Two Kampilans For Comparison - One Modern, One Older…
 

I own two kampilans - the modern item collected from a dealer in the Philippines a decade ago, the older version recently acquired. I thought it might be interesting to see them side by side.

The modern version first. This came with a plain wooden scabbard, nicely crafted with simple carving at the end. Unfortunately a three inch crack in the base near the hilt.

A well-made blade with 13 brass inserts near the end and a spur. It seems to me that on the left side of the blade in particular I can make out the effects of a grinding wheel which may have been used to clean the blade - I can also see small forging flaws on both sides of the blade. There is a small area of incised lines and crosses on the spine familiar from other recent blades from this area. It is sharp and strong.

The wood of the hilt seems to have a reddish/golden effect that would polish up well. I don’t believe the metal grip cover and the roundels are silver as they’ve not tarnished since I bought it. The serpentine guard seems to be iron and well-fixed. The holes for the hair plugs are present but don’t seem to have been used.

Balance point - 8”/203mm from the hilt.

A big, attractive sword.


Dimensions

Length - 46.5”/1181mm
Blade length - 34.5”/876mm
Depth of blade (narrowest) - 1.25”/32mm
Depth of blade (widest) - 1.9/48mm
Width of spine (hilt) - 0.3”/7mm
Width of spine (point) - 0.08”/2mm
Length of hilt - 12”/305mm
Length of cross piece - 5.75”/146mm
Width of cross piece - 1”/25mm
Depth of cross piece - 1.75”>1.25”/44mm>32mm
Length of metal grip - 4”/102mm
Depth of metal grip - 1.5”/38mm
Width of metal grip - 1.125”/29mm
Width of jaws - 4”/102mm
Length of guard - 3.75”/95mm
Width of guard - 1.25”/32mm
Depth of guard - 0.2”/5mm

More pics

The Older Version...
 

The older version lacks a scabbard and is somewhat smaller.

A simple blade with a truncated spur. A couple of small forging flaws. Eight nicks to the edge - almost certainly children at play. There are 21 brass inserts, mostly in triplets/triangles - they’re so pale as to almost seem grey. Again, sharp and strong.

The wood of the hilt is evenly patinated a very dark, reddish brown. The three rattan/cord (?) strips of the hilt seem to have been lacquered or tarred - not quite one or the other - not really sure what it is, but it is very workmanlike. A very simple brass loop guard and a red cord loop drilled through the cross-piece - presumably for hanging it up? The cord is cord, not nylon - it may look as though the knots have been melted at the back, but this is not the case - it is simply dirt and wear. Simple brass pins on either roundel. A small repair to the rear of the lower jaw. Interestingly there are no holes for hair plugs - there is simply a small trench. My supposition is that a small wooden tray would have been made with holes - the hair would have been affixed, then the tray inserted into the cavity we see today.

The hilt has an old acquisition/collection number in white - 67

Balance point - 6”/152mm from the hilt.

A lighter, better balanced fighting sword.


Dimensions

Length - 39.5”/1004mm
Blade length - 29.1”/739mm
Depth of blade (narrowest) - 1.25”/29mm
Depth of blade (widest) - 2”/51mm
Width of spine (hilt) - 0.25”/6mm
Width of spine (point) - 0.04”/1mm
Length of hilt - 10.4”/264mm
Length of cross piece - 5.5”/140mm
Width of cross piece - 1.25”>0.5”/32mm>13mm
Depth of cross piece - 1.5”/38mm
Length of metal grip - 3.4”/86mm
Depth of metal grip - 1”/25mm
Width of metal grip - 0.85”/22mm
Width of jaws - 3.25”/83mm
Length of guard - 2.5”/64mm
Width of guard - 1”/25mm
Depth of guard - 0.16”/4mm

Two nice kamps Jerseyman. Thanks for showing them.

The modern example with the metal covered hilt is from the second half of the 20th C or, possibly, an earlier sword dressed up at a later time. The okir work on the hilt looks Maranao to me, and it is likely this kamp was made in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. The hilt is carved a little better than many of the modern versions, and in keeping with its ancestors.

The older example may be late 19th C/early 20th C. Substantial numbers of kamps were taken/turned in by the Moros as part of their disarming that was instituted by the US in the early 1900s after a number of bloody skirmishes. This one might date to that period. That it was designed for combat is reflected by the balance of the sword. This is something that the more modern versions tend to ignore because many of the weapons produced more recently were not intended for serious use but rather for decoration or for sale to wealthy folks outside of the Moro culture.

Two nice examples from different periods.

Ian

Ian, I'm just curious about what originally went into that void on the top of the second kampilan..............

Hello Jose,

do you refer to the cavity at the lower part of the pommel?

The hypothesis in the original posting is correct:
I have seen a few kampilan with this way to attach the hair. Actually, the "tray" does not have holes and the hair is arranged along the outer rim (the hair is bound into little bundles and notches can help to keep them in place).

Regards,
Kai

Here's another example with the rare hair attachment variant - sorry not really visible from the pics.

I believe Albert has another example and he might be faster than me in supplying a close-up... ;)

Regards,
Kai