Knife with a Spanish Influence?

RobT · 15th November 2025, 10:11 PM

Ian,

Here are examples of this type of sheath from my collection. All the blades are plainly from the Philippines. In the cases where the entire sheath is present, the blades fit the sheaths. The fragmentary sheaths fit the area of the blade by the hilt.
All examples have a leather throat reinforcement with a scalloped bottom and, in all cases, the reinforcement is pierced on the sides to accept a diagonally transverse belt. Even in instances where the belt is missing, this piercing is evident.
I know that blades that have lost their original sheaths are frequently paired with improper replacements but, with this number of examples, I think it is safe to conclude that these sheaths were part of Philippine material culture. Whether they were adopted from Spanish designs, I can’t say.

Sincerely,
RobT

Ian · Yesterday, 10:06 PM

Rob, no question that the sheath of the original post resembles sheaths from Luzon. However, the resemblance is not entirely convincing for me. In particular, the decorative area showing a face and radiating rays is atypical of Filipino work IMHO. The attachment with an angled strip across the sheath and two rings to attach a belt is an arrangement seen on knives from Laguna and other areas in Luzon, as you have shown with those examples.

Since the sheath does not fit the knife in the usual fashion, then I think we need to discard the sheath when identifying the knife's origin.

15th November 2025, 10:11 PM	#1
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 574	Philippine Examples Ian, Here are examples of this type of sheath from my collection. All the blades are plainly from the Philippines. In the cases where the entire sheath is present, the blades fit the sheaths. The fragmentary sheaths fit the area of the blade by the hilt. All examples have a leather throat reinforcement with a scalloped bottom and, in all cases, the reinforcement is pierced on the sides to accept a diagonally transverse belt. Even in instances where the belt is missing, this piercing is evident. I know that blades that have lost their original sheaths are frequently paired with improper replacements but, with this number of examples, I think it is safe to conclude that these sheaths were part of Philippine material culture. Whether they were adopted from Spanish designs, I can’t say. Sincerely, RobT Attached Images

Yesterday, 10:06 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,540	Rob, no question that the sheath of the original post resembles sheaths from Luzon. However, the resemblance is not entirely convincing for me. In particular, the decorative area showing a face and radiating rays is atypical of Filipino work IMHO. The attachment with an angled strip across the sheath and two rings to attach a belt is an arrangement seen on knives from Laguna and other areas in Luzon, as you have shown with those examples. Since the sheath does not fit the knife in the usual fashion, then I think we need to discard the sheath when identifying the knife's origin.