Executioner's Khukuri ?

D

davidf99

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2011
Messages
2,651
I wonder if anyone can shed any light on this giant khukuri that I acquired recently. From its size and weight I can't see it having any practical use except perhaps for decapitations.

It is 25" long, weighs 42 oz, and has an elaborately engraved steel handle. The blade and handle have the same general shape as one of those Longleaf vintage khukuris from the late 1800s or early 1900s, except for the large size and the prominent steel ring on the handle.

All this is clearly seen in the photos. The wide fuller on each side of the blade is quite deep, but doesn't show very well in the photos because of the width. (You can see it best in the last photo below.) I've handled many khukuris and can attest that this one is very well made. The blade shows tiny nicks along its edge and very small pitting on the sides. Both blade and handle have a nice grayish patina that does show up in the photos. The pommel is also steel and is one piece with the handle.

The spine thickness is 7/16" from the bolster all the way to the bend, and from there tapers gradually toward the tip. The edge profile is fairly narrow, but I haven't measured the angle. There's still a lot of "meat" behind the edge, but this isn't designed as a heavy chopper.

The handle is very comfortable except for the exaggerated steel ring. At first it seemed that the ring would tear up the hand of anyone who didn't wear heavy gloves. Interestingly, I've discovered that the more I hold this blade the more my hand finds a way to shape itself around the ring, so now I can see someone using it without gloves, though it would be a strain. Anyway, a blade of this size and weight is hardly suited to chopping wood, hence my belief that it was intended for some kind of ritual work, or perhaps just as "functional art."

I've been unable to estimate the age of this thing. The patina seems to be natural and the design traditional. The handle is clearly high end, and the blade is very graceful, even the way the edge curves around toward the cho. The shaping and engraving of the handle must have required some sophisticated techniques, or perhaps modern machinery. Even if it was done by machine, someone put a lot of time and effort into it.

Here are some photos. In the full-length photo I show it next to my 29" HI Tarwar by Lokendra kami, for size comparison. The blade has no maker's mark, so I added that to the photo as well. Enjoy:









 
Last edited:
Very nice find, david!

Spiral is much better at these things, but i'll take a stab at it.
It is likely a sacrificial khukuri for use during the dashein festival.
By the patina, I would guess that it could be Victorian era. But as you know, without provenance these things are very and notoriously difficult to accurately pin down a date on.
The handle looks cast by the presence of the seam on the underside. Possibly cast right onto the tang itself.
Does it have a buttcap?
 
totally agree with karda-- that handle style screams early victorian I have a couple of blades and have seen several at auction with a similar artwork and they are all from the early victorian which I think is 1850? -- and most big khukuri like this had solid steel handles , so I think its a good antique
 
By that seam on the bottom of the handle I'd say that is a formed sheet steel grip-the decoration may even be repoussé work rather than cut engraving. That part of the world produces some amazing sheet work.
Blade looks like shear steel or blister steel-so +1 on the Victorian date, and the Dashain theory. Although i suppose you could fight with it as long as there was a shield involved...
 
Looks like everyone has already nailed some pretty good ideas. As for the ring, it really has to be that large. Think of the force generated by the swinging of something that size/weight. It would easily pull out of the hand without the extra size support of the ring. Also remember your hand is probably significantly larger than the one it was made for so the ring probably worries your hand in places the original owner wouldn't have. About where is the balance point? Guessing far forward near the flattest part of the edge, so that the full weight of the blade pulls into the swing but with those fullers might be wrong. Definately appears to be a blade made for some heavy duty work.

On another note. Anyone here hear about the changes the 1st bat. Royal Gurkhas made to their dashain sacrifices while in Afghanistan last couple years? Sacrificing WATERMELONS?? Has that become standard or is that sort of make do with what you got in a warzone thing? Just read about it a little bit ago but forgot until Dashain was mentioned just now.

Congratulations on a seriously awesome acquisition.
 
Shavru said:
...Anyone here hear about the changes the 1st bat. Royal Gurkhas made to their dashain sacrifices while in Afghanistan last couple years? Sacrificing WATERMELONS?? Has that become standard or is that sort of make do with what you got in a warzone thing? Just read about it a little bit ago but forgot until Dashain was mentioned just now...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads-up; figured there must be a video out there and there was.
Gurkhas using a khukuri for the ceremonial sacrifice of a... watermelon:

[video=youtube_share;LSVgylfHbhA]http://youtu.be/LSVgylfHbhA[/video]
 
Sweet! Very cool. I'd love to hang out with those guys for awhile.
 
Gotta make do with what ya got! Nice big ol Khuk! Isnt the Makers mark supposed to be on the left?
 
Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I'm delighted to learn that this blade might date back to the Victorian era. Makes me wonder how it was stored all that time, since there's no visible rust. Believe it or not, this is exactly how it came to me. I did no cleanup whatsoever. I suppose the patina helped prevent rust, but someone must have had the blade packed away very well, and perhaps in a dry climate.

Karda: In response to your question, I've added a photo of the butt plate It is attached seamlessly to the handle and is of the same steel. Tested with a magnet.

Close examination tells me that the narrow part of the handle (from the ring to the butt) was probably put on last and either soldered or welded to the rest. I can't be sure how thick the steel is in the handle, but I suspect that it is the same as the two disk-shaped pieces that make up the ring.

I don't know what's under the steel. but it feels very solid, so my guess is that it's a thick steel shell over hardwood. It looks to be an airtight assembly, so a good piece of wood would last forever under there.

I think J.W. is right: "By that seam on the bottom of the handle I'd say that is a formed sheet steel grip-the decoration may even be repoussé work rather than cut engraving. That part of the world produces some amazing sheet work." The handle decoration is definitely not engraved, more like bas relief, thus repousse work.

Shavru: The balance point is about 5" front of the bolster, or 2" back of the bend in the spine. I don't think this blade was designed for repetitive heavy work and certainly not as a weapon. It's way too unwieldy for that and while the handle is a good size it's not long enough to use two-handed. That's why I think it was used ceremonially, perhaps to decapitate a goat or even a buffalo, where the user would only have to make a few big swings, then put it away until the next festival. The tiny nicks in the blade -- which you can barely see in the photos -- are spread out over a very long sweet spot, almost from the tip to the bend. Like maybe from going through living bone or joints, but not what you'd expect from chopping wood.

I tried running a file lightly along the edge to test for hardness, but I couldn't feel any difference from one part of the edge to another. However, I don't have any experience with this test and I didn't want to push it too much.

This blade needs a sheath to keep it safely confined. Not so much for carrying, since I can't think of any place where it would be lawful or practical to lug this thing around. I think I'll try my hand at making an open-face wooden sheath that can be held or mounted on the wall. Someone posted photos of such a sheath where the blade sits in a cutout cradle and is held in place by straps or wooden slats running across the front.

Also, the blade needs a name. I haven't named any other knife, but I also haven't had one as old as this probably is. I have a hammer-type club from Fiji that I call Mjolnir (of course). I think I'll call this one Skullsplitter.
 
Last edited:
Pretty sure it's harder to get a watermelon than a goat in the 'stan lol...new army might be a bit squeamish. the Gurkhas I knew in Kosovo and the sandbox were pretty cool.
 
Ha! How bout "Ghoat Buster"! Skull splitter definitely works! Congrats David Im jealous of your find!
I dont know JW but I bet a C130 could drop a helluva lot of mellons in the stans? They might be juice tho?
 
ndoghouse said:
Gotta make do with what ya got! Nice big ol Khuk! Isnt the Makers mark supposed to be on the left?
Click to expand...

I think the Maker's Mark should just be in the trash:p
As a bourbon lover, I find it lacks any character whatsoever;)

A khuk like that deserves a single barrel small batch:)
 
I have nothing to contribute to this thread other than "Awesome khukri" and "Makers Mark is flavorless and overpriced". Then again I drink Old Grand Dad so what do I know.
 
Close inspection of the third photo will show that the bottle of Makers Mark is unopened. I've never tasted the stuff, just bought it for the label, since Skullsplitter lacks a makers mark.

By the way, the Tarwar in that photo has a very thick blade and weighs a monstrous 59 oz. I should have named it Skullsplitter. Maybe I will. It's ok to use the same name for two different kinds of things. You can have a mustang horse and a Mustang car, so why not a Skullsplitter Khukuri and a Skullsplitter Tarwar?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top