Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 15th January 2014, 05:05 PM

This truly has developed into a great discussion, and I'm glad this thread has been revived as it seems we are getting some excellent traction in examining the peculiarities of these fascinating swords. I would like to say that I sincerely appreciate the courtesy and candor you guys display in what are often considerably opposing views, and personally I would consider this discourse a discussion rather than 'debate'.
The purpose of debate is in my perception altogether different and is an exercise in presenting and defending with support , opposed views with the objective of having a winner and loser in more of a contest and display of skills in conflict.

Here I consider what we intend to achieve is fact finding and presenting plausible ideas and observations which add to the collective knowledge toward better understanding of the weapons we investigate.

In my own personal view, there are many potential answers here as to the zoomorphic figures represented on these examples of the 'kasthane' as with most weapon forms, the scope of variations is broad. There were no hard and fast rules or 'patterns' followed, though obviously there was a degree of set tradition as with these creatures, and these are interpretive as represented by the artisans over periods of time, different regions and nuanced desires of prospective clients for their arms.

As with many weapon forms which evolve into more vestigial forms with purposes outside the obviously combative origins, such as those which become court, dress or presentation swords, and in the cases in context of examples becoming religiously oriented for ceremony or votives...so too did the kasthane become more decorative and courtly.

It seems the first provenance example is that acquired in the Japanese voyage which returned to Japan in 1620. This embassy is of course well documented and while the sword itself was not acquired in Sinhala proper, but from Spanish source I believe. I am unclear on what location that interaction took place, but the distinct zoomorphic pommel head was in place by 1615 it would seem. As the sword was acquired by the Spanish royal court some time earlier, it would seem that kasthane of this form were present by at least late 16th c .

Looking into the extremely complex and diverse circumstances in then Sinhala gives numerous possibilities for the nature of the pommel heads and creatures on these swords, and it is interesting to note similar forms in South India and into the Deccan. If I am not mistaken many examples of swords remarkably similar to kasthane exist from Thailand and Deccan, among others . Perhaps these outer influences account for some of the variations in these pommel heads, and in some cases they are indeed makara, while some are lions. Deraniyagala (1942) notes the auspicious creatures and symbols favored for such decorative purposes, and the lion is distinctly noted, but among others and interestingly the makara is not mentioned.

I think that the complexity of the ethnic mix and infusions from the mainland in addition to the colonial circumstances later, as well as the diffusion of the form into the trade networks , truly makes any arbitary classification or exacting analysis of these zoomorphic forms virtually impossible. In the broad scope I believe each example must be considered on its own merits, and as mentioned, the nature of the creature represented may lead to clues on the origin of the sword as in the examples outside Sri Lanka.

15th January 2014, 05:05 PM	#183
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,738	This truly has developed into a great discussion, and I'm glad this thread has been revived as it seems we are getting some excellent traction in examining the peculiarities of these fascinating swords. I would like to say that I sincerely appreciate the courtesy and candor you guys display in what are often considerably opposing views, and personally I would consider this discourse a discussion rather than 'debate'. The purpose of debate is in my perception altogether different and is an exercise in presenting and defending with support , opposed views with the objective of having a winner and loser in more of a contest and display of skills in conflict. Here I consider what we intend to achieve is fact finding and presenting plausible ideas and observations which add to the collective knowledge toward better understanding of the weapons we investigate. In my own personal view, there are many potential answers here as to the zoomorphic figures represented on these examples of the 'kasthane' as with most weapon forms, the scope of variations is broad. There were no hard and fast rules or 'patterns' followed, though obviously there was a degree of set tradition as with these creatures, and these are interpretive as represented by the artisans over periods of time, different regions and nuanced desires of prospective clients for their arms. As with many weapon forms which evolve into more vestigial forms with purposes outside the obviously combative origins, such as those which become court, dress or presentation swords, and in the cases in context of examples becoming religiously oriented for ceremony or votives...so too did the kasthane become more decorative and courtly. It seems the first provenance example is that acquired in the Japanese voyage which returned to Japan in 1620. This embassy is of course well documented and while the sword itself was not acquired in Sinhala proper, but from Spanish source I believe. I am unclear on what location that interaction took place, but the distinct zoomorphic pommel head was in place by 1615 it would seem. As the sword was acquired by the Spanish royal court some time earlier, it would seem that kasthane of this form were present by at least late 16th c . Looking into the extremely complex and diverse circumstances in then Sinhala gives numerous possibilities for the nature of the pommel heads and creatures on these swords, and it is interesting to note similar forms in South India and into the Deccan. If I am not mistaken many examples of swords remarkably similar to kasthane exist from Thailand and Deccan, among others . Perhaps these outer influences account for some of the variations in these pommel heads, and in some cases they are indeed makara, while some are lions. Deraniyagala (1942) notes the auspicious creatures and symbols favored for such decorative purposes, and the lion is distinctly noted, but among others and interestingly the makara is not mentioned. I think that the complexity of the ethnic mix and infusions from the mainland in addition to the colonial circumstances later, as well as the diffusion of the form into the trade networks , truly makes any arbitary classification or exacting analysis of these zoomorphic forms virtually impossible. In the broad scope I believe each example must be considered on its own merits, and as mentioned, the nature of the creature represented may lead to clues on the origin of the sword as in the examples outside Sri Lanka.