Chinese Hudiedao knives

The ‘hudiedao’, commonly know as butterfly knives have their origin in China, besides military use, the ‘hudiedao’ was widely adopted among martial arts artists and many example were used by river pirates and even Chinese gangsters in the United States. The ‘hudiedao’ is a pair of cutting knives with brass of copper d-shaped guards and is seen in two versions. The thin blades examples with straight back edge and tapering cutting edge and the wide blades examples, also with a straight spine and less tapering cutting edge which usually rounds near the tip.

As mentioned besides the military, a large number of militias were also equipped with the ‘hudiedao‘ or so called ‘eight cutting knives‘. The knives were also highly appreciated by martial arts practitioners, who preferred the wide bladed types, due to their capability of handling and practice skills.

The hilts:
Made of brass with a D-shaped guard which has been riveted to the brass pommel cap and covering the forte of the blade with a small chiseled guard. The grips are made of buffalo horn slabs which have a carved ribbed midsection to provide a firm grip.

The blades:
Very functional, thick and razor sharp. Both blades have straight spines which narrow down towards the tip. The cutting edge tapers from the spine and is extremely sharp and slightly curved towards the tip. One blade has a minor deviation which could have been arose by use.

The pair comes with its original pig-skin leather scabbard.