Still a Mystery ...

milandro · 18th March 2023, 02:06 PM

the shape seems indeed very common in Europe ( all cardinal points ) too and with general purpose functions, not only castration it could certainly be used to skin animals.

So I think this may mean that there is parallel evolution and that there are only so many variations that can happen to a blade before it repeats itself somewhere else without any apparent connection.

Edster · 18th March 2023, 02:24 PM

Does the engraving on the sheath offer any insights? The man appears to be doing something.

milandro · 18th March 2023, 02:29 PM

he has a bag full of misty knives thrown over his shoulder

kronckew · 18th March 2023, 08:58 PM

I enlarged and inverted the scabbard bit. Makes it easier to see the figure. Still have no idea what he is doing...

kahnjar1 · 18th March 2023, 09:42 PM

To me it looks as if he is walking along with a basket over his shoulder. From what I can see it looks very like baskets used for tea/tobacco picking so maybe the original idea that the knife is used for that purpose could be correct. The dress of the man looks Chinese to me.
Stu

Edster · 18th March 2023, 10:42 PM

Maybe a puer tea cake knife. It is used to break up puer tea cakes or bricks since they may be pressed tightly.

See attached link. I couldn't get a picture of the knife shown. The shape is similar to yours.

https://www.umiteasets.com/products/...cake-axe-knife

kai · 18th March 2023, 11:34 PM

Thanks, Ed, that seems like a pretty compelling ID, indeed!

The shown knife is a modern rendition and, thus, less likely to be true to its type. Let's see if we can come up with any antique examples which would carry more weight for final conclusions...

Regards,
Kai

18th March 2023, 08:58 PM	#4
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	I enlarged and inverted the scabbard bit. Makes it easier to see the figure. Still have no idea what he is doing... Attached Images

18th March 2023, 09:42 PM	#5
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,786	To me it looks as if he is walking along with a basket over his shoulder. From what I can see it looks very like baskets used for tea/tobacco picking so maybe the original idea that the knife is used for that purpose could be correct. The dress of the man looks Chinese to me. Stu Last edited by kahnjar1; 19th March 2023 at 01:47 AM.

18th March 2023, 02:06 PM	#1
milandro Member Join Date: Jan 2022 Location: Netherlands Posts: 487	the shape seems indeed very common in Europe ( all cardinal points ) too and with general purpose functions, not only castration it could certainly be used to skin animals. So I think this may mean that there is parallel evolution and that there are only so many variations that can happen to a blade before it repeats itself somewhere else without any apparent connection.

18th March 2023, 02:24 PM	#2
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 411	Does the engraving on the sheath offer any insights? The man appears to be doing something.

18th March 2023, 02:29 PM	#3
milandro Member Join Date: Jan 2022 Location: Netherlands Posts: 487	he has a bag full of misty knives thrown over his shoulder

18th March 2023, 10:42 PM	#6
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 411	Maybe a puer tea cake knife. It is used to break up puer tea cakes or bricks since they may be pressed tightly. See attached link. I couldn't get a picture of the knife shown. The shape is similar to yours. https://www.umiteasets.com/products/...cake-axe-knife

18th March 2023, 11:34 PM	#7
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Thanks, Ed, that seems like a pretty compelling ID, indeed! The shown knife is a modern rendition and, thus, less likely to be true to its type. Let's see if we can come up with any antique examples which would carry more weight for final conclusions... Regards, Kai