Question - Open Scabbards and Single bevels in SE Asia

[fearn]

Let's see: hills of Assam, parts of the Philippines, and Taiwan, especially in the highlands....

I could sort of believe that there was diffusion, but not really. Mostly these show up among the highlanders (although I'm not sure about all the Philippine tribes--comments?). These aren't exactly people who talk with each other a lot (yes, I'm stereotyping, sorry).

A counter example is the sai/tjabang, which shows up all over Indonesia, coastal China, up to Okinawa. There are lots of local variations, but it's pretty obvious that sailors carried them all up and down the major trade routes.

That, and the swords in question all look different and are built differently. Actually, the open-work scabbards are different too. Sometimes the opening is bridged by braided rattan (Assam, Philippines), sometimes by metal staples (Taiwan), sometimes with wood (Bhutan).

F