Developing a fascination with KC Nepal Khukuris

Now there are a load of Khuk´s around on the market. Some are decent, some are of subterranean quality, so to say. And some are legendary, and some deserve to be. In my humble opinion, the folks at the tiny Kathmandu smithy KC Nepal qualify. Talk is cheap.

Watch.

Enjoy.

And find their website here: www.nepalkhukuri.com

Also take note that I am not getting paid to say this, even if some of you may sense a bit of fish odour ;-). But these folks do it with a passion. They burn for what they do, they work hard, under circumstances most European smiths would mock at. People make fun of me because I use salvaged spring steel and other materials and not some heebie-jeebie-goobalahbah unobtanium steels, and they mock at me for using my hammer, my tongs and not much more, they laugh at me because I do not have hundreds and thousands of money to spend on tempering ovens and wuptity controllers ;-).

Fact is, it´s true. I don´t have the money, of course. But that is not all there is. It does not matter. If you don´t understand the passion, the fire and the fierce desire to always get better, you will not understand. I am fascinated by these guys, not because they are the "significant other". Not even by the quality of their knives, nor the bargain prices they offer. Even if I have little money, I would pay more for their work.

I am just a mere hobbyist, an amateur. But these guys do this shit for a living... and still yet, they burn with a fierce passion for their work. Even if I work with simple tools... I cannot even compare to them. It is not in the equipment, it´s in the mastery of the equipment you have.

Those who know me and have followed my blog know that I don´t just do "Tribal knifemaking" as a mere fashion fad (oh, yes, there ARE people around like that), but had the privilege to have had, one must sadly say, several "true" "tribal" knifemakers (they would whack me if they knew I called them thus) as tutors, the late Mielenko Bednarcz from St. Petersburg and Viktor Paukow, a smith from Kazakhstan, who was a tutor of mine from 2004 until 2014, both of which taught me a lot with sparse words, some brawls, a bit of Vodka and a lot of making me watch in awe.It was definitely no formal training I received. What they taught me, first and foremostly, is respect. 

And thusly, it is not that I would not, with a bit of time and preparation, be able to make a knife that would do similar things. It is not that it is about the "product". It is a matter of respect and modesty.

I don´t like the words, but for me it is part of Bushido. I don´t like the words, because they seem not to apply. Maybe you can see it that way: We live on a planet, and there are several different kinds of human beings on it. Some do what they want, some do what they can, and some do what they must, some do whichever is force-fed to them. 

I do not want to define them, because, even if I have the privilege to call Ambar a friend, even though we have never met in actual and most likely never will, which tells a story in itself, I know that we might have many similarities, but that there are differences, too. But this is exactly the point.

Sometimes I feel a bit ashamed of my fellow Westerners. I mean, while of course there are loads of guys and gals doing a really, really great job with so-called "modern equipment", most of the blades they produce go to fatcat, overweight nocturnal predators who would rather cut their own head off with a knife than peeling an onion. A knife somehow has become sort of a fetish, to be polished and admired, but not for actual use, for the rich. And then there are some of those knifemakers, mostly amateurs like me, who as I said sneer at a lack of equipment.

Try this, BSTDs... I doubt most of them would be capable to make a knife like this with modern equipment, let alone with the traditional setup. Don´t get me wrong... there is nothing romantic about forging that way. It´s back-breaking labour.

I know how it is to forge that way. I know how a herniated vertebral disc feels like. Tried that, tickles.

And this is why this will not be the last you have read about KC on my blog. Because they make excellent knives. Because they burn with passion for what they do. And because they fucking deserve it! 

How it´s made-Khukhuri making at Nepal Khukuri corporation

Now those who know me know that I am really fond of the Khukuri knife variety. And now I had the privilege to get to know this guy on the web and exchange some really nice chats which gave me a lot of inside info on how it is REALLY done.

(source of all pictures and videos : Ambar Bahadur Bishwokarma KC Nepal)

Mr. Ambar Bahadur Bishwokarma works for the Nepal Khukuri corporation (www.nepalkhukuri.com) in Kathmandu producing awesome knives. The corporation is Nepali-owned and offers decent quality at awesome prices. Most of the time there are three smiths working in a team. 

 The blades are made from high-grade carbon steel (truck springs). The raw material is cut to pieces

 All of the work is made by hand, with very simple equipment, but a lot of skill. I cannot resist ranting about how it´s not the high-end equipment and heebie-jeebie goobalahbah steel that makes a decent knife, but the smith that knows his trade... and from what I can say, these are really highly-gifted guys doing a really great job!

 The rough shape is hammered out with a sledge-all done by hand, mind you!

The bevel and fullers are ground into the shape of the blade... no harm done, though. The blades are then normalized beside the fire.

The rough grind is ever more refined, all with the simplest of tools.

They also make more modern concepts, like this knife design intended as a hunting or tactical layout...

But this is where they really, really shine, in the truest sense of the word. These traditional designs are lovingly accomplished and come with a lovely lustre.

And, as a sneak peep I can show you these two models that will be available soon on their website:

The Khukuri is a knife that has always fascinated me for its history, its cultural aspects, its sleek and slender lines and, of course, its versatility and cutting prowess. One can easily say that if with an axe you´d be better off taking a saw when wanting to cut a branch of more than six cm diametre in thickness... with a decent Khuk´, you will need to think about hacking twice.. maybe. ;-) Cutting and working with a Khuk´ (or one for each hand... ;-) ) in landscaping I can say it beats a chainsaw when delimbing trees (at least when there´s a Fimbulmyrk at its end, and yes, we DID a contest ;-), and yes, we ARE mad ;-) ). But hacking and chopping is not all there is. I will spare you all the martial aspects of non - Gorkha legends, but even apart from that, its history and morphogenesis is fascinating. This will not be the last about these knives you have read on this blog. For sure. I want to sincerely thank Mr. Ambar Bahadur Bishwokama for all the input and information and maybe you think I am going a bit over the top with my enthusiasm about these knives. But in a world that is becoming increasingly brutal, one can not overestimate the value of craftsmanship, and these guys deserve a lot of respect for the work they do, each and every day. 

Here is a video of the process: 

They are currently looking for  a distributor for Germany. So, if you own a business over here (but also in other countries as well), drop them a line. Other than that, you can also get a knife directly via their website.   

Shut up and forge;-) - Humbling efforts by Kami craftsmen to make a Khukhuri... and the origins of Gorkha fighting prowess in Laya Yoga?

At Khukhuri house I found this very excellent "making of" a Khukhuri.

Now most of my readers are acquainted with this formidable tool, the big knife of the Gurkhas, not only a British army unit, but more so a Nepalese ethnos. Legend has it that as the British came to Nepal, the Gurkhas gave them a right kicking up the spine. But who are those famed warriors feared throughout the world for their fighting prowess.

The Gurkhas are often associated with their area of provenience. Gorkha is one of the 75 districts of Nepal. Each year thousands of Gorkha youth compete for 200 positions in the British army. This is due to severe poverty in the area, and it can be argued that the Tibet / Nepal thematic complex and the earthquake that only but recently took place in Nepal does not help either. The British government now is about to find a solution to cater for veteran Gorkha soldiers who had served in the British army.

During WWI the Gurkha soldiers of the British batallions were feared in the trenches throughout France for their fierce and merciless style of fighting and their fearsome Khukhuri blades.

The warcry "Ayyo bír gorkhali" (people of Gorkha over you!) therefore struck terror into the hearts of their enemies. But is that all there is to those people? In Gorkha (and throughout Nepal) the Khukhuri is more often than not used as a simple farming tool. It´s used for chopping wood and butchering, but also preparing food, even peeling potatoes. Even Nepali housewives take pride into their skill when preparing food with a Khukhuri!

The name of the Gorkha region goes back to a Hindu warrior saint, Guru Gorakshanath. The suffix -nath seems to refer to a master, and in Yoga there are nine masters, "Naths". Guru Gorakshanath therefore might have the meaning of "master teacher of Gorkha". Gorakshanath is said to be watching mankind for several thousand years and the teaching of "Laya" Yoga, a special meditation practice stimulating the so-called Chakra energy centres of the human body. Simply put, there might be a connection between the ancient mythology and modern neurology, but here´s not the place to rant on endlessly about it. Suffice to say that Laya Yoga is closely connected with Kundalini yoga. In Yoga mythology, the Kundalini is symbolized by a snake along the spine. The Kundalini force is awakened by meditation and practice (Yoga) and connects the higher and lower neurological areas. Pribram (1969) and Kamiya (1968) have both given evidence of the possible existence of neurological master areas and the possibility of the conscious control of brain waves, resulting in the possibility of mastering the subsemantic and subconscious areas of the mind and the neural cortex.

Gorakshanath practiced Tapasya (ascetic practice by heat, a common experience when meditating Kundalini) and teached his learnings as a legendary master in Gorkha.

Don´t know how you see this, but I get ideas...;-)

The knife itself gives evidence of a deeper cultural connection than usual. I quote from www.himalayan-imports.com:

"What we call a 'blood-gutter'^* is called the aunlo bal (meaning 'finger of strength'). The notch near the hilt, called a cho or a kauro (Turner [2740]), has various meanings: the sun and moon (symbols of Nepal), the sexual organs of Hindu gods and goddesses, a cow track (the cow being sacred to the Hindus). Rawson writes of the cho : '[t]he root of the edge of a Kukri blade contains a semicircular nick about three-quarters of an inch deep, generally with a tooth at the bottom, which like the lotus [often stamped] on the blade of the Kora, the Gurkhas say represents the female generative organ, intended presumably to render the blade "effective"' (pg. 54) [in this connexion it is also interesting to note that Shivaji, the 17th-c. Marathi 'rebel' against the Mughals, named his sword 'Bhavani', one of the names of the goddess (see Rawson, pg.89 n.80)]. The buttcap of the knife is said to resemble the eye of god - always watching, ever seeing. The rings around the handle also mean something though their true significance has been lost in the mists of time. Even the basic curve is said to look like a crescent moon, a symbol of Nepal."

The knife therefore, even in everyday use, has more or less cultural implications and even a ritualistic meaning. In every culture, however, a sword or any cold steel weapon is seen as an extension of the body. In Japan, the famed Katana sword is said to carry the soul of the samurai. In medieval Europe, similar things can be said of the sword of chivalry. The apotropaeic meaning and symbolism of knives is also found throughout the world. In Finland, it was said to believe that if you found a Puukko you could use it to protect your crops, to invoque Pellonpekko, the God of crops, and to ward off Hiisi (goblins) in modern folklore, or, more traditionally, to mark a "hiisi" (sacred place in nature) (A.V. Rantasalo: Der Ackerbau im Volksglauben der Finnen und Esten). In Germany, the famed "Drudenmesser", also had an apotropaeic meaning. Apotropaeism, however, is not dynamic, in that it is meant to fend off Evil in a symbolic context. In the case of the Khukhuri, however, the symbolism is far more dynamic. The "finger of strength" has a phallic meaning, while the Cho represents more of the chtonic, female aspect. I strongly suspect that the incorporation of male and female aspects shows a strong background in either shamanistic symbolism (Kirati or similar styles) or Hindu yoga philosophy. This becomes even more abundantly clear if you call the "finger of strength" what it is called in some cases, namely the "Shivalingam". Often translated wrongly as a "phallus", it is the "mark of (formless) Shiva". Shiva is seen as "limitless, transcendent, unchanging and formless", and incorporating both genders. If you now take out your prized Khukhuri, and look at the blade, you get some more ideas.

Taking into account that Guru Gorakshanath received his tutoring by Nath Matsyendra, who overheard the lessons of Shiva himself at the bottom of the ocean, and that the Gorkhali trace their origin back to this warrior-saint.

My theory is that, while the martial art of the Gorkhali has never been systematically laid out, as in Chinese or Japanese martial arts, the lessons learned are actually immanent in the very concept of the tool and weapon. The Khukhuri in itself is a philosophical concept of a somewhat sic-et-non nature, incorporating both female and male aspects. These aspects are united to make the blade, making it in itself a manifestation of Shiva. Given that Yoga practice is a sacred art in India (and Nepal), also practiced by the Kshatriya and belonging in part to Dhanurveda, and a skilled warrior is always part of the Kshatriya caste (and the arduous training of Gorkha youth implies that they work according to a similar routine), we can easily assume that the warrior as well masters the spiritual as the actual dimension of wielding the blade. If I may say it in a bit of an abbreviated manner, it is as if you hold the symbol of your God in hand. A crucifix makes for not so good a cutting tool, but a sword as an abstraction as in chivalry does. Please take note that I do NOT think any Gorkhali soldier is a warrior saint and lives according to this code of conduct. But I can but guess what is left in modern Gorkhali mythology of this philosophy. In any way, this people takes pride in their inheritance and I strongly suspect that this background shows in their fighting prowess.

But this is but one aspect. Imagine something a bit less romantic now. Imagine you live in a region a central European would simply call a wasteland, with next to no resources. Agriculture is next to impossible, and yet this is your home. Families can but just so make a living from the ground they live on. The literacy rate is about 60%, health care is scarce and in an emergency people have to go a long distance or end up dying. This means you NEED to develop your survival skills, and even getting goods in and out means a great effort. Then you have the chance to become a warrior according to your mythology. You strive hard to become one, and then some recruiting officer of the British Royal Army drops by offering you a fairy-tale payment you have never dreamt of. Plus, you then will be a part of a legendary army unit. Wouldn´t you take pride in the fact that because your ancestors gave them a kicking, and won the battle, but not the war, the victors would respect you so much they want your service instead of routing your culture. A victor, who is not quite known for entertaining that endeavour at all? But your people are nearly the only culture respected by this world power due to their fierce fighting prowess? What would you do? I guess it is self-explanatory.

I think, personally, that there are several aspects of the military superiority of the Gorkhali units:

-their hard life left them with superior survival skills and a nothing-to-lose-everything-to-win-mindset
-due to their mythology, they take pride in prowess and loyalty
-their martial skills, while no longer systematically laid out and practiced, date back to ancient roots where the skill with blade and shield and other weapons were of grave importance
-martial training has some religious aspects, if not serving as religious practice in itself

I believe we can learn from the Gorkhali. In Western civilization, we suffer from a loss of values and over-saturization. There is a taboo put on religion and philosophy. Rationalism and monetary issues even rule our interhuman  relationships. Why then, a martial art? Why not tell fairy tales and be content?

Because we have to break a whole world of taboos. Philosophy is currently smiled at, and while you can buy the next salvatory religion at every corner, there is no authentic spiritual dimension to most of them. Even Christianity suffers from a sellout. If you believe in fairy tales and tell them to your children, you are a dunce. Kids of an age of 7 converse with each other about capital assets. Their goal in life is to become a top manager.

War and martial arts cannot but be "ultima ratio". The term has a very explanatory dimension, meaning the ultimate reason. It is the last effort of reasoning, it is an extreme measure not to be employed. Therefore it is well suited to mark out the extreme end of the range. "Bello pater omniae", war is the father of all things in our culture. Martial arts do not teach you just how to deal with an opponent, but render you strong enough to cope with a task not necessarily with violent means.

But a martial art give you the whetstone of reality. If your spiritual concept works in a martial and thusly existential situation, chance is, it contains enough truth to be considered "probatum est", proved.

The Khukhuri was not meant primarily as a weapon of warfare, and while it is very effective in that, it is safe to say it is seeing far more use as an everyday tool. It is made in Gorkha, for instance, with very simple implements and a skill far exceeding ours. Every step of even producing it can be seen as a symbolic one. Talking a bit more mundanely, we could say, it is made with care. It is not in the professional equipment (they have none). It is in the care and skill and love that goes into the production process. Even at this level, we are talking of a non-dualistic concept, a sic-et-non view unto the world. We as a Western civilization have to learn to integrate the dualities. We should not pray to Shiva, but look closely at our inheritance and myth and integrate it with our skill and prowess.

Oh, and we have to quit whining. Those Kami create wonders from crap. From junkyard steel, with a hole in the ground for a forge. They do not need 1.2379 (D2) for a knife. They make legendary blades with spring steel that work in the most existential challenges one can imagine. I guess the point is made.

If I have created some interest in you, you can read a lot more on Gorkhali culture apart from the WWI "romanticism". And if you feel so inclined, you have a veritable chance to preserve their culture while doing something for literacy in Nepal: Buy a Bir Gorkha or similar Khukhuri fair-trade.
Of course, feel free to make a donation to help Gorkha out of the mess the earthquake (which was called the Gorkha Earthquake for a reason) left in Nepal, but I guess it will be more realistic you go ahead and buy one of those villager jewels.

But if you cannot afford one, roll your own, but pay them due respect. They deserve it.

Nick made a sheath for the small chopper

 Nick mailed me some pics of the sheath he made for the small "khukhuri"-style chopper we made to publish it in my blog. And here it is!

It´s made from leather of unnown provenience to make for a diagonal carry. From looks alone I would have to say, that, from my experience, I suspect it will get top-heavy and slide out, for it looks as if there were no straps to hold it in. But, with no tutoring at all, a fine first try, mate!

For all you newbies out there wanting to have a try, too, here´s an excellent tutorial on sheath making:

Click here

Some thoroughly enjoyable reading about Gorkha culture

I came across this website some years ago, and it has changed my life a lot. It has given me new perspectives, and the joy of using a Khukhuri myself.

I want to write this in memory of Bill Martino (Uncle Bill) who was a brave man and an old and wise spirit in this world who has contributed to make this world a better place.

Have a look yourself and build your own opinion:

http://www.himalayan-imports.com/

And, remember, thatNepali culture is currently being severely oppressed.