Rather than starting a new topic, and at the risk of reviving a thread that has long lain dormant, I've been pondering lately if the bichwa form could have developed as a knife specifically designed for archers.
The tightly fitting hilt with guard allows the weapon to be in one's right hand even while drawing a bow. This would then give the archer a close quarters blade to deploy if his position were overrun. Rather than having to pause to unsheathe another weapon, the bichwa would be at the ready even while acting as an archer.
I know the reference books speak of the bichwa being a preferred blade of assassins, and the like, because it could be easily concealed (which is true of any number of weapons), but also because it allowed the wielder to climb walls while having the blade drawn. I wonder if this utility may have served a more overt military function rather than a covert nefarious one.
Thoughts?
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