PRIMITIVE WEAPONS AND ARMOR OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 81 



the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have straight iron 

 blades sharpened to a single edge. This is the tsurgi, the most 

 ancient form of Japanese sword; it either antedates the Chinese 

 two-edged blade or represents a development away from Chinese 

 influence, though the latter may be detected in the dragon designs 

 generall}'^ carved on the pommels. Engravings ornamenting the 

 blades sometimes represent dragons, Chinese characters, words, or 

 even whole sentences, and sometimes Sanskrit letters are added as 

 a sacred charm. The conventionalizing of blade form, the gaudy 

 nature of the artistic ornamentation, and the practical uselessness 

 of the Chinese swords have proceeded much further than is the case 

 with those of the Japanese. This is especially noticeable in the 

 Chinese double sword. 



Double sword, Chinese. — Two steel blades are fitted to a single 

 shark skin scabbard. Each blade is complete and is identical oii 

 inner and outer lateral sides. Each has a double cutting edge and 

 is tapered in section from a median ridge at center of outer side of 

 blade. Edges are straight, tapering gradually from guard to sloped 

 and pointed distal end. The guard, handle, and pommel of each 

 of the two blades are complementary to the other and are placed in 

 the round on outer side of blade; the inner lateral surface of the 

 handle is flattened, so that when the two swords are placed side by 

 side thfey form a unit. Blades are unornamented ; guard, ferrule, 

 and pommel are of case white brass decorated with a dragon design 

 and Chinese characters. The grip is fitted to the hand and is formed 

 of carabao horn. Beaded and fringed silk tassels in pink and green 

 colors are attached to button on pommel. Shark skin scabbard fer- 

 ruled with cast brass bands. Chinese manufacture. 



Length of blade, 45 centimeters (17.7 inches) ; over all, 62 centi- 

 meters (24.4 inches). Collected in the Philippines by Capt. G. P. 

 Ahern, United States Army. Cat. No. 248893, U.S.N.M. 



Dagger, Mandayan, Agusan River Valley, Mindanao.— The blade 

 of this dagger " balarao " has an elongated diamond shape and is 

 worn inverted at the belt. It is entirely unlike the Moro kris-dagger 

 " punal-de-kris " and seems to be a local development of the Man- 

 dayan, a mountain tribe of eastern Mindanao. The tang passes en- 

 tirely through the wooden hilt, which is encircled with a band of 

 sheet silver 1 centimeter wide and extends an equal distance beyond. 

 Two wooden horns project similarly from the base of the hilt at the 

 posterior and anterior edges; the three prongs are thus fitted to be 

 grasped between the second and third fingers. The inverted scab- 

 bard hangs concealed point upward at the belt and the blade is 

 lield in place by a thread. The weapon may readily be grasped in 

 the everted hand, torn from the scabbard, and passed upward under 

 the victim's ribs at one stroke. The scabbard is composed of two 



