Short sword - Moro keris - Moro - Philippines

This is a Moro Kris from the Philippines, made on Maguindanao province on the Mindanao island. The kris has been probably made in the years just after the WWII.

The Moro Kris is the expression of the martial culture of the Philippines and in the olden days was used as a true weapon as well as a symbolic object of power, status and religion.

This is a particularly large kris by any standard. Many are smaller than this but this is a beautiful display Item. The person who commissioned such a weapon had to be a very wealthy person. Its conditions are superb as many of these krises which were kept in damp and less than ideal conditions, rusted and the wooden parts decayed. This is almost perfect. The blade is very sharp. It measures 62 cm while the total length of the sheathed kris is 85cm. This would be the proud possession of any Moro Warrior and his family, we know from the style of the parrot hilt that this was made in the Maguindanao province. The blade also shows signs of having a Damascus pattern which would be revealed if treated with Ferric Chloride if the new owner would wish to do so. This is not a normal practice among the Moro but western collectors have taken to do this because the Damascus pattern can be very impressive and give the weapon an extra dimension.