Famous as a military fighting knife, the Kukri is the most commonly used multipurpose knife in the fields and homes of Nepal. It is used as a general purpose knife for everything from chopping wood and clearing brush to cutting meat and peeling vegetables.
The 314mm heavy blade has a thick, ridged spine, measuring 9mm for most of its length before narrowing sharply to a point. The blade is incised and inlaid with typical Nepalese tribal decoration and is in good condition, clearly showing the forging marks. The blade retains a sharp edge and has lost around 3mm from its tip during its working life.
The wooden hilt flares to a broader than usual ovoid at the base allowing the user a very good grip. The grip has some use related wear to the carved ridges and is in great condition with a beautiful dark patina. The steel bolster is nicely decorated with an incised toothed pattern. The blade is firm in the hilt.
The slightly later wooden, leather covered scabbard was made for this kukri and is in excellent condition. The scabbard houses a traditional Karda (longer) and Chakmak (shorter). The Karda blade measures 143mm and is very sharp, it is an excellent all-purpose utility knife. The iron Chakmak is used as a fire-lighting tool and for sharpening the kukri and karda blades. A pouch on the scabbard holds a piece of flint and some tinder for fire lighting.
This is a very good and complete Nepalese Kukri dating to the first quarter of the 20th Century.
