Maguindanao twistcore Kris.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by kino

... The blade is just too nice for a plain unadorned hilt. ...

Hi Kino.

In an earlier comment here I suggested that this was a sword used by a panglima. A panglima was employed by a Sultan as his military chief, perhaps the equivalent of a general in western armies. Elsewhere on this site it has been suggested that twist core blades on a kris were a sign of rank for the panglima. If so, some of these blades would have been for use as a weapon and perhaps some were for "show." Therefore, finding a rather plain hilt on a high quality twist core blade should not be uncommon or surprising if many of these were intended for "field use" rather than "parade swords."

Ian.