, as I mentioned, I've only seen two kards that have this extremely sophisticated shape.
So that's why I like kards. I hope I wasn't too long-winded, but I wanted to explain exactly why I like this type of knife. I do intend to ech it. At present, I don't have my tools with me, bottles of etchant, or very many tools that I have at home since I'm traveling. I might try the Coca-Cola etch, just to see if what I suspect is true; that one of the most sophisticated blades that I have ever seen is, truly, made out of wootz or some other interesting material. Because of the sophisticated geometry, this blade must've been difficult to make; I cannot see someone using ordinary material for it.
Please, comment on this knife. One of the things that I like about this forum is having access to everybody's combined wisdom.
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