Almost everyone at Lhatse village, Lhatse town, Shigatse, knows Pudawa. As a Tibetan knife craftsman, Pudawa’s life has been tied to this craft since the age of 13. At his home, there is a self-made semi-open “workshop.” With a match, a handful of hay and a stack of charcoal, he can start the stove in a very short time. A small hammer in his hand, Pudawa acts as a conductor, telling his son Dorji Dradul where to hit. Thanks to their tacit cooperation, in a while, the iron rod is shaped into a preform of knife.

From the forging, polishing and burnishing of knife edge to the blank forming, engraving, and coloring of sheath, all processes are operated by hands. Even the draught fan of the stove is also hand-operated. In that way, heat can be controlled better. The repeated polishing usually lasts for two days before completion.

The craft of making Tibetan knives dates back to more than 300 years ago. At that time, according to legends, Tangmu Queduo Laba made knives so sharp that people had to cover them with three layers of cattlehide to avoid accidental injuries. Over 100 years ago when British armies invaded Gyantse, Lhatse knives were allocated to the frontline. Pudawa has no only inherited traditional knife making crafts, but also invented a batch of decorative patterns such as dragon, phoenix, tiger, lion and flower, which make his knives more beautiful and eye-catching. Naturally, his knives sell very well and those patterns have been spread to neighboring counties as a new style of Tibetan knives.

Pudawa is the sixth generation of Lhatse Tibetan knives. Unlike his predecessors, Pudawa’s knives are widely well-recognized by people. In recent years, more and more people have been coming to this workshop to purchase Tibetan knives. “That’s the charm of Tibetan knives. I’m very proud to make Tibetan knives,” said Pudawa proudly.

In the 1980s, the 10th Panchen visited Pudawa’s home and said to him, “You must pass down traditional crafts. Don’t make them become extinct. Many people can still remember similar words in the Tibetan textbook for grade 1 junior middle school students. For Pudawa, those words are engraved in his heart.

“Don’t let this craft become lost!” Nowadays, Pudawa’s son has become the seventh generation inheritor with a good command of the skills of Tibetan knife making. According to tradition, the learning of knife making skills is only exclusive to family members. But Pudawa wants to break this tradition: “If possible, I hope to recruit several apprentices to further promote Lhatse Tibetan knives.”