Chinese Fisherman's Knife

Chestnut minnow with a little ring in its nose and a pale fin.

This fisherman's knife is from Dongbei or Shan Xi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is iron, wood & horn. Knives of iron with wooden or horn handles were everyday tools in rural northern China, where they were used for cutting line, cleaning fish and general work. Compact, tapering body in warm brown with a fish-like head carved at the left, including a small round eye. A grey metal edge shows above, and a loose ring hangs from the front. It is 7 inches wide and 1.5 deep.

Pocket-sized, polished, and a little fishy.