A Moro "Pir-rong"
 

Here's something I picked up not long ago...I've dubbed it a "Pir-rong". The blade is a typical barong blade of good quality, heavy, and good pattern welded damascus typical of the late 19th and early 20th Century. The hilt of course was the real "seller"....carved of wood, not horn as would be more typical of a pira. Very interesting piece that feels great in the hand. Forum member Philip Tom made the scabbard. After discussing it we thought a pira-like scabbard would be more appropriate for such a piece.

Nice, and perhaps goes some distance toward explaining some what I now see are pira-esque features on some modern barongs' pommels.

WOW! nice barung, charless.....mmmkay, now where do fit that in my so-called outline? :confused:

Yakan barung
 

Chuck:

What you have is a rare, but not unique, example of a Yakan barung, most likely from Basilan. The resemblance to a pira hilt is not coincidental. I have seen one other example in Manila (not for sale unfortunately), and I think Artzi or Lion Gate may have had a similar barung many years ago.

Nice find. This one does not seem to have a lot of age, but hard to tell from the pictures. Would you say early 20th C.?

Ian.

Ian,

Thanks for the extra info. Some of the "pir-rung's" age is hidden by restoration to the blade, and a newly made scabbard. The patination to the hilt's wood is dramatic and lovely, and may not really expose itself in the pics. Blades of this thickness are rarely encountered post-1945, so certainly I'd say early 20th at least, and maybe late 19th Cent.