Possibly Chinese Pichok?

RobT · 1st May 2022, 06:25 PM

Hi All,

I just picked up this pichok from a local flea market. It appears to be very new and has "2001" (in Hindu/Arabic numerals) dot engraved on one side of the blade. That notwithstanding, there are some things that are intriguing about the piece.
The first thing that caught my eye is the sturdy construction. There is no backstrap. The tang tapers from over 1cm (over 3/8") thick at the butt to just over 4.76cm (over 1/8") at the base of the blade. The blade measures about 12.3cm (just under 4-7/8") long and also tapers distally. The butt and bolster halves appear to be solid brass not sheet. As you can imagine, the knife is heavy for its size (about 22.4cm, 8-7/8" OAL). The butt halves are held onto the tang by two steel rivets and bolsters are held on by one steel and one copper rivet. The center sections are horn and are held on by two copper rivets. As decoration, the horn scales have four dots which appear to be aluminum wrapped malachite plus a big pink disk (of unknown composition) between the dots. I am likewise unsure what the red dots in the brass are made of.
The second thing I noticed is the superb fit. Both the horn and the brass mate to the tang without gap. This is especially remarkable since the tang profile on the top is very different from the bottom profile.
But the thing that really surprised me is what appears to be Chinese characters engraved in brass on the blade. Is there a Chinese speaking Turkic group that uses pichok? Maybe the engraving on the blade and tang could provide a clue? I did a close-up of the writing. I doubt anyone can make it out but I would welcome a try. The sheath is leather and well made but, even though the knife fits, I am not sure it is original to the piece because the shape of the tip doesn't match the shape of the blade or the shape of other pichok sheaths I have seen. The tooling on the sheath sort of reminds me of Finnish designs.

Sincerely,
RobT

1st May 2022, 06:25 PM	#1
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 452	Possibly Chinese Pichok? Hi All, I just picked up this pichok from a local flea market. It appears to be very new and has "2001" (in Hindu/Arabic numerals) dot engraved on one side of the blade. That notwithstanding, there are some things that are intriguing about the piece. The first thing that caught my eye is the sturdy construction. There is no backstrap. The tang tapers from over 1cm (over 3/8") thick at the butt to just over 4.76cm (over 1/8") at the base of the blade. The blade measures about 12.3cm (just under 4-7/8") long and also tapers distally. The butt and bolster halves appear to be solid brass not sheet. As you can imagine, the knife is heavy for its size (about 22.4cm, 8-7/8" OAL). The butt halves are held onto the tang by two steel rivets and bolsters are held on by one steel and one copper rivet. The center sections are horn and are held on by two copper rivets. As decoration, the horn scales have four dots which appear to be aluminum wrapped malachite plus a big pink disk (of unknown composition) between the dots. I am likewise unsure what the red dots in the brass are made of. The second thing I noticed is the superb fit. Both the horn and the brass mate to the tang without gap. This is especially remarkable since the tang profile on the top is very different from the bottom profile. But the thing that really surprised me is what appears to be Chinese characters engraved in brass on the blade. Is there a Chinese speaking Turkic group that uses pichok? Maybe the engraving on the blade and tang could provide a clue? I did a close-up of the writing. I doubt anyone can make it out but I would welcome a try. The sheath is leather and well made but, even though the knife fits, I am not sure it is original to the piece because the shape of the tip doesn't match the shape of the blade or the shape of other pichok sheaths I have seen. The tooling on the sheath sort of reminds me of Finnish designs. Sincerely, RobT Attached Images