[Robert]

I won this piece at auction few days ago with only a few fuzzy photos to go by. Now that it has arrived I though (as I know absolutely nothing about these) that I would ask the more knowledgeable members here for their opinions on the possible age of this piece and who it was that made it. This is a very plainly made piece with its only decoration being the simple carving of what appears to be monkeys holding some unidentifiable objects on each side of its antler hilt. The blade is also completely unadorned with none of the inlay or scrollwork seen on many other examples that I have seen. Because of this I am wondering if this was made for fighting or is simply a working blade meant for general utility purposes? Thankfully the rattan weaving that covers most of the grip itself is still in wonderful condition. Sorry about the poor quality of the photos, but as the weather would not permit taking them out of doors they were the best that I could get taking them inside. It does not show in the photos, but the concave side of the blade shows clear markings of a metal plane or scraper being used to cut away and shape the metal. The wooden sheath this came with is also very simply made and other than the rattan bandings (that are in need of repair) does not exhibit any of the beautiful carving usually seen on these pieces. All comments and any information offered on this would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Robert