Eunjangdo

[Ren Ren]

Originally Posted by JoeCanada42

the niello is an old technique, the dragons and signature are carved, the dragons are unique not all of the same pattern. the detail is very nice, although when tarnished in my photos and in the other members photos the art does look cartoony. i would say if modern they followed traditional old methods.

I got a little acquainted with what is written in the Korean segment of the Internet about Eunjangdo knives. This turned out to be interesting. The South Korean government supports artists and craftsmen who preserve national traditions. At least one of Eunjangdo makers holds the very prestigious title of Living National Treasure. I think that your knife is made according to a tradition of craftsmanship that is over a hundred years old, and possibly much longer. I consider this a very good purchase.
As I was able to find out, many of the Korean researchers do not consider knives as weapons. The name Eunjando 은장도 (classic Chinese 銀粧刀) itself is translated as "silver jewelry knife". The popular legend that Korean ladies used Eunjangdo to commit suicide in case of a threat to their honor, according to researchers, appeared during the Japanese colonization and represented the Japanese view of this subject (which to the Japanese seemed to be an analogue of the kwaiken). For the Korean aristocracy and gentry, Eunjangdo was only a symbol of loyalty and devotion to Confucian ideals. The Chinese characters 一片心, which even today are often engraved on blades (an important part of the tradition because after the Second World War Korea officially abandoned the use of Chinese characters) mean "One heart / indivisible heart/unchanging heart" and indicate the dogmatic statements "A woman has there are no two husbands", "An official does not serve two sovereigns". Your angular, dragon-engraved knife is a traditional "official's knife" design. Today, you don't have to be a government employee to get an Eunjangdo like that. For example, it could be given to a retired employee of a corporation.