Strange knife making traditions? Like giving a coin with a knife as a gift

L

Londinium Armoury

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So I give knives away to family members as I assume most of you guys do.
When I gave a knife to my uncle and his household, he sent my cousin (His daughter) to me right after with a coin in her hand. My uncle has been a lifelong Judoka and practitioner of Japanese martial arts, and he told me to never give knives too people without accepting coin because it is bad luck.
So now everytime I give a knife to a family member I include a coin with it for them to return to me.
My cousins don't want to be sent around giving pennies out anymore.
Apparently this is a Japanese custom I have not researched it or read up in detail about the custom. But from what I can tell it has to do with the representation of severing and cutting bonds.
Do any of you guys know of any other strange customs, it doesn't have to be about giving knives, any strange customs would be interesting to ehar about, especially niche local ones, maybe only found in your town, state or province.
 
My wife's family did this as well ( went and got me a coin) when I gave both her grandfather and uncle a knife. Apparently they said if you give someone a knife you are cutting the ties of friendship. I've heard of, I want to say Japanese custom, of giving a rock (or something to sharpen the knife with) to show you are giving them a dull knife that won't cut the ties of friendship. So could be either way.
 
Down here in the south that’s been around forever. It doesn’t have to be a coin either. It can be anything, but a knife can’t be “given”. It has to be “bought or traded for” or it’s said it cuts the ties between the two people.

Usually when I give a knife to somebody they quickly toss me a quarter and that’s that.

That sending a coin with a knife for them to return to you sounds like bunk to me. It has to be something they own. Not something you already own and they return to you.🤨
 
AntDog said:
Down here in the south that’s been around forever. It doesn’t have to be a coin either. It can be anything, but a knife can’t be “given”. It has to be “bought or traded for” or it’s said it cuts the ties between the two people.

Usually when I give a knife to somebody they quickly toss me a quarter and that’s that.

That sending a coin with a knife for them to return to you sounds like bunk to me. It has to be something they own. Not something you already own and they return to you.🤨
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Well I was looking for ways around it, you know trying to loophole the curse if you will haha.
 
I'm not even remotely superstitious (knock on wood), but I think it's a fun little tradition to pass along. My problem is that I almost never remember to grab a coin when taking a knife to give to somebody, and almost nobody carries cash or coins anymore.
 
weo said:
Italy too??? Never hear that one, but my family wasn't 'into' knives.
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Yeah, my GF is sicilian and her mom was running for the coin when I gave her the knife, her brother as well. And I thougth it's a Slavic thing as well.. Would really like to know where does this custom come from and why it is considered such a bad luck to gift a knive.
 
FredyCro said:
my GF is sicilian
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ahhh...I wonder if that's it then, my relations are all from northern Italy.
No offense intended to your girlfriend (or any other Sicilian for that matter), but a phrase I heard numerous times from my Italian relatives while growing up in the Chicago area was something like: "Sicilians aren't real Italians, they're just Greeks who got lost while wandering the Mediterranean....":rolleyes: ;)
 
These are largely anecdotal, but I suppose most traditions are. I am quite interested in anything else this thread might offer up.

Anytime uncertainty exists, superstitions can take hold. The quench certainly fills that bill. Some traditions I'm aware of are the spirit shout (kiai) during the quench, the alignment of the blade to magnetic north, or more personal traditions of what to wear or what music to play during the operation. I play "metalachi" during forge welding. Just in case.

The fire starting traditions are also something that holds a bit of a cultural influence. Some light coal forges using fresh pine shavings, using fire from their home fireplace, or using whatever fire starting mechanisms are passed down in their community. Some even hammer small steel sections from cold until it gets hot enough to start the initial tinder (ie char cloth).

Japanese culture - of which I am not an expert - has many considerations that are tradition/etiquette/instructions. Such as how you hand a blade from one person to another and how you orient a blade while on display.

Giving blades a name has always been a thing.

Various cultures have a meaning behind when you unsheath a blade. It is often 'dormant' while in the sheath, and any time you take it from it's sheath it is meant to draw blood before being returned. Some more committed people will cut themselves before returning the blade to a sheath. I've heard people ascribe this to Sgian Dubhs and Katanas. Hence some makers will leave the blade out of the sheath while on display to avoid the repeated self-harm as people repeatedly ask to see it.

Blades are variously blessed in religious ceremonies. Blades are used to swear oaths on.

The exchange of coin seems rather prolific. I have heard it from a Ukranian and a Kazakh.
 
This is an interesting thread. I just heard about the coin thing recently too, but isn't there pretty much the exact opposite tradition in Finland about puuko knives, where they're given as a sign of a sincere friendship?
 
Michael Black said:
This is an interesting thread. I just heard about the coin thing recently too, but isn't there pretty much the exact opposite tradition in Finland about puuko knives, where they're given as a sign of a sincere friendship?
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I didn't know that, see this is exactly why I made this thread, to learn cool things like that. I never knew about the Puukko tradition, where's that frome xactly Finland, Sweden? or just general Nordic region thing?
 
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