Makiri - Ainu Utility Knife
Purchased in 1904 at Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Steel, wood, velvet, silk
27.5 cm long, 11.5 cm blade
Cat. 88023
© The Field Museum
This small multi-purpose knife, with accompanying wooden sheath, was purchased by Stephen Simms at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis from a group of visiting Ainu. Knives such as these were used for everything from hunting bears to tattooing.
This knife has a wooden handle and a steel blade. The blade was not forged by an Ainu person and was most likely obtained through trade with Japanese to the south. This was true of all Ainu cutting blades. This particular blade has been inscribed with four Japanese characters, which probably read: "Kinkazan Kiyoshi". This is most likely the signature of the blade's non-Ainu maker.
The sheath of the knife has been carved with a motif that combines stylized leaves, bands, and whorls. The snugly fitting belt loop is made of black velvet, and the stitching is silk. The materials for the belt loop would also have had to be traded for.
The engraving on one's wooden sheath was a public display of a man's prowess in carving, and it was proudly worn on the belt for all to see. The ability to carve a knife sheath in an impressive way was a sign that an Ainu boy had matured into a man. A man would also carve a sheath for a woman he was courting and present the completed knife set to her as a gift. If the woman liked the carving (and the man), she would be seen the following day with the knife hanging from her belt. This symbolized their engagement to be married.
Like Swiss Army knives of today, these small knives served multiple purposes. During winter bear hunts, Ainu men would sneak into crowded bear dens armed only with a knife. A simple poke would send the bear out of its den into a waiting group of Ainu archers. Other knives were slightly modified in order to accurately carve inau (an example of an inau can be seen here). Knives were also used by women to cut fabric, to cut weaving materials, and to make incisions for tattooing.
(Commentary by Stev Weidlich)