[CharlesS]

When I first saw this unique panabas I immediately thought it incorporated a Chinese cleaver style blade. However, having forum member Philip Tom, our resident expert on Chinese blades, look at it, he has come to a different conclusion. While the style and shape are almost certainly borrowed from Chinese forms, the quality of the pattern weld and its style are not Chinese, but clearly Moro...note the similarity to a pattern welded barong. The tang style also confirms its Moro manufacture.

It's quite an interesting piece and continues my interest in cross cultural influences in blades found in the Islamic world.