Chinese Fisherman's Knife

A flat little fish stands on its tail with a ring in its hair.

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. Slender fish-shaped body in warm reddish brown, with a round eye fitted with a bright metal boss and a fan-shaped tail. A dark strip runs down the back, ending in a curled hook above a loose ring. It is 9.5 inches wide and 2.5 deep.

Dressed for sea, hung up for display.