A Somewhat Unusual Kampillan

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

No doubt many of you Moro enthusiasts saw this kampillan on Ebay, and I was lucky enough to pick it up.

It is nothing spectacular. The hilt is quite plain. The blade is of a typical style, but it is very thick and heavy, and it is the fullers that caught my attention. The fullering looks very similar to those on a Chinese sword, but I cannot imagine how a blade of this shape could have come from a reworked Chinese blade. Note the fullers are very shallow and look very worn, seeming to indicate that the blade was at one time even thicker.

The somewhat unusual configuration of brass dots and stars throughout the blade.

Any ideas on this blade???

Thanks in advance for any input.

Hello Charles,

Congrats with your nice kampilan. Indeed the pommel is quite plain.
But in opposite the blade is very nice and interesting.
The dots and "stars" I've also seen on moro krisses, but I agree they are ranged unusual.
But that makes it even more interesting, together with the fullers.
I've seen moro krisses with shallow fullers though. But I don't know from what blades they were made. The "fullered"ones I've had in my hands had no lamination as seen on old forged krisblades as far as I can remember...So probably made from reworked blades (not necessarily chinese)??

Kind Regards,
Maurice