Ariel, The Ethuna kadu (Rolled up Sword) is not a mainstream weapon and is only still practiced by very few Angam martial artists in Sri Lanka. old examples of weapons seem virtually non-existent though some Angam schools still train with them. The person in the picture is Angam master Ajantha Mahantharachchi a friend of mine and among the few who are quite skilled at the use of the weapon in Sri Lanka. the movements seem more rotational than shown in the posted video clip and is effective in clearing a path 5-6 m. wide.
Vandoo- The link to Lions in Sinhala (Sinha=Lion - Sinhala literally means Lion people) goes back at least to two and a half millennia where the story links the ancestry of the Sinhala race to a Lion. it is not a recent acquisition. If you may note the Sri Lankan National flag is of a Lion carrying a Sword in hand. (not a Kasthana though
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Gustav, Thanks for the Images of the Hasekura Kasthane, It anyway seem quite a mixed up piece as even the guards and the ivory hilt seem to have different origins. to my knowledge the hilt seem to be of a later date stylistically and of a rather more crude craftsmanship. The blade obviously does not comply with Sinhala traditional design of Kasthana.