Famous as a military fighting knife, the Kukri is the most commonly used multipurpose knife in the fields and homes of Nepal. Its use as a general purpose knife for everything from chopping wood and clearing brush to cutting meat and peeling vegetables disproves the myth that the knife cannot be sheathed until it has drawn blood.
The 256mm hollow ground blade has a thick, ridged spine, measuring 9mm at the forte and tapering to 7mm before narrowing sharply to a point. The blade is incised and inlaid with typical Nepalese tribal decoration and is in excellent condition and very sharp.
The blade has an unusual Cho at its base. The Cho is usually open and serves to stop blood, sap or other fluids from running onto the handle, making it slippery. The Cho is also believed to be a symbolic representation of a cows’ foot, a sacred animal to all Hindus. This blades’ Cho is closed; something that is not often seen. The extension of the blade protruding below the Cho serves the same purpose of allowing fluids to drip from the blade instead of running onto the grip.
The Rose wood hilt has a brass bolster and diamond shaped butt plate through which the tang is peened. The grip flares to a broader than usual ovoid at the base allowing the user a very good grip. The grip has some wear to the carved ridges but is in overall excellent condition. The blade is firm in the hilt.
The wooden, leather covered scabbard is in excellent condition and is complete with its traditional Karda (longer) and Chakmak (shorter). The Karda and unsharpened Chakmak are used as a utility knife and a sharpening tool respectively.
This is a very nice and good quality Nepalese Kukri dating to the 1960’s.
