Barung with chopmark/stamp
 

I recently acquired this barung which has a chopmark/stamp. The hilt is modern.

I am not sure if the mark on this blade is authentic. I have read ,and was told also, that there are some instances wherein chopmarks are made on the barung in order for the steel to look like from China thus increasing the value in the old times.

This looks like a spit barong. Many of these chop marks are meaningless, placed to make the blade look like it was made by superior smiths.

Still lt would be good to have it checked out just in case it does say something in Chinese.

Hello Battara. Thank you for the insight. I have a Chinese friend and he told me that the chopmark is not a Chinese charater. May I know what you mean when you said "spit barong"?

I believe Jose's autocorrection didn't like the word "sipit" ;)

Your hilt seems quite modern and likely is a replacement.

Regards,
Kai

Vielen Dank Kai.


Siput/sipit barong (I HATE spell check) is a type of barong with a thinner in width blade than normal, and is attributed to the region of Palawan Island.

Yes Kai. It is indeed a modern hilt. The ferrule is aluminum and the hilt is made of mahogany wood.

I see. That is interesting. This is the first time I encountered the word "Siput/sipit" in describing the blade profile of the barung. I believe the bladesmiths here in the Philippines who make the modern barung does not use that term anymore. Thank you for the information.

What is the length of the blade and the overall length?

I usually try to make at least one photo with a measuring device for anything I am posting for information or selling.....

Hello h0ll0wman!
Sorry, but I have to disagree with your Chinese friend. This character is a variation of the Chinese character 永 Yong (in Mandarin) or Wing (in Cantonese). It means eternal, endless; long, prolonged; permanent, as well as the surname Yong. I think that in this case it is the blacksmith’s family sign.
But it is possible that a lesser-known blacksmith forged the signature of a more famous and popular colleague in the craft :)

Interesting! Thank you sir for this valuable information.

It's my pleasure!