Kampilan Question

[kai]

Hello Queequeg,

Welcome to the forum!

Are the "clip-point" or the spike sharpened, too?

No, usually not. As Rick points out, the tip of the blade (wether with spike or not) is often/usually? thin enough to be used in a ripping "backward" motion.

Is the spike decorative, or does it give some tactical advantage?

I'd venture to guess that any tactical advantage isn't that big: A lot of Kampilans were used without a spike - some had there spikes broken off long ago and many kampilan blades never had a spike to begin with. Heck, with a blade of this size, even a passing hit with an unsharped "edge" hurts!

I've heard respected Filipinos explaining that the spike can be used to distract an opponent (i.e. asking for an opening) but none of those I remember were Moro themselves. It would be nice if someone well versed in a Moro MA style were to confirm this.

Also, what initially confused me about which side was sharp was the direction of the handle. Most kampilan seem to have the "jaws" of the handle flared toward the sharp edge, which makes sense to me ergonomically. Yours has the jaws facing the spine, which seems (no offense) backward to me.

Nah, the flaring part of the hilt is at the top (like in Bill's example) - it's not a grip retention aid like in a kakatua pommel. I think I remember seeing a few genuine kampilan blades with hilts turned around but I'd strongly suspect these were trophies of foreign soldiers which got dabbled with...

OTOH, I've often seen kampilans mounted on a wall with the edge upside down. This always striked me as weird - maybe the sharp edge kept cutting any attachment string?

Regards,
Kai

[Rick]

These, are of course slashing swords and the hilts tend to be oriented at a slight upward angle to the edge.
What I have observed from cutting with a kampilan; the end third of the blade is what really gets the business done.

There are a couple of great older threads on this sword which can be found through the search function.

[kai]

Hello Rick,

What I have observed from cutting with a kampilan; the end third of the blade is what really gets the business done.

Well, isn't that true for just about any sword?

Regards,
Kai

[Rick]

[potapych]

Hi all. As a matter of possible interest, I have a Kampilan that does have about a third of the "back" side sharpened. The finish and profile of the point, coupled with the facts that it is an older blade and fully an inch longer than my other spike and clip point variations, leads to the conclusion that it is in it's original form.

[kai]

That seems to be an old one - I'd have no qualms to place it into 19th c.

What's the blade length?

Could you please post a close-up of the blade tip?

Regards,
Kai

[potapych]

Hi Kai,

Hope this helps, it's the best I could do being that it's night time here. The reverse taper is about equivalent to the front edge taper, (a little over 1/4 the blade width) and runs for about 8 1/2" (or 21.6 cm) back from the tip. It is as sharp as the front (very) and there is no indication it has ever been any different.The blade measures 29 5/8" (or 75.75 cm). I'll try for a daylight shot later.

It's scabbard also conforms to the blade profile but that in itself is not so compelling as they were often, (as I'm sure you know), discarded in the heat of things and later replaced.

Best,

Ray