Japanese Edo Era kankyûtô (貫級刀) Double Edged Knife, Head Piercer, With Boars Eye Piecing and Silver Inlaid Cherry Blossom. One Piece Steel Construction And It is Also Mistakenly Called A Bashin (馬針)

Often carried like a kodzuka in the small side pocket of a wakazashi or tanto saya. Original early examples are rare and highly collectable. However bashin are usually not of one-piece construction, have a longer blade and lack the hole at the end that kankyûtô always have.Their original use was associated with the practice of cutting enemy heads and presenting them with a tag, a practice that continued into the Muromachi period (1336-1573). Theories vary about whether it was used to affix the tag, or having to do with adding a thread to a head for mounting or transport.An alternative use was horse-healing for over heated limbs. But that was usually the task of a bashinBeside their occasional use for horse-healing, they are known as throwing-knifes (shuriken) or hidden knives, sometimes a backup weapon or 'property marker' for samurai. Kankyuto (貫級刀) means a sword to pierce a head.The usage of handling severed heads for formal head viewing (首実検: kubijikken) after battle by supporting the head like a stand.Bashin was used as a throwing knife as well as a tool for horses. And during Sengoku era, it was used to support a cut head of enemy when it was examined.Found on mountings sometimes in place of a kogai. The handle portion is inlaid with silver in a cherry blossom pattern. It is believed their principle region of use for these was in the province of Higo, but they were carried elsewhere as time progressed. It is said there are numerous stories about badly wounded Ronin on the battlefield who would use theirs to attack one more foe as the victors moved among the fallen samurai warriors to finish those who were thought helpless.Kubi Jikken, Samurai Head Viewing CeremonyCustoms and Details Regarding the Samurai's Taking Of Enemy Heads In Battle.In ancient times, the Japanese expression 'It seems as if you have taken the head of a demon!' was used to show admiration of one's achievements, just as the warriors of the Warring States period also proclaimed their achievements in battle by raising high the heads of enemies they had defeated on the battlefield.Historical Significance of the Vanquished Head: During the violent Sengoku (Warring States) period, warriors would take the heads of enemies they killed to prove their worth to their commanders.Taken heads were often washed, combed, and sometimes treated with cosmetics to hide injuries, then formally presented on a wooden tray for inspection and identification by military officials.Honorable Death: High-ranking vanquished samurai were treated with respect, while lesser warriors' heads were often ignored.The 'Dakikubi' Technique: A skilled second (kaishakunin) would perform dakikubi during ritual suicide (seppuku), leaving a small strip of skin so the head would fall forward and look like it was bowing, rather than rolling away5 1/2 inches long overall. 1/2 inch wide at the handle