Luzon or Panay?

[RobT]

Ian,

Actually, not just very convincing, completely convincing if the age estimate is correct. I am posting a knife in my collection that has a nodding similarity to yours but that I had always assumed was post WWII. The blade length of mine (8.625”), is similar to yours but the OAL (14.5”) is greater than yours due to the Janus head pommel. No Sheath. Could it be that mine is a lot older than I thought? Both of our knives check all the Bowie boxes and the chisel grinds indicate that they weren't just a bespoke blades made by a Filipino smith following the instructions of a European or US client but rather a knife type that had been absorbed into the northern Philippine culture. Could the triangle at the base of the blade on yours perhaps point toward a Philippine independence group? That would further cement the 19th century date. I would love to see any other examples you (or anyone else) may have.

Sincerely,
RobT

PS: Your knife is a beaut.

[Ian]

Thanks for the comments Rob. Yes, this does seem to be a recognized style of Philippines knife. Triangular cross-section blades are also found on swords. I have one from roughly the same period that has an inscription, Recuerdo Republicano, at forte. There was some debate about what this actually meant, but the consensus was it probably stood for "Recuerdo el Republicano," or Remember the Republican. So there may be a link to the Katipuneros. The marks on the ricasso of the knife above are not specific to the Katipunan or the Philippines revolution AFAIK.

Blades of triangular cross-section were probably made in Manila and surrounding provinces during the Spanish era. I have nothing specific to point to for this notion, other than it was the major area of Spanish concentration and the nice knife I show above likely would have belonged to a rich Spaniard or perhaps a rich Mestizzo. The yellow metal areas appear to be gilded.

The blade on that knife is pretty convincing for being about 100+ years old. It has a nice patina and the "spidery" marks of an old high carbon steel blade.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by RobT

Ian,

...I am posting a knife in my collection that has a nodding similarity to yours but that I had always assumed was post WWII...

Rob, I do think this one you show is likely from the Spanish Colonial period. Hard to say without having it in hand. The small cross guard with proportionately large "balls" at each end and centrally is a likely Spanish decorative feature in my view. Also, the overall attention to detail in the finish seems to be high, and that was often seen on items made for influential Spaniards and Mestizzos. The same was true for the revolutionaries who led the First Republic.

I have other Spanish-Filipino colonial knives and will see what pictures I have of those.

Regards,

Ian

[RobT]

Ian,
If your knife is that early, I think mine is also ... which isn't hard to take.

To Everybody,
I have two last question about the "Philippine Bowie" style. Are they still being made and are they carried by the locals?

Sincerely,
RobT

[Ian]

Originally Posted by RobT

... I have two last question about the "Philippine Bowie" style. Are they still being made and are they carried by the locals?

Sincerely,
RobT

Rob, I think large-bladed knives, with or without guards, are still being made. I don't follow the present trends in Filipino knives very closely. There are facebook pages where these can be found. I don't follow them, but others here may have a link for you. Also, some of our members living in the Philippines are in a much better position to say what is made these days. I hope thy will join in here.

[RobT]

an,

The slanted guard and drooping blade/hilt arrangement notwithstanding, I would say that the first example in your latest post is a Philippine Bowie. Currently made sub-hilt Bowies sometimes show these very features. Again, keep in mind that the shape of the original knife created by Resin Bowie is unknown. The only things etched in stone appear to be its large size and cross guard. A look at the wide range of knife styles sold as Bowies in the US by British cutlers supports this. There are even 19th century British accounts calling folding sheath knives whose handles are only long enough to contain two thirds of the blade, Bowies. Given the above, we can surely allow Philippine smiths a good degree of stylistic latitude for their take on the Bowie design.
I would say that, save for the asymmetrical cross guard, your second example with its tapering, double edge blade is an Arkansas toothpick. However, the definition of an Arkansas toothpick as having a tapering, bilaterally symmetrical blade with a bilaterally symmetrical hilt and cross guard isn’t universal. There are 19th century accounts that say the name Arkansas toothpick is synonymous with Bowie.
As far as current carry goes, government restrictions may play a large role in what is permitted in the north (especially in more populous areas). Hopefully somebody in the Philippines can report on the current situation and, if carry of large knives is still allowed, what type of knives are favored.
In any event, those are two really great knives you have there.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Ian]

Thanks Rob. I was hoping Jim McDougall might have dropped in and commented on this topic of "Bowies" in non-U.S. cultures and large fighting knives in general. Obviously, there could be parallel development of large fighting knives among different cultures, simply based on the effectiveness of such weapons at close quarters. There is only so many ways you can shape such a blade, and some similarity may be expected. That said, as you point out there was some imitation of the supposed Bowie knife, especially in western cultures.

We do seem to have evidence here of a Spanish/Mediterranean influence on Filipino blades in the latter part of the 19th C. To what extent the "Bowie" idea filtered its way to the Philippines pre-1900 is impossible to say at this point.

Post-1900 there is direct involvement of the U.S. in the Philippines. After the Span-Am war it is likely that U.S. influence on local knife-making emerged quite strongly as U.S. military personnel increased in the islands. As you have pointed out also, during WWII and later saw an increase in large fighting knives of the "Bowie" type. Many of these were sold to U,S, forces stationed at Clarke AFB and Subic Bay. Many large bladed knives of that period had no guard, but there are also plenty of examples with guards.

Thanks for raising this interesting topic and I hope we will hear from more members about it.

Regards,

Ian.

[JeffS]

Ran across another from the Lew Waldman collection hosted on this site, posted as reference.

[Ian]

Rob,

Here is another Spanish colonial knife from the Philippines. Unfortunately, the blade has been polished to mirror brightness by a previous owner. I don't think you would call this a "Bowie" but it does have a fairly large blade of about 10.5 in. and a guard. There is an unsharpened false edge along the distal part of the blade's spine.
.

[Ian]

And a straight version of the triangular cross-section blade. This one appears to have some age. I would say WWII era, perhaps a little earlier. Despite having a symmetrical double-edged blade, it has an asymmetrical S-guard. OAL out of scabbard is about 15.75 in.
.