The reverse tanto seems like a modern design. Take a standard American tanto and invert it, right? Actually, this style of blade has an ancient origin in principle and shape, if not the name. Like its close cousin the Wharncliffe, it can be traced to the Migration Period in Europe (300-375 A.D.) when it was known as the Seax. The blade style and shape were single edged, sometimes with a point, but often without it.
Seax is presumed to be the Old English word for “knife” and how the Saxons gained their name, but on the other side of the world, similar designs came into use.
In Japan, a style of knife known as the or came into use. The translation for this is “head cutter” and was possibly designed for samurai whose job was to remove the heads of fallen enemies as battlefield trophies in ancient times. In later years, these types of blades were said to be used as a
