Daggers & knives | Mandarin Mansion

Asian arms in Dutch master paintings

Dutch masters' fascination with exotic Asian wares shown in a series of paintings.

Early Mughal kapwah

An over 400-year-old Mughal court dagger. Once lavishly decorated with gold.

Rajput katar with rubies and diamonds

Of steel construction with gold overlay. Of a type produced in Rajasthan in the early 1800s.

Silver chevron katar

All the designs being true inlay, with almost no losses.

Garsoee katar

An enigmatic type of katar produced in various places in India.

Indian jade hilted dagger

With wootz blade and the jade hilt set with small rubies.

Gilt-copper hilted kard

Fine Indian kard with gilt copper alloy hilt, decorated with chiseled flowers.

Ganga Jamni decorated kard

Ganga - Jamni refers to the rivers of the Ganges and Jamna. It was used to describe metalwork done in contrasting colors, usually gold and silver, in inlay or overlay work.

Pamor

Indonesian word for pattern on a steel blade. Also the name of the nickel often used for a contrasting effect.

Bali straight keris

With fine flaming pamor blade and notched "cekah redut" hilt.

Balinese keris blade finishing

The Balinese keris is known for its smooth finish with starkly contrasting black iron and silver pamor. This article gives an eye witness account of how this was achieved.

Bali buntel mayat keris

Bali keris with fine slanted wrapped pamor, considered to be one of the most powerful pamor.

A fine Korean eunjangdo

With all silver construction, including the blade.

Shimosaka o-tantō

N.B.T.H.K. Hozon with a set of Nanban-style koshirae with signed tsuba.

Southern katar with yali langets

Of a style often associated with Tanjore, the seat of the Vijayanagara empire.

Southern katar with thick point

The blade with an extremely thick point on a very thin blade.

Double bladed katar

Also called jamdhar doulicaneh. Forged from a single piece of steel, complete with scabbard.

Northern wootz katar

With different types of decor on either side of the hilt.

Vijayanagara hooded katar

With crisp, extremely very well-preserved wootz blade.

Sword hilted khukurī

A rarer variety with a hilt that takes inspiration from the kora and talwar.

Fine African Bedja dagger

These handsome daggers were worn by the nomadic Hadendoa people, their name has been interpreted as meaning "Lion Clan".

Sinhalese pihiya

A beautiful black coral hilted example, made in the King's workshops.

Jade bamboo hilted knife

With spinach green jade handle and carved buffalo horn scabbard.

Silver hilted keris coteng

A textbook example of this rare and early type of keris.

16th century left-hand dagger

Nice European parrying dagger, possibly German or Swiss.

Chinese ring pommeled knife

Of a type used by bandits, brigands, pirates, and the like.

Kanetuhu / Etuhu

Ainu words for the point of a knife or sword.

Notak

Ainu word for the edge of a sharp tool like a knife.

Mekkashike

Ainu word for the back of a knife, or sword. Also the ridge of a mountain or house.

Makiri-saya

Ainu word for the scabbard of a utility knife called makiri.

Ibehe

Ibehe is an Ainu word for a knife or sword blade.

Rare Ainu kuttom-ushbe

A luxury Ainu knife styled after the Japanese tantō.

Unusual Ainu knife

Resembling a makiri but with the blade's edge on the opposite side.

Ainu knife

Of a typical style used in Hokkaido in the 19th century.

Bark wrapped Ainu makiri

A slender makiri with a bark wrapped scabbard.

Fine Ainu makiri

An exceptionally well-carved Ainu knife.

North Nias si euli

A peculiar type of knife worn in the north of Nias.

19th-century ethnographers noticed that they had no iron production and relied solely on trade for articles like knives and swords. However, archaeologists found iron working facilities in 1988 and 1990.