Any work, once it has cultural and aesthetic requirements, begins to move closer to art, and sword is no exception.
AKI, short for American Art Knife Association. This is a closed invitation association composed of art knife makers. When 1983 was founded, the association had only 16 members. Later, the number of parliamentarians was fixed at 25, and elections were held every two years. Only when the old members leave will new members join.
AKI showed the concept of art knife for the first time in the world by holding an exhibition. They show you the artistic charm of the sword with a unique perspective and superb skills, not just the practicality that people valued before.
In addition to the invited artists, the organizer only invites 175 bidders to participate in each AKI exhibition. Each swordsman can only carry up to eight works of artistic knives for on-site auction.
The members of the Art Knife Club are mainly American swordsmen, and many of them are too old or have passed away, so there is no chance for others to join.
1995, the first swordsman in Asia, Yoshihara Yoshihara, was selected; 1997 European knife maker fergen joined; 1999 French knife maker Pierre joined the club.
The three top masters in the history of AKI are: Bill Moran (founder of American Knife Makers Association), Bob Lavalas (Damascus Knife Maker) and Basque Valensky (legendary Knife Maker).
In China, many people are still unfamiliar with the concept of art knife. But people's pursuit of fencing has gradually emerged.
On 20 15, the craftsman's workshop first put forward the concept of "original hand-made knife", advocating domestic swordsmen to enhance their awareness of original protection, stopping copying European and American swordsmen and encouraging them to create their own swordsmen. Although there are not many respondents, the craftsman's workshop has always adhered to its original concept, and after several years of silent cultivation, it has created a number of works of its own.
20 17 someone initiated a big discussion from the media on whether the sword should be practical or artistic first, and the number of participants reached thousands. Through this discussion, many people have a deeper understanding of artistic knives. Artistic knives can never lose the essence of knives: practical cutting tools. On the basis of maintaining practicality, give full play to all kinds of imagination and give it endless artistic value.
This artistic knife "Bird and Fish" is made by hand, and 20 pieces are made every year. Its knife shape is a combination of fish and birds. From different angles, it looks like a bird perched on a branch and a small fish swimming in the water. The design of this knife is inspired by a sad and touching love story.
With this knife, I wish all lovers in the world can tolerate each other, and fish and birds will be in harmony and happy forever.
The blade body is made of pure hand-folded forged Damascus steel, with cloud and water patterns, symbolizing the integration of blue sky and deep sea; Like the scales of a mermaid and the dazzling feathers of a bird.
Patterned steel is an alloy steel invented by ancient craftsmen, which is specially used to make weapons. The most famous patterned steel swords in history are Damascus Sword, Malay Clichy Sword and Japanese Mountain City, commonly known as "the three famous swords in the world". Damascus Dao ranks first among the three famous Dao in the world.
The handle is made of two natural mammoth ivory fossils.
Mammoth ivory fossils are the front teeth of mammoths, commonly known as ancient ivory, also known as wannian ivory. About 15% of the teeth found in mammoths and mastodons are high-quality ivory that can be used in jewelry industry.
Mammoths, also known as mammoths, lived in the ice age. Paleontologists have found well-preserved mammoth bodies in the snow and ice areas of Siberia. Therefore, the main source of mammoth ivory is the frozen layer in Siberia. Due to the limited and non-renewable resources, with the continuous exploitation and excavation, mammoth ivory will be less and less, and the collection value will be higher and higher.
Two million-year-old mammoth tusks, carved by pure steel rivets, are firmly embedded in the handles of birds and fish, symbolizing the unchanging love and never giving up.
Will the domestic art knife market prosper? Will China give birth to its own Art Knife Association? Due to various factors, it is still unknown. As a participant in the field of fencing, I hope to support the original works of domestic swordsmen.