Possible insight into oldschool khukuri technique

J W Bensinger

J W Bensinger

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I've been looking for this woodcut for a while- saw it in college and never acquired even an electronic copy. We all know how little info there is on fighting with the khukuri other than "yell really loud and go for the neck"-this pic (and the attached article, which is new to me as of this AM) confirm something I had suspected: that the principle of attacking the incoming attack, rather than "blocking" was alive and well in pre-modern firearm Nepalese martial culture. The Japanese do it, the Filipinos and Indonesians do it...the text of the article explains my theory faster than I can reiterate it, but the woodcut was what got me thinking back in college- note the visibly wrecked front paw of the (poor kitty) tiger:image.jpg
And here's the article itself:
http://www.arco-iris.com/George/ghurka_wood.htm
Given the khukuris usual weight ( and my experiments with my Gelbu) I imagine it's based almost entirely on timing and not on speed. Especially when used on tigers...
 
excellent post and very informative, the technique of hunting tigers would be pretty naturally applied to people with weapons
 
Thanks! I suspect it may have been the other way around...and definately a "i'm going but you are too kitty" proposition.
Possibly accompanied by the traditional cry of "ohnonononono" given when attacked by a tiger when armed only with a big knife...:)
 
Interesting reading. About all I can say is that you'd better get a solid swipe in with a VERY sharp knife the first time the animal gets within reach. The kuk is such a heavy blade that you might not be able to wield it as quickly as needed to dispatch the big cat. Then again, there were some incredibly talented warriors that had the ability to do wonders with the curved blade. Their legendary ability is for the most part, lost in history as we have scant evidence save for anecdotal tales and dusty woodcuts. I wonder how many men were lost to such huge cats?

As I have chimed in before: I always felt that the original bowie knife was a thin, semi-flexible knife of butcher-style origin. The long blade could be moved rapidly. Change of direction was of little issue, hence a talented fighter could wreak havoc with this twelve inch razor blade. I suspect some of the vintage kuks were a bit thinner (although not much) but had the T back configuration allowing for rigidity of the spine while not being too bulky. An unwieldy blade of any ilk could have had a terrible effect on the soldier.
 
My feeling from doing test cuts on lotsa stuff, some wrapped in other stuff ( :p ) is that if it's furry you need to either have a perfect edge and perfect strike or hit it in the head. Hard. Even deer hair can impede a cut pretty well.
 
The illustration of Woods' "kookery" referred to in the text:
 

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Now that is a longleaf. Looks like a lambenth (sp?) as well. Berkley, how heavy are those generally? I imagine they have substantial distal taper (that's how I would make one) but I've never handled one.
I had meant to mention in my original post that English and European martial systems do the stop-cut-to-the-attacking-limb thing as well-pretty common in the Dussack manuals.
 
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I seem to remember an illustration of the actual strike against the paw as well. Am I imagining that?
 
The entire book is online:LINK. I don't remember seeing that illustration, but am currently able to see with only one eye so can't check it.
Similar kukris are in the one ounce per inch range.
 
amazing story.

A typical human is such an easy pray for a full grown tiger. I wonder if the charging tiger is as cautious as it would be with a more challenging meal.

I've heard native american tribes taking bears out with nothing but a knife as a rite of passage for young men.
But a Tiger... woaw, that takes mammoth balls and serious skills.
 
Here's the text that goes with the illustration.

books


books
 
I suspect it was not "hunting tigers" as much as "oh bugger! A tiger!". The sequence Wood describes is exactly the same response to a human trying to whack you with something.
When I first saw this 25 years ago I had never read the text, but you could see the reaching paw was cut. Got me wondering if it was the result of a stop-cut and Lo! It was.
I think with the coming of cartridge guns some of this may have been lost in the shuffle.
 
I also think the cut to the back of the neck was the favorite because whether you cut through the fur or not, the vertebrae are still going to take a lot of force in a very small area. Like chainmail- you cane take a blow (or shark bite) in mail and be medically severed, without breaching the mail.
 
Nice, JW, thanks for finding the woodcut.
Very good additional stuff, guys.
Wow! That would suck. I sure hope if a Tiger was chasing me that there would be one of those waterfall/cliff jumps to save your life you see in movies...:P.

I've always believed that having a fist full of big steel would be the only, slim chance against something huge like a tiger or bear. You sure better make it count. That paw technique is scary. I've fed big cats working at a zoo years ago. The big cats were freaking scary behind cages. IMO

Mark
 
Very interesting article, thank your for sharing. Do we know if the Ghukras still use the "striking upward" method described in that article?

After handling a few antique large knives/small swords from other parts of the world, you really come to respect what a wrecking ball a khukri is. Most 10 inch blades seem to be designed to be light and fast - you could slash somebody's skin open or poke a few holes in their vittles, and you could do it very quickly. It'd be good enough in a duel or defending yourself from muggers, but you'd probably have to hit your target in exactly the right place in exactly the right way to put them down. Not to mention that they'd probably have enough time to strike you back before they expire if they chose not to retreat. And I don't see those ridiculously overbuilt bowie-styles knives that might weigh as much as a khukri as being any more effective. The blade shape and balance doesn't seem right to efficiently convert all that extra weight into actual damage.

But hit somebody with a khukri and you're no longer talking about superficial injuries. You're cutting through skin, meat and maybe even bone. Or at least cracking some bones. It's like a combination of a knife, an axe, and a lead pipe all in one.
 
It's true. I have to say, though, that it seems that the opposite end of the spectrum (same length, light and thin/distal tapered) can be devastating. A 10oz. camp knife with a 9-10" blade will also break bones and actually remove things.
The big khuks are something, though. I would feel comfortable parrying anything short of a digging bar with my Gelbu.
 
Have to remember that kitties are wicked fast. My house cat got tired of me petting it last night and it lashed out with a paw and hooked me where the fingers meet the palm. Had it been a big kitty my arm probably would have been gone before a Khuk entered my mind. Truth be told the Khuk entered my mind the rest of the evening, it hurt like a mother!

I'll leave the kitty hunting with knives to the more adventurous amongst us. I'll stick with death from afar. Maybe a Rigby, net to land cruiser with the engine running and perhaps super charged. Ok I'm a coward.
 
I second that, Gehazi.
I have no need for a dead tiger, and I'm not gonna eat it. Ergo, tigers and their ilk are safe from me.
 
He He! I third that! If im in that situation its already too late! Stick a fork in me! Big Pussycat wins!
 
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