The Realm of the Dark Blade

So I’m sure many of you have noticed the recent trend knife makers have been following, where the word “ninja” is added to the name of a knife to somehow add to it’s coolness… While I think ninjas are indeed cool, labeling a sword that has little, if anything, in common with a traditional ninja weapon is just… Lame.

But here we are, looking at just such a blade. Once again, I am faced with a painfully unavoidable truth… Sometimes marketing/sales people can be utter and complete morons. No offense intended for the non IQ challenged sales folk among you, of course. Please allow me to present: Exhibit… Q.

Full Tang Ninja Sword

Now this, ladies and germs, is supposed to be a “Full tang ninja sword with a curved edge and a tanto point”. Alrighty then. So lets see. Curved edge. Check. Full Tang. Check. Tanto point… Errrrm… partial Check. Ninja sword… Wait… Come again? This is supposed to be a “ninja” sword? Orly? By what brain work, pray tell, is this a ninja sword? Intoxicated brain work? High brain work? Interpretation by fried braincells? What?

Now that I think about it, this would actually make for an excellent anti-drug commercial. I can just see it now…

This sword has absolutely nothing to do with Ninjas. But on meth, It does. Kids, don’t do drugs, Mmmmkay?

Yeah… Anyway, what was I saying? Ah. Yes. Sales morons. I mean honestly.

Now don’t get me wrong. I actually love this sword. It is absolutely sweet. An evil short sword, with a rather nasty looking point, a unique concave edge, and a set of contoured plastic scales, bolt-slapped upside the multi-choil equipped, full tang grip. Yes, you heard correctly. Plastic scales. Yes, yes, I admit it, it’s not a perfect blade. But cheap scales are easily fixed. No, really, It’s not that bad…

OK, maybe it is. But I actually still like this sword. Quite a lot. It’s simple, it’s clean, and most importantly, it looks like it takes itself quite seriously. Drow seriously, in fact. I could totally see a dark elf, a Drow, wielding something like this. Having, of course, replaced the cheap scales with some nice ebony slabs. But again, I’m rambling.

The point is, this yet another great sword whose fine name has been sullied by the unnecessary association with a completely unrelated cultural reference. Regardless how cool that reference may be, (and believe me, Ninjas are as cool as they get) it was still unnecessary.

I’m thinking I may need to adopt one of these, just to teach it that it is ok to be who it is. It’s a fighter. It really doesn’t need to be associated with ninjas to be cool. It should be proud of it’s heritage… Such as it may be.

Hey, hey, hey…!  I heard that. You really ought not judge… :/

Full Tang Ninja Sword – [True Swords]

Today I have a set of yet more crossover blades. Like most of the others, these knives feature qualities from different cultures, melded together to form beautiful harmoniously wicked looking blades. I refer to the work of Wally Hayes, of Hayes Knives. I suppose I ought to stop flappin’ mah trap, and show you a few pics:

Damascus Dagger - Broad Spear Point

Now this is what I am talking about. The astute among you may have noticed that this little dagger bears traits from three separate cultures. OK, so let’s play a little sleuthing game. Who wants to take a stab at guessing which ones?… Don’t worry, I’ll wait…

*whistling*…

*taps hooves*…

*facepalm*

OOOOK, that’s about enough of the waiting thing.

I’m sure many of you guessed Asia, as the first culture, and you would be correct. The tsuka, guard and habaki  are all Asian in origin. However the other two flavors are a little harder… Actually that’s not entirely true. This here dagger has a damascus blade. That one should be easy… Yeah. really…. Oh, come on… Ok, ok. The damascus betrays the  Middle Eastern genes in this blade. Right? From Damascus…? Got it?  Good.

Now, last but not least, the shape of the blade itself is neither traditionally Japanese, nor Middle Eastern. Both far and middle eastern blades generally feature curved blades. This blade, carries European lines. And there is our trilogy of genes. And a beautiful child it is too…

If you got all three, you may proceed to pat yourself on the back. Yes, you may sprain your arm in order to do so if necessary. I’ll allow it. Just this once. Feel the burn? Good. Here’s another example:

Damascus Dagger - Fine Spear Point

How about we up the ante. Eh? Try and be a little more specific? What do you think…? This one should be easy, it’s pretty much almost the same as the other… Ok, well here’s my take…

The Tsuka and Guard are almost definitely Asian. Japanese, to be precise. No habaki, like the other one, but these are all hybrid knives, so I’m gonna let that slide. The blade is, again, Damascus, can’t really be precise about it’s origin without a metallurgical analysis, so i’ll leave it at that. The blade shape on the other hand, almost definitely European. I’d guess late British, if I were a betting creature…

Now here’s another interesting piece:

The Predater

Talk about mixed messages! This knife looks like a cross between a Ka-bar, and a tanto. A hybrid westernized tanto at that. The grip features a simple tsuka-maki, running up to a simple stubby upturned guard, and on into a polished, rather beefy looking straight blade, with what looks like it could be a false back edge all running into a hybrid clip tanto point.

Hard to tell from the pic. But it certainly looks like it means “bidness”.

Finally, here’s another quite interesting short sword, for obvious reasons called the “Waki”:

The Waki

For those of you wondering why the name is obvious, it may help to know that the japanese have a short sword called the Wakizashi, that is traditionally worn as a pair with a full size Katana. This sword is just the right size, so I presume that is why it was given a contracted form of the name.

Lacking a guard and habaki, this blade might be troublesome to wield in combat, however from an aesthetic standpoint… Whoa… I think it just got a little hot in here…

I have but one concern though. I don’t rightly know if the “Waki” was really the most dignified name to give this particular blade. But to be fair, a curvy blade of dark swirling damascus would, by any other name, would still look just as beautiful…

What more can I say… It’s a thing of beauty…

The Waki and friends – [Hayes Knives]

Today is a good day. Sinza, a buddy of mine, who started the Exotic Automatic forums we run, (http://exoticautomatic.com Go check it out!!) ran into a very interesting blade, and was kind enough to give me a heads up! And I gotta tell ya, this is an exotic beauty of a blade. Born of classic knife blood. My kind of heritage… Yeah…

Allow me to introduce you to a unique stiletto from Burn Knives. A stiletto of mixed blood. African, Asian, and European. They call it an 11″ Italian picklock stiletto in random patterned damascus with a hollow ground tanto blade. *I* call her Aidemona. For reasons which may not be obvious right now. But I assure you, I will explain. And here she is:

Aidemona - 11" Italian Picklock Stilletto, Damascus steel, Tanto Blade

Isn’t she beautiful? I have always been a fan of stilettos. Beautiful, narrow, usually single edged blades, automatics with will of their own, an a undeniable presence. And this one, while a major departure from traditional stiletto design, is all the more attractive to me for it’s differences. Such sweet differences… OK… I guess I ought to stop marveling at her beauty and introduce her properly. Meet Aidemona.

Aidemona - Left Side

Aidemona - Bolster, Guard

I call this knife Aidemona in homage to several characters from Shakespearian literature. Specifically the tragic work, Othello. In it, we have the Venetian beauty Desdemona, who falls in love, and elopes with Othello, a moor, a man of color. In my mind I imagine that if they had a daughter, she would have been called Demona. A child of mixed Italian and African blood. A stiletto in dark damascus steel.

Aidemona - Right Side

Aidemona - Liner filework

But Aidemona is yet so much more than that. What if Demona had traveled to Asia, and hooked up with a Japanese man? A Samurai of noble blood? What would their daughter look like? Well, this is who I imagine Aidemona to be. An strong, exotic beauty with a proud Italian stiletto heritage, a Japanese blade, and beautiful dark damascus skin… A melding of cultures so far apart, into something… breathtaking.

Aidemona - Blade

Aidemona - Blade, Right Side, Point

Perhaps I am biased. I have always loved tanto blades. Their strong, utilitarian lines, and the pure strength of that point design. I have also always loved automatics. And what type of blade is more deserving to be the proud ambassador of automatic knives than the Italian Stiletto? I can’t think of any better. And of course, I love dark knives. Dark blued steel, patterned damascus, they look better to me than the million other shiny flashy blades out there. So you can probably imagine how knives like Aidemona make me feel.

Aidemona - Spine filework

Aidemona - Pommel filework

And just look at the fit and finish on this blade. Sweet, jet black onyx stone scales, the intricate file work along the spine, liners and pommel of the grip, the skull safety, and the mother of pearl button… A functional, beautiful but, oh, so evil looking work work of art. I love it. I would propose to her, except I have so many girlfriends now, I think it would surely mean my demise…

Aidemona - Mother of Pearl Button, Skull Safety

Aidemona - Closed - Right Side

I think I’m going to just go back and spend the rest of the day just drooling over her from afar…

11″ Italian Picklock Stiletto, Tanto Blade, Black Damascus – [Burn Knives]

And just in case you are wondering, no, I am not talking about a tool kit for little ninjas. Though, as a side note, I am sure they do exist and are just as deadly as their larger counterparts. But no, they will not be the topic of today’s post. Rather I will be talking about ninja weapons. I’m sure you have all seen those gazillion piece ninja sword sets, that have hira shuriken in the guards, small knives, throwing spikes, and blinding powder in the saya, etc. etc, etc. Well, today I ran into a small scale version of that kit. the Ninja Battle Tanto set:

Ninja Tanto Battle Set

Yessiree, everything the aspiring ninja might need for a little clandestine action, all in an ultra mobile, compact form factor. Now technically, I think it is inaccurate to call this a “battle” set, since to my knowledge, Ninjas are not traditionally known to engage in “battle” in a traditional sense. They were more the special forces/guerrilla type, experts in asymmetrical warfare. So I prefer to call this the Ninja “tool kit”

And it’s got lots of cool tools. in addition to the cool little jet black, full tang tanto, with a push dagger hidden in the pommel, it’s got a sweet little sheath that holds three bo shuriken, and a small compartment for Tashibishi (aka Caltrops) that could be thrown on the ground to dissuade any pursuers eager to expedite your demise at the completion of a mission.

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of excessive amalgamated accessorization. Putting too many things in one place can cause problems. I can see those bo shuriken getting caught on things as you walked by, maybe even interfering with the deployment of the knife, so I’d probably find a better less snag-likely place to put them. And the same goes for the caltrops box. It’s a cool idea, but I think it would hinder any kind of low profile knife carry. It would also get relocated.

However the push dagger in the grip ois a nice touch, and I really do like the profile of the blade on this tanto. It has the traditional tanto profile, with a false edge which would give it a great combination of both cutting and thrusting ability. Pretty cool design. So, Do a little trimming and relocation of the sheath accessories, and Voila! A nice little ninja EDC kit.

Just the kind of thing any enterprising ninja might need.

Ninja Tanto battle set tool kit – [True Swords]

OK, so maybe I’m waxing a little poetic here, but I ran into a knife not too long ago, that looked a heckuvalot like the Spiderman Tanto… Except in black. With talons. And, of course, it is modeled after Spider-Mans latest nemesis, the space symbiote called Venom. But here… see for yourself:

Spider's Fury Tanto - Venom Black

LOL… This looks cool. A whole lot cooler than the original Spider-Man tanto it is based on. But the irony here, is that much like my previous post on the Spider-Man tanto, there almost seems no real reason to make a Spidey knife, as Spider-Man really isn’t a knife guy in any kind of way. Now the Green Goblin, on the other hand, is all about bladed weapons. Just look at his his blade equipped glider, his arm blades and his flying pumpkin blades of death, just to name a few

But more relevant to the knife in question is that Venom isn’t by any means a knife user. In fact Venom is much more a hands on, mano-a-mano kind of creature. But I digress.

The point is, it’s funny how the cutlery industry will forcibly make a blade, often times quite mediocre ones at that, to capitalize on the success of a movie series, regardless of how unrelated it is to the knife industry. I’m almost surprised there isn’t a “Tickle Me Elmo” knife…

No, really… Why Isn’t there a Tickle Me Elmo Knife?

Spiders Fury Tanto -Venom Black – [True Swords]

LOL, no. Before you ask, this knife has nothing to do with either Harley Davidson motorcycles or powered ultralight aircraft. It does, however have something to do with firearms. Sorta. In a kind of round about way. OK, maybe to say that is a bit of a reach. But it is manufactured by a well know firearms manufacturer, so that’s got to count for something right?

Smith & Wesson Black Tanto Power Glide Folding Knife

So yes, this is the Smith & Wesson Black Tanto Power Glide folder. A rather cool folder if you ask me, primarily for mechanical reasons. Not that it’s a slouch in the aesthetics department either. Sporting an all black, clip point westernized tanto blade, and an equally black aluminum handle with black inserts, it is certainly the kind of knife that would accessorize well…

But the coolest part of this folder is the folding mechanism. The blade actually folds downwards and inwards between the grip halves. As I mentioned earlier it is not an entirely unique idea by any means. A similar design is used in the pantographic knife, more commonly referred to as the Paratrooper knife, though there is ironically no evidence to suggest it was ever used by paratroopers.

The Pantographic Folding Knife

But it too folds the down knife between the handles, guiided by a collar, to which both handles are attached. The difference between this knife and the patnrographic knife, is that rather than using folding grips, the Smith & Wesson version uses solid single piece half grips, and using a gear set within a modified pantographic mechanism, it slides the entire blade down into the grip. A much stronger design, in my opinion.

Overall a very cool folder design. Certainly one I think I’ll be adding to my collection…

Smith & Wesson Black Tanto Power Glide Folder – [True Swords]

I recently came across a very cool, very traditional Japanese knife. In fact, this particular style of knife has an interesting history, rooted hand in hand with the development of Japanese sword smithing. Given that few, if any, of my prior posts talks about Japanese knives, I thought it would be a good time to introduce you to the Tantō:

Dragon Tanto

[view full size]

Now this is a sweet knife. I have always liked Tantōs. They seemed to always have that cool combination of straight lines and sharp points that intrigue me. However I was surprised to find out that the design I liked so much was decidedly not a traditional tantō design. The Dragon Tantō, and it’s ilk, are in fact a “Westernized” design, a fusion of Japanese and Western knife aesthetics.

Traditional tantōs were developed along side the famous Japanese sword. Most sword makers of the day were also tasked with making knives as well. The tantō was designed to be used as a short sword, worn alongside a Katana, in a samurais belt. It could be used to parry an attackers blows or pierce armor at short range. It was not just simply another knife. Below is a more traditional tantō design. You can see how this resembles the top end of a sword, rather than a kitchen or hunting knife.

Samurai Tantō

[view full size]

In fact though they were technically not designed to be used that way, there are some tantōs that are simply broken swords whose blades have been appropriately shortened where necessary, and been refitted with a new hilt. Or flawed blades with the flawed sections cut off and re-tasked for short sword duty.

The aesthetic differences between a westernized and a traditional tantō are actually quite significant. As opposed to the traditional design of a short smoothly swept sword tip, the westernized tantō incorporates a drop/clip point, an almost straight spine, and a very sharp angle from the blade to the point.

A little less obvious, is how the design has evolved to fit it’s new purpose. The original tantō was designed to be a stabbing tool that could also be used to make cuts. The gradual taper of the point and was design to facilitate this, while the smooth curve of the blade and equally smooth transition to point provided the maximum cutting edge for a slash.

The westernized tantō, on the other hand, is designed to be an all around multi-purpose tool. The clip point gives it a lot of piercing strength, as does the straight, thick blade. Overall the design is pretty flexible, and would allow both stabbing, cutting, shaving, whittling, carving, etc. Many of these tasks the traditional tantō was not designed to fulfill.

Though it’s flexibility is a plus, I have to admit, my main attraction to the dragon tantō is it’s aesthetics. And, keeping with tradition, the hilt of this particular knife has received very traditional looking Japanese sword grip and fittings. The handle is wrapped with nylon braid over simulated ray skin.

The final, really cool thing I like about both of these tantōs, especially given that you never see it in traditional tantō design: They both come in black…

Full Tang Dragon Tantō – [True Swords]

Full Tang Samurai Tantō – [True Swords]