Eunjangdo

[JoeCanada42]

more photos

[JoeCanada42]

additional photos again

[JoeCanada42]

total length in scabbard is almost 6 1/2 inches
blade and handle is 5 1/2 inches
blade only is just over 3 inches
blade is 1/2 inch wide

[ariel]

I think this is a quite modern souvenir.
Not even considering its very modern mechanical decorations, the gift box with even a special knife holder is a dead giveaway.

[JoeCanada42]

on first glance my thoughts were the same, and evidently also by the person who sold it to me so cheaply at the sale.
although I wonder, and got this feeling
it is silver, the blade is carbon steel of obvious quality, it is in very good shape, just a touch of rust, no damage , the photos may make it look nicked..
even a souvenir can be of quality and of value, and if modern.
it is still made by a jeweler and a blade smith (master). I saw in a video it takes 177 steps and is tempered 7 times.
anyways, i see the box yes it made me think trinket, but the box has no labels or markings,, the box does seem like it could be narrower, i have several of those boxes of various shapes an sizes, if i wanted without much artistic skill i could add holders, so the box could be later to the peice,, or original and old or modern, either way, i have also seen these silver ones packed in paper boxes. the member who posted two of them earlier, i think evidently made a type O when he said stainless steel, i see you mention that would make it modern, but its clear its not stainless steel he even went on to say he had a wood box calling it a silver knife.
as for the construction i don't see what it is that is modern your refering too.?
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.

[Bob A]

The carving on the silver looks fresh. There's no wear on the edges from carrying. It looks like it was either made recently, or boxed right after being finished and never used or carried.

Given that it seems to have had no use, and that these have not been in regular use since at least WWII era, I'd guess that it is of recent construction, well made in traditional form, but not an artifact of the actual period of use.

It's attractive, and apparently not terribly costly to obtain. It is representative of a tradition, but probably not an actual part of it. As such, it has a place in a collection, within the parameters described. Can it be called a "tourist" item? I don't know, and I admit that such a designation seems faintly pejorative. It does seem to be of some quality, which would elevate it.

I can't judge the quality of the silver, and I'm sufficiently ignorant to say whether it falls within the range typical of such objects, but that might be of interest to those whose knowledge of the subject exceeds my own. (That would be a large group indeed.)

Not very helpful, alas.

[ariel]

Joe,
All four of us , yourself and seller included, think that the likelihood of this dagger being a modern creation is very real and pretty high ( IMHO it is 100%).

Does it mean that it is not a legitimate collectible item? Absolutely not. Faithful copy may be simply attractive to a particular collector and buying it is a purely personal decision. Emotions play an important and often decisive role in all of our life choices. We can disagree on the authenticity and age of our stabbers and slashers, but judging the motives of acquiring them is just as fruitless as judging a choice of another person’s spouse. It is easy to contradict all of your arguments in favor of this dagger’s authenticity and age, but this will miss the only salient point: you were simply attracted to it.

I am completely indifferent to even sumptious Indonesian krises no matter how important they might be, but am ready to buy rusty and dirt-simple Indo-Persian swords because of some intriguing ( for me!) minor features that will certainy raise a multitude of eyebrows:-)

You liked it and bought it for a song: enjoy it. It is YOUR collection and only YOU can decide what tickles YOUR fancy.

[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.

[JoeCanada42]

very cool , thanks for all your effort and help in posting your research RenRen, thanks for a few things as well I haven't heard yet, such as this being a silver officials knife.
I would bet it must be possible to find out exactly who made this knife, given a few of its distinct markings and carvings, the 4 dragon carvings are even signed with a single initial.

I found this video on YouTube that has English subtitles and was also very interesting.
for anyone interested

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtbLRmxvfrQ

Ariel thank also, and I am aware about the niello, in actuality i beleive the Korean version is called "dohong" i read it can identify poison, or if the wearer is sick, i also read it was alloy made with gold? i mentioned the dohong in the beginning but have been referring to it as niello, because i figured it was more understandable then the obscure name dohong