Origin of the Balisong?

[RobT]

Vandoo,

I am aware of the Japanese and Chinese war fans but I've never seen one close up to examine the mechanism. If the war fan mechanism is the same as on the balisong, a Chinese origin may be credible. That may depend on when the balisong first appeared in the Philippines and when Philippine natives would have likely last seen a war fan. The further apart those two dates are, the less likely is a Chinese origin unless you want to postulate that the knife itself was actually invented by the Chinese. Fascinating discussion.

Sincerely,
RobT