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The Reinhardt Kukri
Specs:
Blade Length: 13" Weight: 9.7 oz.
Blade Thickness: ? Sheath: Some in leather some in nylon
Overall Length: ? Blade Steel: AUS-8
Rc: 56-57
The Reinhardt Kukri was designed by Hank Reinhardt. Hank is a noted expert in medieval arms and Armor as well as sword fighting. For more information on Hank I suggest checking out this interesting interview with him on the Association For Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA) web site by clicking on this link http://www.thehaca.com/spotlight/hrinterview3.htm . The Reinhardt design is based on the Limbu style Kukri. There were only about 1,000 of these produced.
Fellow collector Andreas Volk, who is also a serious collector of Kukris, was kind enough to send some information concerning the roots of this design. " The Limbu live in the north eastern region of Nepal and are believed to be of Tibetan-Burmese origin. At least their language is related to some dialects spoken in Burma and Tibet."
He has this to say about the design itself. "The Reinhardt is Sirupati (Limbu) based and more a fighter than a tool, designed for quicker actions than a forward-curved blade."
On this part of the page I have decided to add additional pictures of Kukris and comments from Andreas Volks collection which he was kind enough to pass on to me.
Andreas describes this particular example as a three groove Military Kukri. He describes it as being a classic design with a heavy forward curved blade, dating from around 1890. The blade seems to be quite wide compared to many examples that I have seen.
This next example is described as being a Military Kukri dating from about 1900. The blade is not as wide which decreases the weight making the knife easier to manipulate than the earlier example shown above. Andreas described this as being a transitional model slotting in between the model shown above and the WWI examples which were issued to the world famous Gurkhas. Which is why he dates this particular example at about 1900.
Andreas describes this next example as being a classic Military design in the Dui Chirra style. Apparently Dui means two and Chirra ( I an unsure about the correct spelling for this word) means groove. I am told this a special way of forging a knife which creates a hollow ground style blade. Naturally this reduces weight, but it also results in a strong spine. Andreas says that it actually gives the knife two spines, with one being in the normal location and the other being in about the middle of the blade. I am also told that there is a style known as the Tin Cirra which is a three groove version. Apparently the latter is very hard to find and both type took great skill to create. It is believed that this example dates from about 1890.
This example is described as being an inlay style Kukri. Andreas tells me the blade has an unusual curve, and dates from about 1880. As you can see the blade is quite slender. Andreas tells me the overall construction of this example is superb and is a joy to hold. He also stated to me that while engravings are common on Kukris inlays of copper are generally only found in the area of Tibet. He suspects the inlays may have been added at a later date by someone in Tibet, or the kukri may have been made by a Nepali artist. Who was close to the Tibetan border and adopted this style of decoration.
Next is this long Sirupati ( Sirupati means bamboo leaf) style of Kukri. This is one of the classic styles and is associated with the Limbu and Rai people from Nepal. Andreas tells me that this is the oldest Kukri currently in his collection, and believes that it dates to about 1860. Apparently the mountings were re-done at a later time. The Kukri measures 15.5" for the tip of the blade to the handle. I am told this example is quite long and that the handle style differs greatly from a typical service style Kukri.
This next example appears to have an ivory handle but it might actually be another material. Andreas tells me it is not bone but may be some kind of horn. The mounts date from around 1930. Andreas believes that the blade might b. He also tells me it fits somewhere between the three groove Military and the 1900 era Military styles.
Andreas describes this next example as being a teenage style Sirupati dating from around 1890. The workmanship on this kukri is superb, and attention was paid to the small details. Andreas feels that the original owner might been a teenage boy of Gurkha nobility. The blade is short for a Sirupati measuring a mere 11". The overall length is 14.5". This means the whole knife is shorter than just the blade of the Sirupati which I have shown earlier on this page.
The picture shown below will give you some idea of how these examples vary in style and length. From left to right are the Teenage Sirupati, Dui Chirra, three groove Military, 1900 Military, ivory handled Kukri, Inlaid Kukri, and the Long Sirupati.
This next picture shows the Reinhardt with some of the other styles discussed above. From left to right are the Long Sirupati, Reinhardt, Ivory handled Kukri, Inlay Kukri, 1900 Military, three groove Military, and teenage Sirupati.
