BARUNG BLADES

[Philip]

Here are two types of traditional Chinese knives still in current use which have a distinctly barong-ish blade profile.

The smaller one is for mincing pork and vegetables, using a "rocking" motion on the cutting-board. Thin, very acute edge, asymmetrical profile with a shallow dorsal curve, raising the point above the handle-tip axis.

The larger one is massive, about 1/4 in. thick at spine, used by butchers for breaking-down carcasses of cattle and hogs. The handle-tip axis is more centrally located on this one.

Both blades are of laminated construction, with the hard edge steel inserted into the body as is also typical on most SE Asian blades as well.

[Philip]

A leaf-shaped blade, don't know where exactly in Asia it comes from, was a gift from a friend in Hawaii who thought it could be Filipino. Hand made blade, I replaced the grip and saw that it has a tapered stick tang (just like the top example in the image in post #1, that goes partially into the handle. Not all the way to the end as with Chinese knives, and no rivet holes as you might expect in a Western style attachment.

I really don't know the age of it, early 20th cent. is my guess, and thus have no idea how far back this particular design goes. Am just listing it as a possibly related form.

[Ian]

Hi Philip,

Thanks for posting these contemporary knives. I think the main distinction between these knives and a barung is that the tang comes of the blade closer to the spine on your examples, whereas the tang of a barung is located pretty much centrally on the blade, with both the edge and the spine curving towards it.

The one you rehilted (from Hawaii) could be from Thailand. There is a similar blade from N. Thailand/Laos that may have originally come from Yunnan.

Ian

[Philip]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Philip,

Thanks for posting these contemporary knives. I think the main distinction between these knives and a barung is that the tang comes of the blade closer to the spine on your examples, whereas the tang of a barung is located pretty much centrally on the blade, with both the edge and the spine curving towards it.


Ian

True, its reasonable to take account of a modification of design in the transition from tool to weapon just as the medieval pruning-hook morphed into the roncone.

I do note, however, that in all the cases of Moro blades with Chinese, or Chinese-ish markings (there is an example on another thread whose markings I half-jokingly suggested might be Cyrillic) that I have seen, they are all barongs. Has anyone seen these marks on any other southern Philippine blade forms, such as the campillon, bangkung, or panabas? (Please post them if you have images of such, as they must be rare). How about central and northern blade forms so marked -- tenegres, talibons, etc. I've never heard of them but that doesn't necessarily mean that one doesn't exist somewhere in a collection.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Philip

... I do note, however, that in all the cases of Moro blades with Chinese, or Chinese-ish markings (there is an example on another thread whose markings I half-jokingly suggested might be Cyrillic) that I have seen, they are all barongs. Has anyone seen these marks on any other southern Philippine blade forms, such as the campillon, bangkung, or panabas? (Please post them if you have images of such, as they must be rare). How about central and northern blade forms so marked -- tenegres, talibons, etc. I've never heard of them but that doesn't necessarily mean that one doesn't exist somewhere in a collection.

I have not seen blades on other Filipino weapons with Chinese characters--only on barung so far.