An interesting old Chamorro knife

[not2sharp]

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/77/77561/folders/138107/1823339smchamorroknifewstamp.jpg

The stamping on the blade reads "Tokyo Japan/ano bei" (italian for beautiful year)

Has anyone come across a similar knife or stamp.

n2s

[Justin]

It vaguely reminds me of these:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=290&highlight=keeling+knife

There are also some knives from Guam that might be a closer match but working only from memory I think they are a little different,shorter and wider mainly.

[not2sharp]

http://img.bellsouth.net/coDataImages/p/Groups/77/77561/folders/95235/724969ChamarroKnives.jpg

Here are a few more examples. It is a fading art but there are still a few knifemakers producing these today. These are all from around or before WWII. The one with the star shaped rivets dates from the 1920s.

n2s

[not2sharp]

BTTT,

The markings on the original knife may read Tokyo Japan/5nd BEI; could that be read as Tokyo Japan 1905?

I am reading this as a Guam made knife produced for a sailor in 1905 ("5nd BEI" may provide a hint as to which flag this guy sailed under?)

n2s

[Rich]

Interestingly, I've seen a number of these on ebay being sold (without sheaths)
as Civil War bowie knives :-)

Rich S

[Ian]

The shape of these blades looks very much like mainland SE Asia general purpose knives. Take the riveted hilts off these, and replace with a piece of bamboo or hardwood (mounted blind tang) and a single ferrule to hold it tightly in place, and they would be typical working knives from Burma to Vietnam. This blade style has been around a long time in that region.

Perhaps some are Japanese copies post-WWII.

Has anyone etched these to see if they have a hardened edge?

Ian.

[not2sharp]

The shape of these blades looks very much like mainland SE Asia general purpose knives. Take the riveted hilts off these, and replace with a piece of bamboo or hardwood (mounted blind tang) and a single ferrule to hold it tightly in place, and they would be typical working knives from Burma to Vietnam. This blade style has been around a long time in that region.

Perhaps some are Japanese copies post-WWII.

Has anyone etched these to see if they have a hardened edge?

Ian.


Much of Guam's original native population perished from desease after Spain took pocession so the population was augmented with immigrants from SEA especially the Phillipines.

Here are recent photos of these style of knives at a local Guam shop:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=10096&stc=1

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=10097&stc=1

n2s

[not2sharp]

BTW, if you look very closely at episode 17 "The turkey shoot", of the 1952 NBC TV documentary series Victory At Sea, you will get a glimpse of one of these knives being used by a native to trim a palm during WWII. IIRC it is visible at about the 17 minute mark on that episode.

n2s

edited to add link to the Turkey Shoot episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK-UjS4ntao

[spiral]

Thanks for sharing...