Kampilan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kampilan is a famous long sword widely used in the pre-conquest Philippine Archipelago and still in use by many Filipino Muslims today, especially by the Maguindanao and Maranao moros. The term "kampilan" is known all over the archipelago, but it describes various types of swords. Mactan chieftain Lapu-lapu and his warriors were reported to have wielded this weapon to great effect when they fought against Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521. The sword is mentioned in ancient Filipino epics, e. g., Hinilawod of the Hiligaynons.
The kampilan is single edged and about 34 to 40 inches long. The hilt is quite long to counterbalance the weight and length of the blade. Most hilts are in hardwood, invariably with the same shape: a cross guard (sampak) and a pommel shaped in an animal's wide open mouth, crocodile or bakonawa, with okir carvings. Some kampilan have goat hair tassels sticking out of the hilt's backside.
The blade is thick and narrow at its base while it gets thinner and wider to the truncated point. Some blades have a spike to the point. Original kampilan have a laminated blade with a central layer of steel; some older examples show a pamor specific to the Moro pattern-welding process. A competently-forged kampilan have blades tough and versatile enough to hack off limbs and cut through vegatation and even lumber.
