Chinese Fisherman's Knife

Bright golden sickle on a long, dark, twisted tail.

This fisherman's knife is from Dongbei or Shan Xi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is iron, wood & horn. Hand-forged iron blades were shaped by a blacksmith through repeated heating and hammering, and the form of a tool usually followed the work it was made for. Thin curved golden form with a smooth finish and a dark metal edge peeking from the back. A looped, twisted cord stretches to the left, ending in a flat dark paddle. It is 11.75 inches wide and 1 deep.

Shiny at one end and quite shaggy at the other.