A slightly unique Piha Kaetta

rand · 16th September 2007, 02:45 AM

Hey Derek,

Have always thought these knives from Ceylon to be intrinsically beautiful. The symetry of th blade followed by the flowing decoration on the handle often carved from ivory. They seem to be over looked by most collectors still, its nice to see someone forming a collection and gathering information on them. There is something breath taking about the knives from Ceylon, they touch on form, function and art all at the same time.

rand

derek · 16th September 2007, 01:53 PM

Rand,
Couldn't have said it better!

Maskell · 16th September 2007, 03:19 PM

Glad to see your still enjoying the pihas, actually I had 111 of them. Nice that they are appreciated. The re curved grips ones are scarce, I had a few and were referred to as a "dog leg"

Best,
Jerry

spiral · 16th September 2007, 04:12 PM

Thanks Derek, looks good.

mmmm I do ok for kukris I guess.

Spiral

scratch · 17th September 2007, 10:50 PM

Thanks for sharing these Derek

I thought these were a bit odd looking when I first saw them, I like them Now!
What sizes did these come in?
Cheers

Dan

Jim McDougall · 18th September 2007, 07:38 AM

These are indeed distinctive weapons, and it seems worthy to note the curious profile of the blade on the example in the initial post has a remarkable similarity to the Anglo-Saxon/Frankish seax and the larger scramasax. While these are quite early, they were used into the 15th century, more like machetes used in a chopping fashion.
Although admittedly a note based on free association, it does seem that I have heard the similarity brought up before.

derek · 19th September 2007, 04:02 AM

Hi Scratch,
They vary a lot, but most fall between 11-12 inches total length. There are many distinct styles and blade shapes. The wider blades like this example are very heavy for their size. I have a few that weigh over a pound and a half. I believe Artzi has one even heavier than that.

Hi Jim,
I like the comparison to the scramasax. I've often looked at the old scramasax blades and wondered what the entire piece looked like in its best day. You know, celtic/germanic/norse art used the kinds of intricate, organic patterns that were similar to sinhalese art. Imagine a scramasax decorated like a piha! Check this article for fun: http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_seax.html) It sort of goes against your assumptions, but seems entirely possible. In fact, if you a piha degraded down to just an old oxidized blade and tang, you would be hard-pressed to imagine it in it's presentation condition.
-d

16th September 2007, 02:45 AM	#1
rand Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 539	Piha Khata Hey Derek, Have always thought these knives from Ceylon to be intrinsically beautiful. The symetry of th blade followed by the flowing decoration on the handle often carved from ivory. They seem to be over looked by most collectors still, its nice to see someone forming a collection and gathering information on them. There is something breath taking about the knives from Ceylon, they touch on form, function and art all at the same time. rand

16th September 2007, 03:19 PM	#3
Maskell Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 38	Hi Derek Glad to see your still enjoying the pihas, actually I had 111 of them. Nice that they are appreciated. The re curved grips ones are scarce, I had a few and were referred to as a "dog leg" Best, Jerry

16th September 2007, 01:53 PM	#2
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	Rand, Couldn't have said it better!

16th September 2007, 04:12 PM	#4
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	Thanks Derek, looks good. mmmm I do ok for kukris I guess. Spiral

17th September 2007, 10:50 PM	#5
scratch Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 96	Thanks for sharing these Derek I thought these were a bit odd looking when I first saw them, I like them Now! What sizes did these come in? Cheers Dan

18th September 2007, 07:38 AM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,299	These are indeed distinctive weapons, and it seems worthy to note the curious profile of the blade on the example in the initial post has a remarkable similarity to the Anglo-Saxon/Frankish seax and the larger scramasax. While these are quite early, they were used into the 15th century, more like machetes used in a chopping fashion. Although admittedly a note based on free association, it does seem that I have heard the similarity brought up before.

19th September 2007, 04:02 AM	#7
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	Hi Scratch, They vary a lot, but most fall between 11-12 inches total length. There are many distinct styles and blade shapes. The wider blades like this example are very heavy for their size. I have a few that weigh over a pound and a half. I believe Artzi has one even heavier than that. Hi Jim, I like the comparison to the scramasax. I've often looked at the old scramasax blades and wondered what the entire piece looked like in its best day. You know, celtic/germanic/norse art used the kinds of intricate, organic patterns that were similar to sinhalese art. Imagine a scramasax decorated like a piha! Check this article for fun: http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_seax.html) It sort of goes against your assumptions, but seems entirely possible. In fact, if you a piha degraded down to just an old oxidized blade and tang, you would be hard-pressed to imagine it in it's presentation condition. -d