Talibon
 

Picked up this most excellent Talibon recently. Lovely piece and very robust. Hopefully I can make some time to get it cleaned up in the near future.

Partial cleaning of the blade designs, whatever that white stuff is, it's stubborn.

Interesting engravings. Keep getting that gunk off...

In the pictures it looks like it might be automotive body filler or possibly an epoxy putty like Devcon. Either one can be a pain to remove from an item like this. It almost looks as if this was applied to hide the engraving. Great sword, I'm very interested in seeing it once you have finished with the cleaning.

Best,
Robert

Hello,

I am a little bit surprised that nobody correct you until now, it's not a talibon but a binangon or tenegre. Age I would guess again around WWII. The lack of patination and the workmanship let me think like this. Look for example my one from the same time frame: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...hlight=visayan
Please try to rub away that gunk, would be very interesting what the inscription is.

Best regards,
Detlef

Hello Nirghosa,

I have been traveling for the last week and just catching up with your post.

Detlef is correct -- this sword is from the western Visayas area and would be called either a tenegre or binangon. The blade is somewhat slimmer than most examples. As to age, the scabbard is consistent with the first half of the 20th C, so the early 1900s attribution on the note attached to the hilt might be correct, but I tend to agree with Detlef that it is probably a little later.

Ian.

Is this blade, at the ricassoe, thicker at the front than the rear edge?

Hello Arete,

it's not mine but I own some swords like this and by my ones is the thickness at the ricasso the same as at the spine.

Regards,
Detlef

yes, on some it is; on others it is slightly thicker at the front edge, a feature in common with many Mexican scorpion tip knives, but also producing a "high shinogi" effect as seen on other East Asian island blades. What I am curious about is as to what is the basis of this variation.

Hello Arete,

I just have contolled my Visayan blades again, by all is the ricasso thick as the spine. Can you show an example where it is different?

Regards,
Detlef

Partially correct. It is a Tenegre hilt (but not binangon) with a talibung blade.
However, talibung (i misspelled in the thread title) is also a general description of a fighting sword.

The "name game" is sometimes confusing. It will depend on from where this sword exactly coming.

For example this was written about a Visayan sword from my collection from Bangkaya who is in my eyes an expert which I miss at this place:

So what do we call your sword? Tenegre? Since you're not and Ilonggo or even from Panay (I assume) that would be a correct term and it does have a figural pommel. Binangon? Well it is a sword from Iloilo so that is correct, too. Talibong? It does have a clipped point so that is correct as well. Pinuti? The blade is slender enough so you can call it that, too. Sanduko? NO...this sword is not from Capiz and doesn't have any traits of a sanduko.

Look for this at this thread at post #4: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...frican+visayan

I think that we can call your sword by all three names; Tenegre, Binangon or Talibong. Just my humble opinion.

Regards,
Detlef

Not a Binangon wrong hilt style, Talibong yes (a general description of a fighting sword from this area) but not a talibon as misstated in the original title, Tenegre possible because of the figural hilt. This is what I love and hate about philippine edged weapons, from what I understand an item such as the one being discussed can have many names (all correct) depending on where you are when you ask.

Best,
Robert

Hello Robert,

have a look to this old thread: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=binangon, post #11, here is what nacho has written:

Binangon is a generic term for any sword (as used in the Iloilo dialect). But people here (Philippines) generally use the term binangon to refer to any Ilonggo sword.

Thus, the "tenegre" can also be called a "binangon".

However, "tenegres" are a special type of "binangon" -- one that has the characteristic monster face.

Best regards,
Detlef

Detlef, I stand corrected. My mistake.:o

Best,
Robert

Dear Robert,

no mistake, I just think it's extremly difficult with the terminology by Visayan swords, there are so many languages in the Visayas and I think that you only have to go to a other village and the same sword is named different.
And you are correct, a sword like shown in the picture is just a Binangon and a sword with deity hilt is a Binangon which also can be called Tenegre or Talibong when the blade has a clipped point.

Regards,
Detlef