Where are those little knives from ?

kronckew · 30th March 2020, 07:08 AM

Chinese farm knife. Used a lot in the past for scoring and cutting opium poppy pods.

Yvain · 30th March 2020, 03:17 PM

Thanks !

Now at least I know what to search for !

Battara · 31st March 2020, 05:59 AM

Fantastic! Never seen one before.

Yvain · 31st March 2020, 10:32 PM

Me neither until last summer ! But yeah, they look pretty nice.

Information seems to be extremely scarce about them, the only thing I've found so far, from a source I can't verify, is that they may have been called "yu dao", or fish knives, due to their shape, but have nothing to do with fishing and were mostly used by Chinese peasants.

Though again, I have no way to verify those informations and I can't find anything else online !

Yvain · 31st March 2020, 11:19 PM

Okay, so the plot thickens, this one is described as a razor on the Quai Branly website

: http://www.quaibranly.fr/fr/explorer...rasoir/page/3/

kronckew · 1st April 2020, 05:57 AM

Museum descriptions on ethnic items are frequently a flight of fancy...especially if they are obtained from another nation's museum which was originally donated by one who travels.

Martin Lubojacky · 7th April 2020, 08:05 AM

Last year I bought similar knife on flea market in Beijing. The seller told me that her grandfather used the same knife for shaving his hair. The blade was the same, the handle was two times longer than the blade made of antelope horn. I saw also this fish style knives there.

Folding knives:
(http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...8&page=4&pp=30)

30th March 2020, 07:08 AM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,224	Chinese farm knife. Used a lot in the past for scoring and cutting opium poppy pods. Attached Images

30th March 2020, 03:17 PM	#2
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 179	Thanks ! Now at least I know what to search for !

31st March 2020, 05:59 AM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	Fantastic! Never seen one before.

31st March 2020, 10:32 PM	#4
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 179	Me neither until last summer ! But yeah, they look pretty nice. Information seems to be extremely scarce about them, the only thing I've found so far, from a source I can't verify, is that they may have been called "yu dao", or fish knives, due to their shape, but have nothing to do with fishing and were mostly used by Chinese peasants. Though again, I have no way to verify those informations and I can't find anything else online !

31st March 2020, 11:19 PM	#5
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 179	Okay, so the plot thickens, this one is described as a razor on the Quai Branly website : http://www.quaibranly.fr/fr/explorer...rasoir/page/3/

1st April 2020, 05:57 AM	#6
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,224	Museum descriptions on ethnic items are frequently a flight of fancy...especially if they are obtained from another nation's museum which was originally donated by one who travels.

7th April 2020, 08:05 AM	#7
Martin Lubojacky Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 843	Last year I bought similar knife on flea market in Beijing. The seller told me that her grandfather used the same knife for shaving his hair. The blade was the same, the handle was two times longer than the blade made of antelope horn. I saw also this fish style knives there. Folding knives: (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...8&page=4&pp=30)