Knife with a Spanish Influence?

[Ian]

Rob, all I can say is that if I pick up Lee's knife from his last post, and apply that to the right side of my body, then it is oriented correctly for a left-handed draw. If the knife is placed slightly forward of the hip, then there is no difficulty in closing the belt loop.


Regards, Ian

[RobT]

First, what I got right.
Here are photos of me wearing the first of the seven examples I initially presented in this thread (the only one with a complete suspension and belt).
The first photo shows left side carry with the throat decoration plainly visible and my right hand poised to draw the sword. Note the position of the sheath with the throat angled towards the front and the tip angled towards the rear. Also note the position of the belt buckle on the front of my body.
The second photo shows right side carry with the throat decoration plainly visible and my right hand in position to attempt to draw the sword. As you can see, any such attempt would be awkward at best because the throat of the sheath (and thus the hilt) is angled toward the back of the wearer. (Even a left hand draw would be difficult and then, the sword would have to be transferred to the right hand for use because most Filipinos, like the rest of the world, are right handed.) The position of the tip of the sheath projecting as it does in front of the wearer doesn’t pose any functional problem, it just looks silly.
The third photo is another right side carry view which shows the position of the belt buckle as being needlessly difficult to fasten and undo.
There are only two ways this sheath could be used for right side carry. One, the throat decoration must face the user’s body (which would seem to obviate any reason for the decoration in the first place). The second way would be to change the angle of the suspension so that the ring and leather strap now nearest the throat would be furthest from the throat and the ring and strap now furthest from the throat would be nearest to the throat. The buckle and belt strap components would also have to swap their respective positions. All of the above would result ln a sheath suitable for right side carry and left hand cross draw which would be impractical for the reason already covered above. Note that the suspensions on ALL the examples in this thread are aligned for left side carry (see new photo with my examples [with complete sheaths] sheathed).

Now, what I got wrong...sigh.
Given the above, it is obvious that I was wrong and Lee was right about the orientation of his knife as sheathed being incorrect. To be correct, the curve of the hilt would have to face the suspension ring nearest the throat. As shown in my carry photos above, the hilt must be curved or configured to support a right hand cross draw from a sheath on the left side. The hilt to blade orientation of Lee’s knife is correct (switching the existing orientation would be absurd both ergonomically and visually). So we are left with a knife not original to the sheath and of unknown origin but, since there is nothing about the style, construction, or materials that is inconsistent with Philippine manufacture, and there is not one shred of hard evidence pointing toward manufacture anywhere else, my money is still on the Philippines.


Sincerely,
RobT

[Lee]

Below is a picture of the sheath and knife oriented as they would be looking down if belted to the wearer's left side. With the decorated face out, the distal curve of the sheath is reversed compared with all of Rob's examples. The knife is lying as it would go into the sheath and the end is what governs the only way it can go. The narrow (edge) side of the mouth is to the front when strapped on to the left, but the one-sided taper of the end is reversed. In the end, this sheath appears to have been made wrong. The strap worn at its maximum buckled length accommodates a 38 inch girth.

A bladesmith friend of mine with Mexican heritage considered the leatherwork to be consistent with Mexican work in several details, but Rob's several examples strongly argue for a Philippine origin. My friend showed me a Tarahumara (a northern Mexican people) utility knife from the late 20th century and I include another image below as the clip point is similar.

[RobT]

Lee,

The sheath hasn’t been made incorrectly. The orientation of the angled suspension is correct and so is the placement of the buckle and belt straps. All these things match the examples I submitted. The problem is that the knife wasn’t made for the sheath.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Lee]

Indeed, the sheath is much too well made to have been anyone's first or early attempt, so I began to consider just what blade profile that 'reversed polarity' would fit. I laid the knife over the sheath and that suggested it could possibly fit in the right way. So, I very carefully inserted the knife in that way with a bit more force than on previous attempts. Not as smooth, but no serious resistance either, though it finishes ever so slightly crooked at the interface between the sheath mouth and guard. So perhaps, in the end, this couple was made for one another. If I store it another fifty years this way around, perhaps the sheath will re-adapt?

[Interested Party]

Just a passing thought..... Looking at the throat of the sheath it seems roomy. What if it was made for a forward curved blade?

RobT I always forget what this style is blade is called.

Ian I hear what you are saying concerning the sun motif.

Other ideas while I'm brainstorming. Some cultures, including the Philippines I own lefthanded Philippine knives, are forgiving of left handers. OR it could be an edge up right-handed carry. This has an interesting alignment in that it creates a natural alignment for a downward stroke upon drawing. Also edge carry up doesn't dull as much when you run or ride a horse.