Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi

01 · Historical Records

The production of Tibetan knives in Baiyu County has a long history, traceable as far back as the early Tang dynasty in the 7th century CE, giving it more than 1,300 years of history. During the period of King Gesar of Ling in the Song dynasty, the metal handicraft industry of Hepo was centered on the production of weapons, and was known as the Gesar Arsenal.

02 · Core Techniques & Process

The products of Tibetan metal forging technique are highly varied, chiefly including Buddha statues, various religious implements (such as prayer wheels and Vajrayana vajras), and incense burners, with Tibetan knives being the most famous and most common of all. The faces of Tibetan waist knives are burnished clean and the edges are incomparably sharp; the handles are made of ox horn or hardwood (such as jujube wood) and wrapped with copper or silver wire; the tops are banded with copper sheeting and inlaid with brass or engraved patterns. The scabbards are also finely made, engraved with patterns of dragons and phoenixes, tigers and lions, flowers and birds; some are further set with gems and agate, in a sumptuous and magnificent style. Tibetan knives are both a necessity of daily life for the Tibetan people and a renowned Tibetan handicraft, deeply prized by art collectors and connoisseurs. Tibetan metal forging technique has a long history, a unique style, and exquisite workmanship; its traditional products are closely bound up with the production, daily life, and religious beliefs of the Tibetan people, and bear a pronounced ethnic and regional character. Tibetan knives serve functions of production, daily life, self-defense, and adornment; they are the most representative category among the many Tibetan handicrafts and an important component of Tibetan culture. Baiyu County in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province is renowned far and wide for its metal handicrafts and enjoys the reputation of a home of handicrafts; the Tibetan knives produced there are known as Baiyu Tibetan knives and have long been cherished by Tibetan people everywhere. According to statistics, the county now has 407 specialized households engaged in handicraft production, with 634 people employed, of which Hepo Township alone accounts for 192 specialized households and 264 workers. The metal handicrafts of Hepo Township in Baiyu County fall mainly into five categories, with Tibetan knives predominating. Tibetan knives mainly include men's long waist knives, medium-length waist knives, and hanging knives, as well as women's hanging knives, daggers, and Gesar knives. Since the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, during the construction of the Gatuo Monastery in Garzê, Han and Tibetan folk craft cultures exchanged with one another, and the metal handicraft technique of Hepo Township developed considerably, shifting from the production of traditional weapons to the manufacture of everyday goods. Besides Tibetan knives, the region also produces horse gear (saddles, stirrups, etc.), Buddhist implements (butter lamps, water-offering bowls and vases, etc.), everyday utensils (silver bowls, etc.), and ornaments (fire-striking chains, earrings, hair flowers, belts, necklaces, etc.). Tibetan knives of Lhatse County in the Tibet Autonomous Region are produced mainly in Xue Village in Lhatse, known as Lhatse snow knives, and have a history of more than 1,000 years. Tibetan knives forged in the Lhatse area come in three types: long knives, short knives, and small knives. The longest long knives can reach one meter; short knives are about forty centimeters long; and small knives are only a dozen or so centimeters. The general production process of Tibetan knives consists of smelting, mold casting, hammering out the rough form, carving and inlay, welding and assembly, reinforcement, filing and shaping, fine engraving, and polishing. Lhatse Tibetan knives are forged from steel, with fine workmanship, burnished blade faces, and sharp edges. The handles are made of ox horn or timber, wrapped with silver or copper wire; high-grade handles are capped with copper sheeting at the top, and some are further inlaid with silver ornament. The scabbards are likewise exquisite, often sheathed in silver or copper and engraved with floral and animal patterns; some are even inlaid with jewels or gilded, appearing exceptionally magnificent. The Anchung Tibetan knives of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province are renowned for their exquisite forms and excellent performance; they are made chiefly of metals such as gold, silver, and copper, with ox horn and cattle bone used as decorative materials. Anchung Tibetan knives are divided into men's and women's types. In form, women's knives are mostly crescent-shaped, with delicate and meticulous workmanship and beautiful shapes; the scabbards are engraved with patterns of dragons and phoenixes, flowers, and the dharma wheel among the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, and are inlaid with coral, turquoise, agate, and the like. Men's Anchung knives are shaped like ordinary knives, gilded and inlaid with silver, with frost-white and incomparably sharp edges; the Tibetan people call them triple-use knives, meaning that the knife can be used first for cutting beef and mutton, second for fending off wild animals and self-defense, and third as an ornament worn at the waist, adding to one's heroic bearing. Anchung Tibetan knives are renowned not only in the Tibetan regions of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan, and Gansu, but are also celebrated throughout the world; tourists from China and abroad alike regard them as rare treasures, collecting and preserving them with care.

03 · Regional Records & Related Items

Tibetan knife production in Baiyu County is relatively concentrated, distributed mainly in the two townships of Hepo and Rejia.

Other submitting regions for the same item: Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi · Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi · Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi · Tibetan Jinshu Forging Craftsmanship.

04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding

Ese Gama (as recorded in the official archives of the associated inheritor): Representative inheritor of Tibetan metal forging technique (Tibetan copper forging), a national-level intangible cultural heritage item from the third batch. After 1980, he produced the Eight Auspicious Symbols, masks, gold and silver Buddhist implements, and pagodas for more than a hundred large and small monasteries across the country. Each of his works takes the heart as its blueprint, making full use of imagination; he works without drafts, each piece coming freely from his hand. The Buddha statues he makes incorporate elements of painting; their faces are kindly and beautifully proportioned, and they are vividly lifelike, bearing considerable ornamental and artistic value. Representative works include Guru Rinpoche and Guardian Deity Mask. Male, Tibetan ethnicity, born in December 1940, died in March 2014, a native of Baiyu County, Sichuan Province.

05 · Associated Representative Bearers

Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:

• Esegama 03-1378
• Cidanwangjia 03-1379
• Long Duoranjie 03-1380
• Liedan 04-1883
• Laqiong 04-1884
• Gamadaiqing 05-2816
• Genqiudanzhen

06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography

1. Tibetan Jinshuduanzaojiyi (Baiyu, Sichuan) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Esegama · National Representative Bearer Archive

Sources

China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)

Read the official ihchina.cn record ↗