Japanese Kephart?

Yes it looks similar at first glance. Except that a Makiri is single beveled and has it's roots in the Ainu, the original inhabitants of Japan and Fareastern Russia, so it was probably around several hundred years before the state of Pennyslvania.
 
Honestly, the design is so plain and basic that I feel one would be making quite a stretch to say it's overly similar to another knife. Is there a comparable Kephart model that makes this seem suspicious in any way, or am I misinterpreting the theme of the thread?
 
I meant nothing ominous, gents. Likely just a coincidental similarity. Could Horace have seen one thus his inspiration? It sure does look thicker through the center length of the blade. It also bears a passing resemblance to Puukkos whose origins date back 1000 years. It's only idle speculation on my part.

Also coincidentally, my DNA analysis came back with Ainu in my past. My father was hāfu. His father's family came from Yamagata-ken. Felicitous connection. So I ordered one for kicks.

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Yes, we are all human and there are only a finite number of designs and shapes that can be conceived to accomplish the task and suit our hands, so there will always be examples like this. While in some cases certain common traits can determine a "link" historically, geographically or culturally, I seriously doubt there is one in this one.

That is "very cool" to find Ainu DNA. All Japanese today have some Ainu DNA, which along with Okinawans are the closest to the first original inhabitants, the Jomon people who are believed to have lived in Japan as early as 10,000 BC. So anyone who has Japanese DNA up the family tree chain will likely show this.

I was in Hokkaido a couple of years ago and found a treasure trove of Ainu historical pieces in Akanko. Some photos below.
The Ainu did not have steel working knowledge so the blades themselves were acquired from the Japanese in the south through trade. But they were good wood workers so all the other parts the Ainu created themselves giving them a distinct look.
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Interesting. I didn’t have time to get that far north on my last couple trips but would like to. I don’t currently have plans to return. But perhaps.

Current migration theories include the Multi Regional Evolution origin hypothesis. Migration eastward from Nordic countries across the steppes to the Far East would have included what they brought with them. Tools and genes among them. Who knows?
 
For no other reason than the blade shape a hori hori gardeners knife is also similar. Which I thought of when seeing a Kephart the first time.
 
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