The ‘bankung’ is a sword found among the Moro people of Southern-Philippines and the Sulu Archipelago. A weapon made for slashing with its balance near the center of the blade, making it suitable for slashing an opponent or its shield. The ‘bankung’ is a rather scarce type of sword which is attributed to the Moro people, but quite lesser known than the ‘kampilan’ or ‘barong’. The blade is single edged and has a convex spine which tapers towards the tip. ‘Bankung’ are often found in the regions of the Sulu archipelago, but this example with the fine carved wooden hilt seems to be from Tausug people, a muslim Moro minority which lives in North- Kalimantan, Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan.

This example:

A very fine example in its kind due to the high quality forging techniques on the blade and the magnificent wooden hilt with a fine and complicated braided brass decoration and silver ferrule. The wooden hilt is carved in typical Moro style and shows a center of floral motifs and steep angle to provide handling during battle. The blade shows a fine forging pattern with a hardened center running from forte to the tip and a harder, embedded cutting edge which clearly stand out of the rest of the blade.

Condition: Excellent condition, no scabbard.

Dimensions:

Hilt length: 14cm

Blade length: 56.4cm

Blade spine thickness: 7mm

Total length: 70cm
Point of balance: 22.5cm from the hilt.

Weight: 644gr.

Comparable examples: