the quiet kid in the back of the class, Bangkung...

[Spunjer]

prolly the least talked about weapon in cato's book due to its scarcity, the bangkung. here's one that's even rarer, which is a variation: instead of having a straight spine, this one has a curve spine, and a shandigan blade to boot. scabbard is made out of two different type of wood; narra for the back, and banati up front, chased with an amazing presentation of okir on the throat. the two halves are tied in an unusual fashion. enjoy!

[ThePepperSkull]

oh wow! The scabbard alone is beautiful! Imagine my reaction if I saw this sheathed and pulled out that wicked blade! Incredible find, Spunjer!

[Spunjer]

lol, yeah... a triple whammy, actually. the scabbard, which is an art to itself, then the curve blade, and finally a shandigan. i almost dropped it :D

[ThePepperSkull]

What of the okir on the throat? Is it MOP? Turtle shell?

[Sajen]

Beautiful bangkung, congrats! :)
What is the lenght of the blade? Do you plan to etch the blade?

Regards,

Detlef

[Spunjer]

it's bas-relief. then accentuated with lime to really stand out.

[Spunjer]

hi detlef,
blade is laminated, but not as pronounced. the blade itself is 18", and total length of the bangkung is 23".

[Sajen]

hi detlef,
blade is laminated, but not as pronounced. the blade itself is 18", and total length of the bangkung is 23".

Thank's!
:)

[Maurice]

Ron,

This is by far the prettiest bangkung I've ever seen.
Congrats with this great addition!
Besides the great okircarvings, I also love the hidden ratan bands in the scabbard.
That is also found sometimes on mandauscabbards.




Maurice

[Robert]

Yes, what a wonderful addition to your collection.:cool: Congratulations on such a rare find.

Robert

[Spunjer]

yes maurice, that's exactly what i was thinking about regarding the "hidden" rattan wrap style... thanks robert!

[Battara]

I was so impressed by the okir carvings when I saw the pictures. Congrats! :)

[Maurice]

yes maurice, that's exactly what i was thinking about regarding the "hidden" rattan wrap style... thanks robert!
Here an image of the "hidden" rattan wrap style on a mandauscabbard of mine.

[Mytribalworld]

Ron,

This is by far the prettiest bangkung I've ever seen.
Congrats with this great addition!
Besides the great okircarvings, I also love the hidden ratan bands in the scabbard.
That is also found sometimes on mandauscabbards.




Maurice

I agree and see more mandau elements in it like the scabbard end,the line in the blade and blade point and the raised centre of the scabbard all over.

Arjan

[kai]

Congrats, Ron, that's one of the nicest I've seen so far of the shorter bangkung variant!

This looks very much like a piece from Palawan.

Regards,
Kai

[Spunjer]

that's my thought as well, kai. the form is similar to the barungs found in that area.

i wouldn't be surprise if this was inspired by a mandau, arjan. i saw a mandau once provenanced to a datu from sulu.

http://rbhayes.pastperfect-online.com/31794cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=ECC3A122-48E3-4DE9-8146-800548021520;type=101

[t_c]

Great Bangkung Spunjer, the okir work on the scabbard is especially nice.

When I saw this is, it reminded me of piece from Palawan that Ian posted:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpost.php?p=22993&postcount=80

I'm curious about the cross section - is there a step or change in plane at the fuller?

[Spunjer]

t_c, i believe it's a similar type. btw, there is a step on the fuller..

[t_c]

Thanks Spunjer - I was asking about the fuller/cross-section because it is something I have seen on just a few blades (one of which I used to own). I was thinking this "step" to the back edge might be a specific to a region, but so far I really don't know... :shrug:

Old Bangkung/Bolo(?) with what I believe might be a similar cross section:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=6271

[Dimasalang]

How much you asking!? :D
That is one sword that just screams awesomeness! :eek:

[Spunjer]

Good point, t_c. But then again, between this one, your ex, ian's example, the one that was on ebay about a month ago, and another one that i sold a few months back, we could be looking at a whole new genre of moro weapon previuosly unknown.
Dimasalang: thanks, bro!

[Mytribalworld]

that's my thought as well, kai. the form is similar to the barungs found in that area.

i wouldn't be surprise if this was inspired by a mandau, arjan. i saw a mandau once provenanced to a datu from sulu.

http://rbhayes.pastperfect-online.com/31794cgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=ECC3A122-48E3-4DE9-8146-800548021520;type=101

Thanks! thats interesting info!

Arjan

[Battara]

When I saw this is, it reminded me of piece from Palawan that Ian posted:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpost.php?p=22993&postcount=80
Good point about Palawan - I forgot about that.

[CharlesS]

Here is another bangkung for reference. The blade is fairly typical, but the hilt style, especially the pommel, is unique.

The scabbard is new and is based on a historical model.