A question that has come up for me a few times now is in regard to the tanto style blade, the style of which you currently see most frequently in the Case product line in the Kinzua Bradford Flipper. The question I’ve had now my fair share is simply where the Tanto style originated from, considering its somewhat recent surge in popularity in the knife industry.
As for the answer, from what I managed to find investigating it, is that the blade style is believed to have originated as far back as 10th centaury Japan during the Heian period, an era that saw a raise in power in the warrior class, and the curve and angle of a tanto blade made it an ideal last-ditch weapon in the battlefield. Once weapons such as the katana were produced more frequently, the tanto fell into disuse until almost the modern era, where there came a resurgence of tanto style knives that were put into production a bit before WW2 for self-defense purposes. This evolved into the blade being applied across a wide breadth of different handles, styles and uses, the blade now used around the home in a variety of ways, from cooking to general activities; the tanto style blade is perfect as a puncturing or slashing blade thanks to its more angular tip and curved design, able to serve its needs exceptionally well within the home or as part of an EDC in the form of the Kinzua Bradford Flipper.