Daggers

Blade for a dagger (tanto), late 13th–early 14th century; Kamakura period (1185–1333)
Made by Rai Kunitoshi (Japanese, active ca. 1290–1320)
Steel

















Dagger, ca. 1620; Mughal
Indian
Steel, gold, rubies, emeralds, textile
The hilt of the dagger is constructed of heavy sections of gold over an iron core and its scabbard mounts are of solid gold. All the intricately engraved surfaces are set with gems and colored glass finely cut with floral forms. The designs closely parallel those in Mughal painting of the early seventeenth century, suggesting the dagger dates from the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1605–27), whose deep love of nature, especially flowers, is well documented in his memoirs, the Tuzuk. The blade is forged of watered steel.










Knife, 8th century b.c.
Northeast China or southeast Inner Mongolia
Bronze