I'm a Filipino and I don't mind the kris being called a Southeast Asian weapon instead of just Filipino- because it isn't just from the Philippines. It's also quite prominent in Indonesians and Malaysian martial arts.
DreamPen majapahit is the one of indonesian kingdom who colonize the whole south east asia and share their culture especially keris,majapahit is from java
alderey omamalin lol so you say people in Indonesia never fought a war with kris, in fact its the other way around we fought every war with kris. You can find word "kris" in almost every war story in Java. We don't steal any form of your culture, if you found a proof of the existence of the Philippines kris before the Indonesian then we'll talk. Yes solot was Majapahit area before.
alderey omamalin that was time Sulu gain its freedom, most historian agree that Sulu was part of Majapahit in very short time. Yes i mean Sulu, i've talk to foreigner before and she/he reffer Sulu as Solot and i thought that is what Philippines reffer Sulu, so i wrote Solot instead of Sulu.
Pendant Blade even in south Thailand they used the kris. But a northern empire defeated the southern one and so it fell out of fashion. But in some temples there are carvings of the kris.
I've also seen them through museums throughout the muslim world. That said no idea beyond that about the sword, but seen some In Maysia that are more or less pistol grip handles. Really queer swords/knives.
The day has finally come! I'm so happy. Edit: It's so much more beautiful than I realised from seeing it on the wall. I'm terribly envious. I'm also really excited to hear that you intend on making more videos on that weapon and on flamberges. Can't wait.
It is really recognizable for most Dutchmen my age. We saw lots of them coming back from the Dutch Indies (Indonesia) with Dutchmen who lived there. However, this size is really weird. All of them were a lot shorter. All of them were wavy. And the tip was really pointy, not blunted like this one. Most were smeared with a kind of poison. The way to remove this, was to hold them in fire for some time.
Pieter volgens mij is het een filipijnse kris op de javaanse en andere indonesische krissen zit ook een mooi patroon (pamor) en die zijn meestal een stuk kleiner.
Oh yeah, I'm certainly no expert on weaponry, but that tip really stood out to me. Intuitively, it looks like it should end in a point, rather than finish on a wiggle. I found that displeasing, aesthetically. The blunted tip really looks to me like something that would happen after using a sword made of wet clay to stab, or a scene out of a cartoon where the sword's used against someone so much stronger that the wielder can't hurt them even with the sword.
Yes, good to see some keris/kris love! Got my first keris 20 years ago (it was from Jogjakarta), and since then I've got a few Filipino styled ones. Once you handle them for a bit, you begin to realize the remarkable thoughtfulness of design put into them, glad to see you point some of these aspects out Matt... I suppose if the empu is going to put that much work into the seemingly decorative flourishes, why not go the extra mile for ergonomics?
Moist Von Lipwig yes we do share a lot of cultural similarities between Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, and in Southern Thailand. I even see a lot of similarities between Silat and Kali. Especially unarmed combat form and the weapon training in both discipline. I'm from malaysia so I'm familiar with the weapon. my martial art background are not in silat but in Tomoi, which is Malayan form of kickboxing similar to Muay boran from Thailand. most people must be familiar with "Ong Bak" which use muay boran, thats how tomoi looks like generally speaking. the difference maybe in the technical term and the ritualistic form of it, but it is the same form as Muay Boran.
Since you're from malaysia, do you have any Garuda imagery? I've been to thailand, and I'm from the philippines, and I was surprised to see that the thai have plenty of "sarimanok" motifs. Did some research, and found out that the sarimanok was the philippine version of the hindu "garuda" that changed and got localized over time after people from the southern island of mindanao converted to islam. it's usually a great bird or a chicken(manok) with a rainbow tail. It's usually a good luck symbol. As for the martial arts in my country, I think a lot of it got lost/got changed after the philippines got conquered by the spanish. much like capoeira, it survived by pretending it wasn't really a martial art as to not alert the spanish authorities. hence the stick fighting. when you compare silat and modern day escrima/arnis though, it's surprising to see a whole lot of similar motions and patterns.
Moist Von Lipwig yes we do have garuda motifs and garuda legends aswell. we even have an island name "Langkawi" which means Eagle island in old Malay language. this is the birthplace of the garuda in our folklore and legends. The garuda motifs only visible on old malay houses and remnants of malay castle. they are also visible in old malay Buddhist temple remnants known as Chandi Lembah Bujang.
Moist Von Lipwig yes when Islam came to Malayan Archipelago we adjust our old Hindu and Buddhist influence in art to suit Islamic believes. Wow you amaze me with you knowledge on Malayan traditional art. You must love history as much as I do. Oh fyi, Tomoi is kind of the intergration of Muay boran with Islamic believes. most of the ritualistic element which has strong influence of Buddhism had been replace with Islamic ritual which had recitals of several verses of the Quran and prayers. In some malay dialect for example Kelantan called Tomoi as "muay" or "mue" or "muay kelate". so there is strong evidence of Siamese/Thai influence in Malay culture.
When u stab people with this the people will die cuz it's edges usually poisonous and when u pulled it the wavy edged cuz a lot of damage cuz its cut through the flesh when while u pulled it..that's why when a duel happen usually both side died..
The Moro, who used these sword length kris, are Muslims, so Garuda does not have the same meaning to them as other Hindu based cultures in South East Asia. The bird more likely represented is the mythical Sarimanok. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarimanok
Whether or not they were designed for it, wavy blades (particularly longer and wider ones) deliver significant aerodynamic advantages: they can handle higher angles of attack without stalling. This helps when the blade is being turned and swung through arcs, as the lift forces assist with the ability to direct the blade through the turn. There is also less drag if the blade is not stalled. I have mentioned this on a well known sword forum and was mocked for it, but the physics can't be denied. It's obviously not relevant to daggers.
It's good that you said southeast Asian and not being too specific. Because in Indonesia especially in java kris usually have an odd number of "wiggles" or bend, a maximum number of bend, and a maximum length of the blade.
Also the origin of kris... We cannot just say it was Indonesian, Malaysian or Philippino, because it was originated in the kingdom age of Southeast Asia and it was widespread throughout Southeast Asia. Because the kingdom it was originated is too big. Though the kingdom is more Indonesian than other southeast Asia countries. But everybody has their own culture, so why bother mentioning it then... I guess just for a little bit more knowledge
Matt I lived in the UK for several years and became involved in an FMA group known as dacayana eskrima. I know you said you weren't really interested in Eskrima, but I wouldn't get to wrapped around the handlebars about titles, Arnis, Kali and Eskrima are terms used interchangeably depending on the region. The initial training is stick oriented, but the stick is mainly a surrogate for the blade, edge alignment is important. That being said, if you wanted to bypass that aspect of the training for educational purposes, get in touch with the head of the system, Marcie Harding. She's based out of the London area, but travels quite a bit and is extremely knowledgeable about the subject.
That really is a beautiful weapon that looks like an absolute joy to use. Wave-bladed swords are really gorgeous; I'm really interested in seeing that video expounding on them!
You calling it a South East Asian weapon instead of being specific is why I enjoy your content, you know your stuff (and make it clear when you don't). It's hard to call it an Indonesian, Malaysian, etc. weapon. It's a beautiful weapon and I'm happy you enjoy it a lot. Interesting though comparing this kris to the Malaysian ones I'm more used to seeing (Malaysian here).
That doesn't mean other countries doesn't have variation of it There are several variations of kris across of Southeast Asia Kris is engraved deep enough in Malay and Philippines cultures
Great video! I spent time in Jolo, Sulu PI While there i was told by a Tausug local that the wavy blade was so the blade would not get stuck in the enemy. I guess the waves give more cutting power while pulling it out from bone or something.
As soon as I saw the blade, I knew right away that it's Filipino... I can tell the difference between a Filipino Kris Sword over the other Kris Swords from other SEA Nations... That sword is sacred to the Filipino Moro people, there are many other Filipino Moro Swords, but that one holds the most credit among all swords from the Philippines...
The philosophy of the keris is to utilize the enormous super-duper potential energy of iron. So in the keris used iron-carbon material in dominant quantities. a little bit of steel. a little nickel. Because carbon can record words, the kris maker when forging it needs to say prayers and hopes. The number of waves also represents positive energy programming. 13 waves and 9 waves is the hope of getting rid of bad luck and increasing sustenance and love. keep this philosophy in mind. then anyone can make a great kris.
Please do some cutting tests and show us the results, comparing a straight blade to a curvy one (blades of similar weight, length and purpose). Maybe buy a replica kris just for that?
Yes, serrations/ undulations are generally better at (draw-) cutting through tough materials, such as leather, ropes, fabric, wood etc. The surface area of edge in contact with the target is reduced compared to a plain edge. Therefore the pressure is increased and the edge will bite deeper. Think of a row of shark teeth. There's also the potential for more grievous wounds in both cut and thrust...
I don't think that's at all accurate. Undulations are very different from serrations. Serrations involve points that can catch, this would cut less effectively than other blades but it would hold its edge longer because the shape would give it less contact with things.
Thanks for the video. As at least one other has sort of pointed out, it actually makes it easier to get the blade to 'bite' when performing relatively weak cuts. As you've pointed out before, environment is important. These were used in very warm tropical environments. Spears, shields, clubs, armor light to non-existent. 'Make the thrust less effective' is actually good, it means more damage and less chance of radical overpenetration. It's the same principle used in the many 'leaf shaped' European blades, applied slightly differently, but both give you a point which expands quite quickly to widen the wound and an edge that can bite when drawn across a target in either direction - either forward or backward. If an initial thrust is deflected but not controlled, then the section of the blade that faces more towards the hilt can be used to deliver a draw cut in the moment of recovery. I'm sure you've already thought of that. Cheers!
Coming from an artist's perspective, that sword is way better looking than any fantasy sword I've ever seen. That hand guard is simply beautiful. The handle and pommel and the brass ring binding it to the blade, the teeth on the guard, it all screams aesthetic functionality to me. If it is indeed a ceremonial sword, the smith certainly made it to meet the requirements of one used in battle. (IMO)
In indonesia, there is a practice of bathing your kris in "warangan", which is a liquid arsenic. So instead of deadly weapon it acts more like poisonous weapon.
A wavy blade means that the edge is longer than the sword itself. This alone improves cutting, because the depth of the cut will be a function of how much edge has been dragged across the skin. Also, the wave tops serves to concentrate pressure and this will improve penetration as the edge is dragged across. i also imagine that the wavy form will make nastier cuts because the cut will possibly be "derailed" and make more jagged edges. Thus making the field surgeons job that much more complicated, and ruining everyone's day.
The history original of Kris from Hindu-Budha Kingdom in Indonesia.. You can look kris product from Srivijaya Empire (Sumatera Island, Java Island, Malaysia, Thailand, Kamboja etc) and Majapahit Empire (Java, Borneo, Sumatera, Malaysia, Tumasik/Singapore, South Piliphines, Sulawesi Island, Bali, Maluku, Papua etc).
Not sure about Malaysia and Indonesia, but the Philippine Kris has 3 main versions all based on southern Philippine lore. 1. Kris na tulog (sleeping Kris), 2. Kris na gising (awakened kris), 3. Kris na gising na gising (really awake kris). The shape is a tribute to the serpent which in southern Philippine lore is a messenger of the gods. The type of Kris that a warrior would be wielding depends on his/her status as a warrior in the community. Basically the more kills you get, the more awakened your kris should be. The serpent was used as a way of determining whether the gods favored you in battle. One myth goes that if the snakes are slithering towards the enemy, the gods are in your favor. Likewise if the snakes are running towards you, the gods are not in your favor. So the more kills you get in battle the more favored you are as an individual warrior, and the more the serpent siding with you is awake. That's shown by the wavyness of your blade. As for the pommel, it's a tribute to the Sarimanok - a pet of the gods. Think of it as a magical chicken. That's what the beak shape is for. So in short, if that is an antique Filipino Kris na gising na gising, that was made for someone who had a lot of kills in battle. Not necessarily done with that Kris, but certainly done by the person it was made for.
That particular kris is a moro kris .. it is much wider than the Javanese or Indonesian kris..moros don't refer to their combatives as Filipino martial arts ( arnis or escrima) they will either use their tribal term or silat.
That is beautiful. As a layman, it makes me think along the lines of how bread knives are so good at cutting because they concentrate the applied force into many small regions, thus giving each region greater pressure than a straight edge.
Great video! I'm used to Kris as the side dagger, seldom seeing them as swords. I'm fascinated by the flamberge shape and its application for both slash and thrust. I can't wait for the main video! I was at my museum's Filipino Martial Arts talk last year, and got to handle a practice barong, which actually handles a lot like this particular kris sword-a heavy chopper. I took class in Insular South Asian culture in college but of course they skipped the martial arts. Have you read Weapons & Fighting Arts of Indonesia by Donn F Draegar? Filipino martial arts changed under the American occupation-weapon tactics evolved from battles in fields to battles in the streets where you fight more with knives, sticks, and whatever you can find.
Yeah I'd done filipino martial arts for years but I found out about it ironically while doing HEMA. I was talking with a buddy at a reenactment who I had met doing HEMA, anyways we got the idea of why not do a recreation of Magellan vs Lapu-Lapu basically recreate a historical skirmish between cultures. The only problem was figuring out what that would look like, the Spanish side was fairly well documented but it took some digging to find out about the Boxer Codex.
I know of an excellent forum chalked full of avid collectors of these who are very well informed and have done a lot of research (which they have archived on their site). I'll give you the link if you're interested (and not already a member of it). It does take up to a couple of days to get registered and be able to post. They had problems with spam bots a while back and locked it down. Also I get the impression that they like their community small and well informed (for the most part). So you have to email the Admin and speak to your being an actual human and your seriousness interest in order to get in.
Some say that kris originated from Java and it spread throughout Southeast Asia during the expansion of Majapahit Empire in 14th century. I don't know much about Filipino kris, but in Indonesia, kris is primarily a stabbing weapon. Some are designed with dull blade but very sharp point and some are designed straight without undulation.
I second this. In term of function, Indonesian kris, or we say "keris" is mostly a status symbol, spiritual object and last resort dagger. They are supposed to give you spiritual wisdom, good luck and protection, some are even reported to grant immunity to it's wielder agaisnt bullets, cuts and trusts of blades (like Prince Diponegoro's kris, now located at Weltmuseum Wien in Vienna, Austria ). Different wave style and quantity of waves on the blade also gives different meaning. My great grandfather used to have one, too bad he gave it away to someone for a reason only he knew.
TheGodTell Yes the curve of keris has its own meaning mostly to show the social status of the wielder. Based on my understanding of old Malay kingdom, the straight keris are used by foot soldiers or in battlefield, for 3 arc/lok keris it is used by warrior which had been chosen by the Sultan/king, for 5 arc/lok keris it is wield by high ranking officer who had been appointed to ruled the county/daerah given to them. for 7 arc/lok keris are wielded by the higher status warrior usually court officials, sultan's or king 's advisor and bodyguards. for 9 arc/lok keris are for royalties or anyone who has direct royal bloodlines. the 9 arc/lok keris also being gifted to the ruler or emperor of other countries as sign of diplomatic relationships.
Why Jay For the one Matt's holding it maybe a Moro keris or Filipino keris. the construction of the keris does resemble keris panjang or long keris in Malaysia. but the example that I had seen has thinner width and alot more pointed as the dagger type keris. the construction principle for keris that Matt's holding maybe difference compared to dagger type keris. the number of arc for keris that Matt had are more than 9 arc so i could not determine if it use for warrior or royalties. sorry if i couldn't give you a definitive answer.
The reason behind most Kris swords not having wavy blades is because the waves on the blade denote your rank so you'd only see the wavy blades if you look at the higher ranked members of society the Straight Kris was used by footman predominantly
Looking at things like this may be misleading. It doesn't matter what the waves denoted eventually, but how it started. If waves make a blade more complicated to create, it makes it more expensive. That in turn means that you need to have more money to afford it and who has more money? More powerful people. So more powerful people will be able to afford the more complicated versions and thus it eventually becomes a symbol for being powerful. After all, you got the wavy blade and you must have acquired it somehow. Thus this is very likely not a reason for the waves at all. After all, that assumption would mean that at some point, before anyone had wavy blades, some rich and powerful people collectively decided to just do this for no particular reason, only to identify each other. Something like that rarely ever happens. Symbols form and evolve. They are not simply created. Especially in pre-modern times.
Rattus Rex That could be how it started. Culture, mysticism, religion play a part as well. Symbols are not simply created, but they can originate from a variety of sources. It doesn't all have to be about practicality or economic advantage. Esp in pre-modern times when people tend to be more superstitious.
I was told by a Philipno that a straight blade doesn't cut as well but by breaking up the line pressure points are created and this makes the edge penetrate easier.
A little contribution from a Filipino viewer. First, I'll confirm what you've mentioned earlier. Yes, there are styles of Kris with fewer waves in them and those designs are more attuned to stabbing attacks. This is especially more effective in the case of the smaller/dagger variants of the Kris that also have slimmer blades. Next, an insight into the wavy nature. The wavy gives the Kris a likelihood of inflicting multiple serrations. In stabbing attacks, it leaves nearly impossible to treat stab wounds during entry and drawback. Think of shredded flesh and internal organs. As for chopping/slashing attacks, there is the obvious increase in the points of contact but there is a favored action in cultural martial arts towards dragging your blade across the opponents body and this often results in a lot of additional cuts aside from the initial strike.
That's actually one of the really scary things about the way the waves in the blade works. My late Physical Ed. teacher in high school had a Kris (less wavy than the one Matt has) and he demonstrated its use during one of our lessons on Arnis (a modernized local counterpart of the Kali martial arts). The problem sometimes with the blade is that it could get caught on your ribs during entry or exit but the waves would allow them to glide over the bones and with enough force, fracture them in the process. There were a few other things he mentioned about the historical and cultural aspects of the weapon that he taught to us but I forgot them after so long
Idk about Filipino keris but that keris look cheap or not quality made. Keris I know is Javanese one, made out of combined metal (usually 3 kind of different metal, can be more). The expensive one used by royal family even include meteorite as ingredients. Use forge and fold method to make and have some kind of pattern (called pamor) due to ingredients and forge method. There are wavey and straight keris, the number of the wave in keris (called luk) always odd (usually in range of 5 to 9 wave). Wave keris while still practical weapon, mostly used as accessories, ceremonial weapon, and decoration as status symbol while the straight one used as purely combat weapon.
in malay silat we call it sundang.. from what i know sundang have two different shape.. straight dan wave like keris. different place have a different type of name. just high level silat warrior know how to use it and the secret of part of sundang have it own funtion. sundang it look like keris but the way we use is a bit different.
we call it sundang too here in southern bicol philippines. just shows that if the word is the same. the culture is probably the same. you can find people here who lives in the mountains and would testify that long before time its called sundang.
Sundang is a heavy leaf shape blade in southern Philippines, heavily identified with the Moros. But it is also present among Christian Bisaya. It is said it can cleanly cut a person in half. Legend has it that the 45 calibre Colt handgun was developed just for this, to stop a Moro warrior in a close quarter combat. The 38 cal prove to be ineffective once these warriors has closed on you.
@@andoylanggid Sundang just means heavy blade from North to South. It does not identify with religion. The religious war are mostly in coastal areas, the interior are left mostly alone. Nobody has won the war here. It is just entertainment. You really want to win? be prepared to marry and capture or be captured.
From my understanding of the keris blades, the undulations was more of a artistic choice by design, rather than increasing martial effectiveness. In countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, as mentioned, it was used for ceremony. Also they tend to be said to hold mystical or supernatural abilities when wielding them, depending on what legend is attached to them. Also, I was wondering if the wavy blades on a flamberge sword made it more effective than a regular sword in cutting?
A drawn blade means fight to the death. Kris blades being straight or wavy has only two purpose in a duel and that is to stab vital organs or simply just to nick the skin in a duel of combatants skilled in Silat/Kali against other martial arts. Often if not always, kris is coated in poison giving the blade a certain patina. Only ceremonial blades look so clean.
Matt, just putting this out there, but I'm Filipino and I am here in the Philippines, if you are thinking of studying more about our culture and martial arts, and decided to come over, I'd gladly treat you to around town. I got your food and place covered. Hahahahha Much love to the channel!
How come i missed this video? :)) The one you hold is called Sundang, it is a Keris "broadsword". Keris is not a main weapon but rather secondary, because of it's status, hard to make and expensive. There are many types of Keris, long Keris usually carried by government officials (Knights equivalent) in old Malay kingdoms, especially the Melaka Sultanate. Hang Tuah the famous legendary admiral of Melaka is known to use long Keris in battles. Long Keris also known as "executioner Keris" because being use to execute criminals (well, only government officials can execute people). The function of Keris and it's status are different depends on kingdoms, but generally its status is equivalent to Japanese Katana and European swords. I can only mention about Malaysian because i am Malay. Short Keris are common, it is said that Malay people is not complete without carrying a Keris (it was like Americans cowboys with guns). There are so many things i can share but it will take too long. But i tell you that there will be some BS about Keris if you ask around, so i advise you to search for authentic sources
It's primarily a cutting blade, I believe the curve increases the surface area for the poison. They were made very sharp so that even a little scratch could be fatal though not instantly.
A point about wavy blades: when used as a thrusting weapon, you create a wound that’s wide but with a weapon that’s lighter than an equivalent straight blade that would cause the same wound pattern.
few questions. 1. How do you sharpen that thing? 2. why isn't the guard long on the other side too. on most European and north-Asian weapons you have the guard protecting your knuckles more than anything, so why is this different? 3. when you cut with this, can you feel the individual waves bumping as you go through? 4. does the shape reduce vibrations? (more than a straight blade?) Dunno who I got that theory from, but I would like to know.
I also wonder that, I pecieved that this imitated Kris was wrongly coppied, the longer guard is more appropriate to be guarding the fingers. And also the symmetry looks more appropriate if the handle was reversed.
Well im a Malaysian.....its not hard to sharpen a kriss, just fokus it's kindda like how u bond with it warrior's has their own way of doing it. Oh and that kriss also can paralyze your opponent, malay has known how to paralyze enemies for centuries using biology knowledge....how do they know WELL that's has something do to with islam. (Im just gonna end it here)
I saw many in Malaysia. Most of the local repos had horrible grips (dagger to short sword size). Teak wood sheaths. The touristy ones were made out of Pewter and Tin. The wave was speculated also to throw off another knife or sword parrying and to help an opponent loose their grip.
One advantage I can see in terms of thrusting is that the undulation reduces the overall weight of the weapon while still having a relatively wide blade meaning that you could potentially cause wider stab wounds. But as said in the video it looks more like a chopper than anything else
Spears are mainly used as javelins then they use kris with shields or sometimes dual kris and uses techniques of kali/arnis. The curved edge is designed for maximum damage because when you stab with it, you twist it and pull it out to tear the flesh. Most battles in early days take place in shores with knee deep water where movement is limited so efficiency is priority.
I had the opportunity to visit the basement of the museum of my city. I had the chance to see a pair of kris with their wooden scabbard. They are very old judging by the look, their scabbard were very dommage by the time. Also they had less wavy, and they were more Gladius size. But in fact, they were made of meteorite steel and they ended having a shiny purple blade with wavy motif du to the nickel in the steel. They were very rare.
Southeast Asia is a maritime area. Remove the current national boundaries on the map and you can see that the area is easily interconnected by sea and form an integral whole. It's culture is interconnected.
Another name I hear for the "kris" sword here in the Philippines is "kalis," and the latter is the term the Philippine Military uses for parade/ceremonial drill commands that involve the sword. The word is one of several possible origins for the term "Kali" - as the word kalis (written as calis) appears in a 17th century Spanish-Tagalog dictionary (Vocabulario de la lengua Tagala, 1613) and was said to refer to both the sword/weapon itself (espada) as well as swordfighting or fencing (esgrimir) - among other things. Also, the native Tagalog script is an abugida (or a syllabary, depending on who's talking about it) that ignored standalone consonants, so "kalis" would've been read as something like "ka li" (in baybayin: ᜃᜎᜒ) - if I'm not mistaken. "Kalis" to me appears to be more of an umbrella term for swords, though considering the word is Tagalog in origin and the Tagalogs, as far as I know, did not use the kris (they probably fought Moros who wielded kris swords though).
I am going to open the can of worms and say it... there is no historical account of the term kali until very recently. Eskrima and arnis are far older terms derived from spanish. If there was an organized martial system in the Phillipines before the Spanish occupation the name of it and its associated terminology is lost to history. Also, the Kris is a weapon predominantly found in the southern "moro" Phillipines and they tend to practice silat.
I've practiced FMA for about 6 years now and one thing I noticed is the downplay of European(Spanish) influence on the arts. There's a book that was recommended to me by a Filipino called, 'Cebuano Eskrima:Beyond the myth' that talks about the origins of Eskrima.
Jonobos Cant argue with you on that friend. But as a practitioner, let me try to enlighten you ☺ There is not a lot historical account of kali, or precolonial philippines for that matter, because it was recorded in text. Alot of our history is passed down orally. There is actually alot of theories where the word kali comes from. Personally, I dont like the term eskrima or arnis. Its just filipinazation of the words 'esgrima' (spanish for fencing) and 'harness' (protective clothing worn for fencing). I like the term kali, seems more coloquial. My personal theory is that the term 'kali' actually comes from the weapon 'kris'. I think early filipinos cannot enunciate the 'r' properly, and try to filipinize it, replacing the 'r' with 'l', becoming 'clis', then syllabicating (which filipinos really like to do), became 'calis'. Kalis actually means sword in tagalog, after all it is the command for military sword drills in tagalog 😀 Hope this helps.
I'm from Malaysia, and though I'm an ethnic Chinese whose ancestry has nothing to do with this weapon, I really appreciate this video for representing at least one small part of my country's culture.
Great video. The sword does seem like a wonderful blend of form and function. A dress sword but still very much a real sword instead of ceremonial. Nice one.
Matt, you're making a false distinction between Kali,Arnis and Escrima. The names are probably regional and don't speak to the traditional nature or lack thereof of the style.
Second this. To my knowledge its mainly regional. You can find two styles which use the same base name (for example arnis) but are drastically different in strategies and techniques. Likewise you can find two styles which are highhly similar in execution, but use different base names. Since there are no inherent characteristics to either of the base names (arnis de mano, escrima, kali etc.) usually more telling to refer to a style by the name of the family who developed it, since that is quite a common tradition.
Concur, although stylistically, the folks who use the "Kali" name tend to focus on the bladed aspects of the art more . My suggestion to Matt would be to look past the name and to research who the instructors studied under. Folks who are from the Illustrismo Kalis, Pekiti Tersia, or the Sayoc style camps tend to be more blade focused, which is what he is interested in. Modern Arnis, Doce Pares, etc tend to be more stick focused.
In the early 2000s on the Eskrima-L mailing list (before TH-cam and social media people used to use email lists) there was a big debate on the term "Kali." The Filipinos who lived in the Philippines considered it a made-up word while those defending the name were mostly Westerners. The Filipinos thought that Fil-Ams who never went to the Philippines made up stories and fake history to impress American students, and because these Fil-Ams were martial arts instructors they were believed. My theory is that it is a deliberate play on words revealing the actual location of the term's origin- California.
This is an absolutely classic Southern Filipino Kris (or Keris if you prefer the alternate spelling). While there are some parts of the archipelago notably Sumatra which employ long kerises the breadth and weight of this one is characteristic of the Philippines. As you say, in Malaysia/Brunei/Indonesia most are dagger-sized. Even the Sumatran "executioner's keris" is long but much lighter than the one shown above and designed for thrusting. Only in Philippines was it turned into a substantial short sword. Many are pattern-welded. A couple much older pieces in my collection are wavy halfway and straight to the tip. When you do your more in-depth piece on this you might want to take a look at the Turkish Yataghan for comparison. The curve of the blade and grip in both of them serves a similar function in terms of guiding the thrust and facilitating chopping and acting to some degree as integral protection for the hand when the point is in line. The waviness of the blade and in fact every aspect of the shape has cultural as well as practical significance. As you do more research it would be profitable to look into how this plays out in Indonesia and Malaysia as well. One aspect was status. As you point out a big (expensive) piece of steel is even more difficult (and expensive) to make with all the waves. It isn't any worse a weapon, but it definitely shows everyone else around that you are rich enough to afford a nicer sword (or are a good enough warrior to take it away from a rich enemy who has no further need of it). I've had keris blades come loose from the grip. The daggers from further South and West were held in place by friction. The tang was generally wrapped either in cloth or hair. The Filipino ones of mine which this has happened to and ones in the collections of acquaintances had added security in the form of an adhesive. I think it was probably some kind of thickened sap, animal glue or a combination thereof. If you are interested in pursuing this further please get in touch offline. A very good friend who has been everywhere and done everything trained in an old Southern Filipino system based on the use of the shield in combination with the spear, keris, or kampilan. He only teaches it privately, but if you want to investigate further I would be happy to make introductions.
That is the most wavey Kris I have ever seen! Scary bit of Kris' is you have to be very careful with them., it's my understanding that a lot of the blades were poisoned (by sticking them in a shit then thrusting them in a tree for a couple of weeks till the sap ingests the blade and it becomes poisoned). You have to handle old blades very carefully just in case, a nick is enough, even today such blades can still be poisonous! Handle them with extreme care!!
You might find this book fascinating if you want a better cultural/religious background history to South East Asian Arts, Draeger himself was poisoned to death - not nefarious, but by means of 'testing his manhood or whatever as a mark of respect by the tribe he stayed with at the time (!) www.amazon.co.uk/Asian-Fighting-Arts-Donn-Draeger/dp/0425025012/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501764369&sr=8-2&keywords=asian+fighting+arts
The wavey help with the parry and the bind. And the waves create more surface area capable of cutting no matter the angle your blade and not to mention push pull cuts when fighting with a shield and just a loin cloth
This is a Moro keris of South Philippines. They make it more like a short sword and useful in battle. In other parts of SE Asia the shorter thrusting keris is mostly used for duels and ceremonials. We preferred longer weapons like spears and shields and sword-like weapons for battles. Flintlocks when we could get them. The British confiscated most weapons but let us keep ceremonial keris.
I always thought krises were daggers only... This gives new appreciation for the weapon. All the features in this blade make it really interesting to think about.
I would imagine that the waves help preserve the cutting edge the same as modern serrated kitchen knives. The protruding edge takes the majority of the dulling, while the recessed edge remains sharp.
Keris - Pointy, often poison laced daggers preferred by nobility esp. in Indonesia and Malaysia. Kris - Sword length, often used with a shield. Kalis - Sword length, wavy base that straightens out halfway, also often used with a shield.
It's a weird Kris, I have to say. Usually they are pointy.the craziest thing about Kris is that some of them have finger marks on the blade because they believe that blades forged by hand is the best. Yes, I mean forged by hand as in they hit the steel with their bare hands instead of using a hammer.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris#Forging "In old Majapahit, a kris bladesmith was referred to as pande and all were reputed to be able to work hot iron with their bare hands. "
You're obviously not familiar with Javanese people. They are natural pyromaniacs. They play flaming football, they step on burning coal, etc. Also, I've seen fingerprints on kris before.
The elephant trunk are for cutting and tearing out the neck section of the enemy when in a grappling situation, the pointing and sharp guard of the Keris is to prevent enemy from grabbing and disarmed the owner. The wavy shape of the blade is to cause large internal organ damage and blood loss from stabbing. The handle of the Keris is designed to be used as a hacking weapon is a close range combat and the long wavy Keris blade can also be used for slashing. It is a 4 in one weapon.
This large Keris is actually called sundang lipas and usually used as a slashing weapon like Western sword. But for the smaller size Keris, it is used as a secondary weapon after mechate or sword. The handle of smaller Keris is designed differently from sundang lipas, as such as the user didnt need to tilt the hand in order for the Keris to be pointed to the direction of stabbing, while if you are holding a knife, the user need to adjust the hand position in order make sure the sharp pointed section of the knife is in the correct angle.
If you notice the triangular section of the Keris, if has another purpose, once the owner successfully stabbed the enemy in the ribs area, the Keris owner will twist the Keris like opening a door lock using a key. This is done without pulling out the Keris. The triangular section of the Keris will put enough force to break the enemy ribs apart and because of the wavy blade of the Keris, it will cause large laceration in the internal organ, a big wound which cause major blood loss that lead to death. It is designed to ensure the enemy will meet death and will not survive the attack.
I'm not an expert in southeast asian history so I might be wrong, but to my understanding, the indonesian *Keris* is more of a dagger or a long knife and has its handle at mounted 90° instead of having it mounted in line with the cutting edge, meaning that when holing it, the cutting edge is facing towards the sides of your hand. The filipino *Kalis* or most commonly know here as *kris* or *Kris bolo* is more of a machete or a sword as compared the the keris. Its handle is mounted in a conventional manner, ie the handle is in line with the cutting edge.
The terminology is really confusing - when I Google 'Sundang' most of what I find are what I would call Bolo. Before making this video I searched online to see what most people are calling these swords and most places seem to just call them Kris swords, although they seem to have various different names in different areas.
I'm engaged to a Filipina and have spent some time over there. I find it funny how Pekiti Tersia folks will argue with Khali folks who argue with Arnis folks as to what to call different weapons. Like the Barong, in most Tagalog areas, they just call it a Bolo because a Barong is a type of men's shirt. I've heard this called a Sundang over there, but usually Kris is what I hear, and they will argue over it. Bring in a Silat guy from out of country and it can get really interesting. Mostly it's friendly . . . mostly.
scholagladiatoria Im Cebuano Visayan so the term Sundang is more like an umbrella term for us for any bolo/ machete type weapon. So in our language/dialect a Kris is a kind of Sundang
My friend Danny from the Philippines gave me an original one as a gift! It's insanely sharp! Like you could easily cut someone's fingers off without applying much pressure whatsoever! The design makes it seem like cutting would be hard, but that's an illusion.
Unfortunately true for most I love our culture and it really ticks me off when people tell me I have "no culture" especially when it's people from my own family
Takto I believe he means that most pinoys don't care enough about their precolonial history and culture, which is unfortunately true about most people in general, who are more interested in the modern day. I think the part about it taking white people is just a joke about how most famous/reputable historophiles are European or Caucasian, and they're the type of people that pay these traditions their proper respect.
Kaerath Rhys I see. I'll agree that most people today are more interested in the modern day. What I disliked was how he centered the comment around pinoys when the Kris could be found all around South East Asia , though it may have been because Matt focused heavily on the Philippines and Filipino Martial Arts.
Carlo Enad White people? "white" people have asian martial arts in almost every corner. Its mostly japanese dojos that they think are magical. We have 1 small hema club in my country and large association of kendo.
Falx has potentially more contact with the flesh because it is inward sharpened. Tulwar and such has more edge for the blade length. I think this kind of wavey blade has best of the both worlds. More contact with potential enemy with edge, more edge for the blade, at the cost of production.
Didn't read through all the replies, but in "Asian Fighting Arts", the author (Dreager?) mentions a lot of the superstitions attached to the Kris. That the number of "waves" is associated to the owner's idea of "lucky numbers" and that in purchasing a knife it's very important to get the right number. Also, that the blade could be "milked" to produce oil or water, that it would rattle in it's sheath to warn the owner of danger, and that in some cases it would fly out of the sheath and fight on it's own! One of my reference books shows a very slender Kris that was described as an "executioner's Kris". The victim was tied in a chair, and the blade thrust down behind the collarbone into the heart.
In Philippines, the Kris was used to finish off an enemy. To cut the head off. In actual combat, the blades were straight and pointed. The sticks were used for training only.
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Kris are unique sword or dagger. In Malaysia, the way to make a kris is to mix 7 types steel including meteorite. Those 7 steel must be from different area, although it is curvy it can balance itself from the tip. Some would forge it with poisonous material so 1 cut would be enough. To enchance the pain they would drip lime on the blade.
In Moro kris/kalis sword culture, more curves means more talismanic power and caused more horrible wounds if used properly and with the right techniques. Curved blades usually were strucked at 45° angle to cut flesh which needs proper training. Also to determine the number of curves, count the concave curves, not the convex ones. Moro warriors usually carry 2 spears and shield with a barong or kris or kampilan sword, 1 spear was for throwing and the other for fighting, while the sword was a sidearm. In cases where spears were not available, a shield and kampilan was the fighting weapons, with kris or barong as sidearm, the scabbards of swords also serves as improvised shields or bucklers. Moro swords were used in fighting using messer like sword techniques without using the sword guard, especially for barong and kris.
I'm a Filipino and I don't mind the kris being called a Southeast Asian weapon instead of just Filipino- because it isn't just from the Philippines. It's also quite prominent in Indonesians and Malaysian martial arts.
DreamPen majapahit is the one of indonesian kingdom who colonize the whole south east asia and share their culture especially keris,majapahit is from java
alderey omamalin lol so you say people in Indonesia never fought a war with kris, in fact its the other way around we fought every war with kris. You can find word "kris" in almost every war story in Java. We don't steal any form of your culture, if you found a proof of the existence of the Philippines kris before the Indonesian then we'll talk. Yes solot was Majapahit area before.
alderey omamalin we can play a game you name your wars with kris i name mine, the one with highest number win.
alderey omamalin that was time Sulu gain its freedom, most historian agree that Sulu was part of Majapahit in very short time. Yes i mean Sulu, i've talk to foreigner before and she/he reffer Sulu as Solot and i thought that is what Philippines reffer Sulu, so i wrote Solot instead of Sulu.
+alderey omamalin Puta ang hina mo sa history nakakahiya. Also, Sulu was mentioned in Nagarakretagama as 'Solot.
Im glad you said SE Asia instead of just Indonesia/Malaysia/Brunei/Filipino or whatever. Its quite the widespread weapon.
Pendant Blade even in south Thailand they used the kris. But a northern empire defeated the southern one and so it fell out of fashion. But in some temples there are carvings of the kris.
I've also seen them through museums throughout the muslim world. That said no idea beyond that about the sword, but seen some In Maysia that are more or less pistol grip handles. Really queer swords/knives.
Joshua22# yes Malaysian keris has a pistol-grip style grip.
^ Same applies to other countries like Brunei.
Similar fashion weapon existed in japan and china too.
The day has finally come! I'm so happy.
Edit: It's so much more beautiful than I realised from seeing it on the wall. I'm terribly envious. I'm also really excited to hear that you intend on making more videos on that weapon and on flamberges. Can't wait.
TrueFireAnt you are the first comment to be written today
The mighty fire ant gets extra points for not highlighting that they were first.
Indeed.
+scholagladiatoria Getting to see this video is way better than being first.
Don't get your hopes up. When he says he'll talk about it in a future video, it never happens. He has a great channel, though.
It is really recognizable for most Dutchmen my age. We saw lots of them coming back from the Dutch Indies (Indonesia) with Dutchmen who lived there. However, this size is really weird. All of them were a lot shorter. All of them were wavy. And the tip was really pointy, not blunted like this one. Most were smeared with a kind of poison. The way to remove this, was to hold them in fire for some time.
Pieter yes that's javanese kris its just stabbing weapon javanese use other weapon to slash.
The poison is what made kris deadly. Yes it is mostly slashing and drawing weapon just because to stab a martial art practioner is not easy.
or brush it with blacksmith elixir
Pieter volgens mij is het een filipijnse kris op de javaanse en andere indonesische krissen zit ook een mooi patroon (pamor) en die zijn meestal een stuk kleiner.
Oh yeah, I'm certainly no expert on weaponry, but that tip really stood out to me. Intuitively, it looks like it should end in a point, rather than finish on a wiggle. I found that displeasing, aesthetically.
The blunted tip really looks to me like something that would happen after using a sword made of wet clay to stab, or a scene out of a cartoon where the sword's used against someone so much stronger that the wielder can't hurt them even with the sword.
Yes, good to see some keris/kris love!
Got my first keris 20 years ago (it was from Jogjakarta), and since then I've got a few Filipino styled ones.
Once you handle them for a bit, you begin to realize the remarkable thoughtfulness of design put into them, glad to see you point some of these aspects out Matt... I suppose if the empu is going to put that much work into the seemingly decorative flourishes, why not go the extra mile for ergonomics?
Malaysia/Indonesia/Philippines share a common heritage. The kris being common to all of them. Many various forms of silat and kali as well.
Moist Von Lipwig yes we do share a lot of cultural similarities between Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, and in Southern Thailand. I even see a lot of similarities between Silat and Kali. Especially unarmed combat form and the weapon training in both discipline. I'm from malaysia so I'm familiar with the weapon. my martial art background are not in silat but in Tomoi, which is Malayan form of kickboxing similar to Muay boran from Thailand. most people must be familiar with "Ong Bak" which use muay boran, thats how tomoi looks like generally speaking. the difference maybe in the technical term and the ritualistic form of it, but it is the same form as Muay Boran.
Since you're from malaysia, do you have any Garuda imagery? I've been to thailand, and I'm from the philippines, and I was surprised to see that the thai have plenty of "sarimanok" motifs. Did some research, and found out that the sarimanok was the philippine version of the hindu "garuda" that changed and got localized over time after people from the southern island of mindanao converted to islam. it's usually a great bird or a chicken(manok) with a rainbow tail. It's usually a good luck symbol.
As for the martial arts in my country, I think a lot of it got lost/got changed after the philippines got conquered by the spanish. much like capoeira, it survived by pretending it wasn't really a martial art as to not alert the spanish authorities. hence the stick fighting. when you compare silat and modern day escrima/arnis though, it's surprising to see a whole lot of similar motions and patterns.
Moist Von Lipwig yes we do have garuda motifs and garuda legends aswell. we even have an island name "Langkawi" which means Eagle island in old Malay language. this is the birthplace of the garuda in our folklore and legends. The garuda motifs only visible on old malay houses and remnants of malay castle. they are also visible in old malay Buddhist temple remnants known as Chandi Lembah Bujang.
Moist Von Lipwig yes when Islam came to Malayan Archipelago we adjust our old Hindu and Buddhist influence in art to suit Islamic believes.
Wow you amaze me with you knowledge on Malayan traditional art. You must love history as much as I do.
Oh fyi, Tomoi is kind of the intergration of Muay boran with Islamic believes. most of the ritualistic element which has strong influence of Buddhism had been replace with Islamic ritual which had recitals of several verses of the Quran and prayers. In some malay dialect for example Kelantan called Tomoi as "muay" or "mue" or "muay kelate". so there is strong evidence of Siamese/Thai influence in Malay culture.
Hardcore Mujahideen oh yeke ok gak tu ada campur silat. asal kedah ke?
Its basically a serrated double edged short sword.
And it looks pretty too.
How can anyone not like this?
I personally fancy this short-sword version of kris. Personally like the dagger though :))
The people that get killed by it
When u stab people with this the people will die cuz it's edges usually poisonous and when u pulled it the wavy edged cuz a lot of damage cuz its cut through the flesh when while u pulled it..that's why when a duel happen usually both side died..
@Wan Ikmal not rust, frog poison.
The stylized eagle is most likely a Garuda bird, which is a mythological creature that's become a national symbol in much of Southeast Asia.
The Moro, who used these sword length kris, are Muslims, so Garuda does not have the same meaning to them as other Hindu based cultures in South East Asia. The bird more likely represented is the mythical Sarimanok. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarimanok
Whether or not they were designed for it, wavy blades (particularly longer and wider ones) deliver significant aerodynamic advantages: they can handle higher angles of attack without stalling. This helps when the blade is being turned and swung through arcs, as the lift forces assist with the ability to direct the blade through the turn. There is also less drag if the blade is not stalled. I have mentioned this on a well known sword forum and was mocked for it, but the physics can't be denied. It's obviously not relevant to daggers.
It's good that you said southeast Asian and not being too specific. Because in Indonesia especially in java kris usually have an odd number of "wiggles" or bend, a maximum number of bend, and a maximum length of the blade.
Also the origin of kris...
We cannot just say it was Indonesian, Malaysian or Philippino, because it was originated in the kingdom age of Southeast Asia and it was widespread throughout Southeast Asia. Because the kingdom it was originated is too big. Though the kingdom is more Indonesian than other southeast Asia countries. But everybody has their own culture, so why bother mentioning it then... I guess just for a little bit more knowledge
Matt I lived in the UK for several years and became involved in an FMA group known as dacayana eskrima. I know you said you weren't really interested in Eskrima, but I wouldn't get to wrapped around the handlebars about titles, Arnis, Kali and Eskrima are terms used interchangeably depending on the region. The initial training is stick oriented, but the stick is mainly a surrogate for the blade, edge alignment is important. That being said, if you wanted to bypass that aspect of the training for educational purposes, get in touch with the head of the system, Marcie Harding. She's based out of the London area, but travels quite a bit and is extremely knowledgeable about the subject.
That really is a beautiful weapon that looks like an absolute joy to use. Wave-bladed swords are really gorgeous; I'm really interested in seeing that video expounding on them!
You calling it a South East Asian weapon instead of being specific is why I enjoy your content, you know your stuff (and make it clear when you don't). It's hard to call it an Indonesian, Malaysian, etc. weapon. It's a beautiful weapon and I'm happy you enjoy it a lot. Interesting though comparing this kris to the Malaysian ones I'm more used to seeing (Malaysian here).
taming sari aja dari jawa wkwk
yeah you are happy because you can claim it from your country. but no, kris is from indonesia (unesco) ich.unesco.org/en/RL/indonesian-kris-00112
That doesn't mean other countries doesn't have variation of it
There are several variations of kris across of Southeast Asia
Kris is engraved deep enough in Malay and Philippines cultures
@@asdfsdfg8849 Modern bounderies means nothing to the subject of Kris swords. Warriors will source their weapons from the best of their time.
@@luburan1973 agreed
Great video! I spent time in Jolo, Sulu PI
While there i was told by a Tausug local that the wavy blade was so the blade would not get stuck in the enemy. I guess the waves give more cutting power while pulling it out from bone or something.
As soon as I saw the blade, I knew right away that it's Filipino... I can tell the difference between a Filipino Kris Sword over the other Kris Swords from other SEA Nations... That sword is sacred to the Filipino Moro people, there are many other Filipino Moro Swords, but that one holds the most credit among all swords from the Philippines...
Correct!!!during 1900'sthat's why americano's invented the 1911A1 45cal.pistol,brave Moro warriors with kris overpowered US soldier's rifles!!!
The philosophy of the keris is to utilize the enormous super-duper potential energy of iron. So in the keris used iron-carbon material in dominant quantities. a little bit of steel. a little nickel.
Because carbon can record words, the kris maker when forging it needs to say prayers and hopes.
The number of waves also represents positive energy programming.
13 waves and 9 waves is the hope of getting rid of bad luck and increasing sustenance and love.
keep this philosophy in mind. then anyone can make a great kris.
Please do some cutting tests and show us the results, comparing a straight blade to a curvy one (blades of similar weight, length and purpose). Maybe buy a replica kris just for that?
keris is pusaka, not sword..
it's a magic weapon..
I find a lot of philippines swords have great handles for assisting sword work. The feel really wonderful in the hand.
The Kris is traditionally identified thru the handle maker. Find the handle maker to find the sword maker.
Yes, serrations/ undulations are generally better at (draw-) cutting through tough materials, such as leather, ropes, fabric, wood etc. The surface area of edge in contact with the target is reduced compared to a plain edge. Therefore the pressure is increased and the edge will bite deeper. Think of a row of shark teeth. There's also the potential for more grievous wounds in both cut and thrust...
Are you seriously trying to teach Matt about blades and how they can cut?
TH-camVoice rpg logic
TH-camVoice so you mean that serrated two handers are great for draw cuts?
Yeah, the damn thing bites alright.
I don't think that's at all accurate. Undulations are very different from serrations. Serrations involve points that can catch, this would cut less effectively than other blades but it would hold its edge longer because the shape would give it less contact with things.
"Chrises are quite difficult to date."
Does that only apply to males, or women named Christina as well?
Morgan Kris come from Christiant it made by jew who stabbed this Kris to Jesus body n he love it.
It's not Chris's but it's a keris
That joke went over all your heads eh?
@@hayywatanabe286 r/woosh
YouAnd OnlyYou this thread derailed quickly. 🤭
Well if Civilization 5 taught me anything, it's that you'll have to kill someone to discover what superpowers it will grant you.
Michael Daisley Not quite true. It will always grant you the power you want the least in that situation
You didn't learn that from Highlander?
+Michael Daisley
Yes, but just make sure he saves beforehand, so if it's a crappy ability, he can reload and do it again! (with random seed...)
Michael Daisley LOL, and Gajah Mada is a fucking sneaky as an enemy...
@@Gilang9990 well, just like indonesia politics
This is really an excellent, informative, and genuine video. Concise and to the point. Thanks, Matt!
lambe gajah (javanese for elephant's lip) is there because ganesha is the god of forging... knowledge of forging, more accurately
Thanks for the video. As at least one other has sort of pointed out, it actually makes it easier to get the blade to 'bite' when performing relatively weak cuts. As you've pointed out before, environment is important. These were used in very warm tropical environments. Spears, shields, clubs, armor light to non-existent. 'Make the thrust less effective' is actually good, it means more damage and less chance of radical overpenetration. It's the same principle used in the many 'leaf shaped' European blades, applied slightly differently, but both give you a point which expands quite quickly to widen the wound and an edge that can bite when drawn across a target in either direction - either forward or backward. If an initial thrust is deflected but not controlled, then the section of the blade that faces more towards the hilt can be used to deliver a draw cut in the moment of recovery. I'm sure you've already thought of that. Cheers!
Coming from an artist's perspective, that sword is way better looking than any fantasy sword I've ever seen. That hand guard is simply beautiful. The handle and pommel and the brass ring binding it to the blade, the teeth on the guard, it all screams aesthetic functionality to me.
If it is indeed a ceremonial sword, the smith certainly made it to meet the requirements of one used in battle. (IMO)
Mostly for fighting it is simpler in design but there are more intricate ones too
In indonesia, there is a practice of bathing your kris in "warangan", which is a liquid arsenic. So instead of deadly weapon it acts more like poisonous weapon.
Fun fact: its takes 7 types of metal to make a kriss.
Fun fact 2 : keris usually made from heavenly metal aka meteorites
A wavy blade means that the edge is longer than the sword itself. This alone improves cutting, because the depth of the cut will be a function of how much edge has been dragged across the skin. Also, the wave tops serves to concentrate pressure and this will improve penetration as the edge is dragged across.
i also imagine that the wavy form will make nastier cuts because the cut will possibly be "derailed" and make more jagged edges. Thus making the field surgeons job that much more complicated, and ruining everyone's day.
Its a Tausug tribe sword... In Jolo Sulu... Located at western part of the philippines..
wrong. southern.
thank you for the correction....
The history original of Kris from Hindu-Budha Kingdom in Indonesia.. You can look kris product from Srivijaya Empire (Sumatera Island, Java Island, Malaysia, Thailand, Kamboja etc) and Majapahit Empire (Java, Borneo, Sumatera, Malaysia, Tumasik/Singapore, South Piliphines, Sulawesi Island, Bali, Maluku, Papua etc).
Not sure about Malaysia and Indonesia, but the Philippine Kris has 3 main versions all based on southern Philippine lore. 1. Kris na tulog (sleeping Kris), 2. Kris na gising (awakened kris), 3. Kris na gising na gising (really awake kris). The shape is a tribute to the serpent which in southern Philippine lore is a messenger of the gods.
The type of Kris that a warrior would be wielding depends on his/her status as a warrior in the community. Basically the more kills you get, the more awakened your kris should be. The serpent was used as a way of determining whether the gods favored you in battle. One myth goes that if the snakes are slithering towards the enemy, the gods are in your favor. Likewise if the snakes are running towards you, the gods are not in your favor. So the more kills you get in battle the more favored you are as an individual warrior, and the more the serpent siding with you is awake. That's shown by the wavyness of your blade.
As for the pommel, it's a tribute to the Sarimanok - a pet of the gods. Think of it as a magical chicken. That's what the beak shape is for.
So in short, if that is an antique Filipino Kris na gising na gising, that was made for someone who had a lot of kills in battle. Not necessarily done with that Kris, but certainly done by the person it was made for.
P.S. the kris names are Tagalog translations of the indigenous tongue.
That particular kris is a moro kris .. it is much wider than the Javanese or Indonesian kris..moros don't refer to their combatives as Filipino martial arts ( arnis or escrima) they will either use their tribal term or silat.
Scholagladiatoria howdy from the Philippines, since getting into the SE-Asian weapons or filipino weapons how about trying to get a Kampilan Sword?
It's on my shopping list. I also have a personal interest in weapons from Borneo/Sarawak.
Kampilan sword use by lapulapu who killed Magellan in the battle of mactan.
@@scholagladiatoria Borneo-Sarawak, Philippines have the same weapons and same name Kris, Sundang, Barung.
@@josueocay6427 Lapu Lapu did not kill Magellan. He was an old chief in his 80's watching the battle. His boys did it.
@@luburan1973 thanks sir sa info
That is beautiful. As a layman, it makes me think along the lines of how bread knives are so good at cutting because they concentrate the applied force into many small regions, thus giving each region greater pressure than a straight edge.
Great video! I'm used to Kris as the side dagger, seldom seeing them as swords. I'm fascinated by the flamberge shape and its application for both slash and thrust. I can't wait for the main video! I was at my museum's Filipino Martial Arts talk last year, and got to handle a practice barong, which actually handles a lot like this particular kris sword-a heavy chopper. I took class in Insular South Asian culture in college but of course they skipped the martial arts. Have you read Weapons & Fighting Arts of Indonesia by Donn F Draegar?
Filipino martial arts changed under the American occupation-weapon tactics evolved from battles in fields to battles in the streets where you fight more with knives, sticks, and whatever you can find.
If you want to see more info on Filipino warriors from approximately 1500s-1600s period, check out the boxer codex.
Wow thanks, I'd not heard of that before and I'm looking at it now. Really cool.
Yeah I'd done filipino martial arts for years but I found out about it ironically while doing HEMA. I was talking with a buddy at a reenactment who I had met doing HEMA, anyways we got the idea of why not do a recreation of Magellan vs Lapu-Lapu basically recreate a historical skirmish between cultures. The only problem was figuring out what that would look like, the Spanish side was fairly well documented but it took some digging to find out about the Boxer Codex.
You should also check out the Ayala Corporation Gold Collection and compare with the Boxer Codex with the gold belts and other jewelries.
I know of an excellent forum chalked full of avid collectors of these who are very well informed and have done a lot of research (which they have archived on their site). I'll give you the link if you're interested (and not already a member of it). It does take up to a couple of days to get registered and be able to post. They had problems with spam bots a while back and locked it down. Also I get the impression that they like their community small and well informed (for the most part). So you have to email the Admin and speak to your being an actual human and your seriousness interest in order to get in.
Some say that kris originated from Java and it spread throughout Southeast Asia during the expansion of Majapahit Empire in 14th century. I don't know much about Filipino kris, but in Indonesia, kris is primarily a stabbing weapon. Some are designed with dull blade but very sharp point and some are designed straight without undulation.
I second this. In term of function, Indonesian kris, or we say "keris" is mostly a status symbol, spiritual object and last resort dagger. They are supposed to give you spiritual wisdom, good luck and protection, some are even reported to grant immunity to it's wielder agaisnt bullets, cuts and trusts of blades (like Prince Diponegoro's kris, now located at Weltmuseum Wien in Vienna, Austria ). Different wave style and quantity of waves on the blade also gives different meaning. My great grandfather used to have one, too bad he gave it away to someone for a reason only he knew.
TheGodTell Yes the curve of keris has its own meaning mostly to show the social status of the wielder.
Based on my understanding of old Malay kingdom, the straight keris are used by foot soldiers or in battlefield, for 3 arc/lok keris it is used by warrior which had been chosen by the Sultan/king, for 5 arc/lok keris it is wield by high ranking officer who had been appointed to ruled the county/daerah given to them. for 7 arc/lok keris are wielded by the higher status warrior usually court officials, sultan's or king 's advisor and bodyguards. for 9 arc/lok keris are for royalties or anyone who has direct royal bloodlines. the 9 arc/lok keris also being gifted to the ruler or emperor of other countries as sign of diplomatic relationships.
zuhaili shufller; Interesting. I'm not sure how the curves would be counted, though; Is Matt's kris a 9 arc one or even more?
Why Jay For the one Matt's holding it maybe a Moro keris or Filipino keris. the construction of the keris does resemble keris panjang or long keris in Malaysia. but the example that I had seen has thinner width and alot more pointed as the dagger type keris. the construction principle for keris that Matt's holding maybe difference compared to dagger type keris. the number of arc for keris that Matt had are more than 9 arc so i could not determine if it use for warrior or royalties. sorry if i couldn't give you a definitive answer.
I see, thanks.
The reason behind most Kris swords not having wavy blades is because the waves on the blade denote your rank so you'd only see the wavy blades if you look at the higher ranked members of society the Straight Kris was used by footman predominantly
SlenpaiwasHere yes it is true. the more wave it has the higher the social status of the wielder.
Looking at things like this may be misleading. It doesn't matter what the waves denoted eventually, but how it started. If waves make a blade more complicated to create, it makes it more expensive. That in turn means that you need to have more money to afford it and who has more money? More powerful people. So more powerful people will be able to afford the more complicated versions and thus it eventually becomes a symbol for being powerful. After all, you got the wavy blade and you must have acquired it somehow. Thus this is very likely not a reason for the waves at all. After all, that assumption would mean that at some point, before anyone had wavy blades, some rich and powerful people collectively decided to just do this for no particular reason, only to identify each other. Something like that rarely ever happens. Symbols form and evolve. They are not simply created. Especially in pre-modern times.
Rattus Rex That could be how it started. Culture, mysticism, religion play a part as well. Symbols are not simply created, but they can originate from a variety of sources. It doesn't all have to be about practicality or economic advantage. Esp in pre-modern times when people tend to be more superstitious.
because the more waves it has the more posibility of failure during its creation.
try to watch this link for referencesth-cam.com/video/74gPl4RA81c/w-d-xo.html
I was told by a Philipno that a straight blade doesn't cut as well but by breaking up the line pressure points are created and this makes the edge penetrate easier.
A little contribution from a Filipino viewer.
First, I'll confirm what you've mentioned earlier. Yes, there are styles of Kris with fewer waves in them and those designs are more attuned to stabbing attacks. This is especially more effective in the case of the smaller/dagger variants of the Kris that also have slimmer blades.
Next, an insight into the wavy nature. The wavy gives the Kris a likelihood of inflicting multiple serrations. In stabbing attacks, it leaves nearly impossible to treat stab wounds during entry and drawback. Think of shredded flesh and internal organs. As for chopping/slashing attacks, there is the obvious increase in the points of contact but there is a favored action in cultural martial arts towards dragging your blade across the opponents body and this often results in a lot of additional cuts aside from the initial strike.
I heard (and correct me on this) it does terrifying wounds to the ribcage, due to facilitated penetration that the ondulations give through the ribs.
That's actually one of the really scary things about the way the waves in the blade works. My late Physical Ed. teacher in high school had a Kris (less wavy than the one Matt has) and he demonstrated its use during one of our lessons on Arnis (a modernized local counterpart of the Kali martial arts). The problem sometimes with the blade is that it could get caught on your ribs during entry or exit but the waves would allow them to glide over the bones and with enough force, fracture them in the process. There were a few other things he mentioned about the historical and cultural aspects of the weapon that he taught to us but I forgot them after so long
Thanks for all the info bro! Glad to hear from a pinoy
Idk about Filipino keris but that keris look cheap or not quality made. Keris I know is Javanese one, made out of combined metal (usually 3 kind of different metal, can be more). The expensive one used by royal family even include meteorite as ingredients. Use forge and fold method to make and have some kind of pattern (called pamor) due to ingredients and forge method. There are wavey and straight keris, the number of the wave in keris (called luk) always odd (usually in range of 5 to 9 wave). Wave keris while still practical weapon, mostly used as accessories, ceremonial weapon, and decoration as status symbol while the straight one used as purely combat weapon.
in malay silat we call it sundang.. from what i know sundang have two different shape.. straight dan wave like keris. different place have a different type of name. just high level silat warrior know how to use it and the secret of part of sundang have it own funtion. sundang it look like keris but the way we use is a bit different.
No such thing as high level warrior. There is only Master and Student.
we call it sundang too here in southern bicol philippines. just shows that if the word is the same. the culture is probably the same. you can find people here who lives in the mountains and would testify that long before time its called sundang.
Sundang is a heavy leaf shape blade in southern Philippines, heavily identified with the Moros. But it is also present among Christian Bisaya. It is said it can cleanly cut a person in half. Legend has it that the 45 calibre Colt handgun was developed just for this, to stop a Moro warrior in a close quarter combat. The 38 cal prove to be ineffective once these warriors has closed on you.
@@andoylanggid Sundang just means heavy blade from North to South. It does not identify with religion. The religious war are mostly in coastal areas, the interior are left mostly alone. Nobody has won the war here. It is just entertainment. You really want to win? be prepared to marry and capture or be captured.
From my understanding of the keris blades, the undulations was more of a artistic choice by design, rather than increasing martial effectiveness. In countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, as mentioned, it was used for ceremony. Also they tend to be said to hold mystical or supernatural abilities when wielding them, depending on what legend is attached to them.
Also, I was wondering if the wavy blades on a flamberge sword made it more effective than a regular sword in cutting?
A drawn blade means fight to the death. Kris blades being straight or wavy has only two purpose in a duel and that is to stab vital organs or simply just to nick the skin in a duel of combatants skilled in Silat/Kali against other martial arts. Often if not always, kris is coated in poison giving the blade a certain patina. Only ceremonial blades look so clean.
Matt, just putting this out there, but I'm Filipino and I am here in the Philippines, if you are thinking of studying more about our culture and martial arts, and decided to come over, I'd gladly treat you to around town. I got your food and place covered. Hahahahha Much love to the channel!
Thanks man :-)
Always welcome! :D
How come i missed this video? :)) The one you hold is called Sundang, it is a Keris "broadsword". Keris is not a main weapon but rather secondary, because of it's status, hard to make and expensive.
There are many types of Keris, long Keris usually carried by government officials (Knights equivalent) in old Malay kingdoms, especially the Melaka Sultanate. Hang Tuah the famous legendary admiral of Melaka is known to use long Keris in battles. Long Keris also known as "executioner Keris" because being use to execute criminals (well, only government officials can execute people).
The function of Keris and it's status are different depends on kingdoms, but generally its status is equivalent to Japanese Katana and European swords. I can only mention about Malaysian because i am Malay.
Short Keris are common, it is said that Malay people is not complete without carrying a Keris (it was like Americans cowboys with guns). There are so many things i can share but it will take too long. But i tell you that there will be some BS about Keris if you ask around, so i advise you to search for authentic sources
very beautiful kris! i really love those kinds of blades, especially ones from the Philippines! thanks for the video! so much waves! :)
It's primarily a cutting blade, I believe the curve increases the surface area for the poison. They were made very sharp so that even a little scratch could be fatal though not instantly.
Fascinating and beautiful blade. It wouldn't surprise me, if it was used with a dagger in civilian life, just like a sword in Europe.
A point about wavy blades: when used as a thrusting weapon, you create a wound that’s wide but with a weapon that’s lighter than an equivalent straight blade that would cause the same wound pattern.
few questions.
1. How do you sharpen that thing?
2. why isn't the guard long on the other side too. on most European and north-Asian weapons you have the guard protecting your knuckles more than anything, so why is this different?
3. when you cut with this, can you feel the individual waves bumping as you go through?
4. does the shape reduce vibrations? (more than a straight blade?) Dunno who I got that theory from, but I would like to know.
I putring my comment here just to know the reply when someone answers it
th-cam.com/video/uUBIkjRgO9c/w-d-xo.html the unesco documentary of kriss knife (kriss is not a sword)
I also wonder that, I pecieved that this imitated Kris was wrongly coppied, the longer guard is more appropriate to be guarding the fingers. And also the symmetry looks more appropriate if the handle was reversed.
Well im a Malaysian.....its not hard to sharpen a kriss, just fokus it's kindda like how u bond with it warrior's has their own way of doing it. Oh and that kriss also can paralyze your opponent, malay has known how to paralyze enemies for centuries using biology knowledge....how do they know WELL that's has something do to with islam. (Im just gonna end it here)
I saw many in Malaysia. Most of the local repos had horrible grips (dagger to short sword size). Teak wood sheaths. The touristy ones were made out of Pewter and Tin. The wave was speculated also to throw off another knife or sword parrying and to help an opponent loose their grip.
Always grip your weapon firmly
Aldor nice chibi megumin👍
Explosion for ya my dude
Aldor if I remember correctly, the Kris needs to be handled delicately, a lot of wrist control. Disarming an opponent was a big thing.
Firmly grasp it in your hand
I want Matt to review the fight scene outside of the Salty Spittoon.
"He's not even hitting him!"
One advantage I can see in terms of thrusting is that the undulation reduces the overall weight of the weapon while still having a relatively wide blade meaning that you could potentially cause wider stab wounds. But as said in the video it looks more like a chopper than anything else
so...It's a one handed Flamberge? Neato
Spears are mainly used as javelins then they use kris with shields or sometimes dual kris and uses techniques of kali/arnis. The curved edge is designed for maximum damage because when you stab with it, you twist it and pull it out to tear the flesh. Most battles in early days take place in shores with knee deep water where movement is limited so efficiency is priority.
Sir
Kris have 2 types
Wavy blades-thrusting
Straight blades-both
I had the opportunity to visit the basement of the museum of my city. I had the chance to see a pair of kris with their wooden scabbard. They are very old judging by the look, their scabbard were very dommage by the time. Also they had less wavy, and they were more Gladius size. But in fact, they were made of meteorite steel and they ended having a shiny purple blade with wavy motif du to the nickel in the steel. They were very rare.
You know the part where you said it's a Southeast Asian weapon and not going into specific countries? Thank you.
Southeast Asia is a maritime area. Remove the current national boundaries on the map and you can see that the area is easily interconnected by sea and form an integral whole. It's culture is interconnected.
The wavy blade when sharpened properly is much like a serrated edge. It can cut so easily when drawn across flesh.
I think this is the most beautiful sword you have ever shown here.
Another name I hear for the "kris" sword here in the Philippines is "kalis," and the latter is the term the Philippine Military uses for parade/ceremonial drill commands that involve the sword. The word is one of several possible origins for the term "Kali" - as the word kalis (written as calis) appears in a 17th century Spanish-Tagalog dictionary (Vocabulario de la lengua Tagala, 1613) and was said to refer to both the sword/weapon itself (espada) as well as swordfighting or fencing (esgrimir) - among other things. Also, the native Tagalog script is an abugida (or a syllabary, depending on who's talking about it) that ignored standalone consonants, so "kalis" would've been read as something like "ka li" (in baybayin: ᜃᜎᜒ) - if I'm not mistaken. "Kalis" to me appears to be more of an umbrella term for swords, though considering the word is Tagalog in origin and the Tagalogs, as far as I know, did not use the kris (they probably fought Moros who wielded kris swords though).
I am going to open the can of worms and say it... there is no historical account of the term kali until very recently. Eskrima and arnis are far older terms derived from spanish. If there was an organized martial system in the Phillipines before the Spanish occupation the name of it and its associated terminology is lost to history. Also, the Kris is a weapon predominantly found in the southern "moro" Phillipines and they tend to practice silat.
Silat and FMA are very closely related.
I've practiced FMA for about 6 years now and one thing I noticed is the downplay of European(Spanish) influence on the arts. There's a book that was recommended to me by a Filipino called, 'Cebuano Eskrima:Beyond the myth' that talks about the origins of Eskrima.
ovariosinflamados26 It is worth reading if you haven't.
Jonobos
Cant argue with you on that friend. But as a practitioner, let me try to enlighten you ☺ There is not a lot historical account of kali, or precolonial philippines for that matter, because it was recorded in text. Alot of our history is passed down orally. There is actually alot of theories where the word kali comes from. Personally, I dont like the term eskrima or arnis. Its just filipinazation of the words 'esgrima' (spanish for fencing) and 'harness' (protective clothing worn for fencing). I like the term kali, seems more coloquial. My personal theory is that the term 'kali' actually comes from the weapon 'kris'. I think early filipinos cannot enunciate the 'r' properly, and try to filipinize it, replacing the 'r' with 'l', becoming 'clis', then syllabicating (which filipinos really like to do), became 'calis'. Kalis actually means sword in tagalog, after all it is the command for military sword drills in tagalog 😀
Hope this helps.
I was hoping you'd make a video about that, glad to see this pop up in my feed.
The blade is pretty bulky and complex; I wouldn't be surprised if they started as bronze weapons.
Thank you so much. More Kris/FMA videos would be much appreciated.
I'm from Malaysia, and though I'm an ethnic Chinese whose ancestry has nothing to do with this weapon, I really appreciate this video for representing at least one small part of my country's culture.
Great video. The sword does seem like a wonderful blend of form and function. A dress sword but still very much a real sword instead of ceremonial. Nice one.
Kris sword with a kriss vector!
The Kris has more cutting edge per length than any other blade. (Just my opinion)
Am I the only one who keeps thinking of ripples potato chips when i see this sword?
That HAS to be the MOST BEAUTIFUL Kris I have EVER seen!! Great acquisition Matte!!
Matt, you're making a false distinction between Kali,Arnis and Escrima. The names are probably regional and don't speak to the traditional nature or lack thereof of the style.
Second this. To my knowledge its mainly regional.
You can find two styles which use the same base name (for example arnis) but are drastically different in strategies and techniques. Likewise you can find two styles which are highhly similar in execution, but use different base names.
Since there are no inherent characteristics to either of the base names (arnis de mano, escrima, kali etc.) usually more telling to refer to a style by the name of the family who developed it, since that is quite a common tradition.
Concur, although stylistically, the folks who use the "Kali" name tend to focus on the bladed aspects of the art more . My suggestion to Matt would be to look past the name and to research who the instructors studied under. Folks who are from the Illustrismo Kalis, Pekiti Tersia, or the Sayoc style camps tend to be more blade focused, which is what he is interested in. Modern Arnis, Doce Pares, etc tend to be more stick focused.
In the early 2000s on the Eskrima-L mailing list (before TH-cam and social media people used to use email lists) there was a big debate on the term "Kali."
The Filipinos who lived in the Philippines considered it a made-up word while those defending the name were mostly Westerners. The Filipinos thought that Fil-Ams who never went to the Philippines made up stories and fake history to impress American students, and because these Fil-Ams were martial arts instructors they were believed.
My theory is that it is a deliberate play on words revealing the actual location of the term's origin- California.
This is an absolutely classic Southern Filipino Kris (or Keris if you prefer the alternate spelling). While there are some parts of the archipelago notably Sumatra which employ long kerises the breadth and weight of this one is characteristic of the Philippines. As you say, in Malaysia/Brunei/Indonesia most are dagger-sized. Even the Sumatran "executioner's keris" is long but much lighter than the one shown above and designed for thrusting. Only in Philippines was it turned into a substantial short sword. Many are pattern-welded. A couple much older pieces in my collection are wavy halfway and straight to the tip.
When you do your more in-depth piece on this you might want to take a look at the Turkish Yataghan for comparison. The curve of the blade and grip in both of them serves a similar function in terms of guiding the thrust and facilitating chopping and acting to some degree as integral protection for the hand when the point is in line.
The waviness of the blade and in fact every aspect of the shape has cultural as well as practical significance. As you do more research it would be profitable to look into how this plays out in Indonesia and Malaysia as well. One aspect was status. As you point out a big (expensive) piece of steel is even more difficult (and expensive) to make with all the waves. It isn't any worse a weapon, but it definitely shows everyone else around that you are rich enough to afford a nicer sword (or are a good enough warrior to take it away from a rich enemy who has no further need of it).
I've had keris blades come loose from the grip. The daggers from further South and West were held in place by friction. The tang was generally wrapped either in cloth or hair. The Filipino ones of mine which this has happened to and ones in the collections of acquaintances had added security in the form of an adhesive. I think it was probably some kind of thickened sap, animal glue or a combination thereof.
If you are interested in pursuing this further please get in touch offline. A very good friend who has been everywhere and done everything trained in an old Southern Filipino system based on the use of the shield in combination with the spear, keris, or kampilan. He only teaches it privately, but if you want to investigate further I would be happy to make introductions.
That is the most wavey Kris I have ever seen! Scary bit of Kris' is you have to be very careful with them., it's my understanding that a lot of the blades were poisoned (by sticking them in a shit then thrusting them in a tree for a couple of weeks till the sap ingests the blade and it becomes poisoned). You have to handle old blades very carefully just in case, a nick is enough, even today such blades can still be poisonous! Handle them with extreme care!!
You might find this book fascinating if you want a better cultural/religious background history to South East Asian Arts, Draeger himself was poisoned to death - not nefarious, but by means of 'testing his manhood or whatever as a mark of respect by the tribe he stayed with at the time (!)
www.amazon.co.uk/Asian-Fighting-Arts-Donn-Draeger/dp/0425025012/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501764369&sr=8-2&keywords=asian+fighting+arts
The wavey help with the parry and the bind. And the waves create more surface area capable of cutting no matter the angle your blade and not to mention push pull cuts when fighting with a shield and just a loin cloth
Ork: Makes a good choppa for da boiz ya git!
This is a Moro keris of South Philippines. They make it more like a short sword and useful in battle.
In other parts of SE Asia the shorter thrusting keris is mostly used for duels and ceremonials. We preferred longer weapons like spears and shields and sword-like weapons for battles. Flintlocks when we could get them. The British confiscated most weapons but let us keep ceremonial keris.
No it is a Sundang Moro. Not a Moro Keris.
Those indentations are clearely meant to stop blood from flowing into your hands. :v
I always thought krises were daggers only... This gives new appreciation for the weapon. All the features in this blade make it really interesting to think about.
Indonesian and Malayan kriss tend to be dagger sized. Filipino kriss are sword sized.
these, unlike most of the dagger sized ones is made for fighting
I would imagine that the waves help preserve the cutting edge the same as modern serrated kitchen knives. The protruding edge takes the majority of the dulling, while the recessed edge remains sharp.
the guard is obviously shaped that way to prevent the blood from running to the grip DUH
I love the Kris! It's just so beautiful and dangerous at the same time
must be a pain to sharpen
Everything Medieval nope.. I have two.. One sword size and one small danger.. Both sharpen well..
Keris - Pointy, often poison laced daggers preferred by nobility esp. in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Kris - Sword length, often used with a shield.
Kalis - Sword length, wavy base that straightens out halfway, also often used with a shield.
It's a weird Kris, I have to say. Usually they are pointy.the craziest thing about Kris is that some of them have finger marks on the blade because they believe that blades forged by hand is the best. Yes, I mean forged by hand as in they hit the steel with their bare hands instead of using a hammer.
elmohead, sorry, but I really don't believe that.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris#Forging
"In old Majapahit, a kris bladesmith was referred to as pande and all were reputed to be able to work hot iron with their bare hands. "
You're obviously not familiar with Javanese people. They are natural pyromaniacs. They play flaming football, they step on burning coal, etc. Also, I've seen fingerprints on kris before.
The elephant trunk are for cutting and tearing out the neck section of the enemy when in a grappling situation, the pointing and sharp guard of the Keris is to prevent enemy from grabbing and disarmed the owner. The wavy shape of the blade is to cause large internal organ damage and blood loss from stabbing. The handle of the Keris is designed to be used as a hacking weapon is a close range combat and the long wavy Keris blade can also be used for slashing. It is a 4 in one weapon.
This large Keris is actually called sundang lipas and usually used as a slashing weapon like Western sword. But for the smaller size Keris, it is used as a secondary weapon after mechate or sword. The handle of smaller Keris is designed differently from sundang lipas, as such as the user didnt need to tilt the hand in order for the Keris to be pointed to the direction of stabbing, while if you are holding a knife, the user need to adjust the hand position in order make sure the sharp pointed section of the knife is in the correct angle.
If you notice the triangular section of the Keris, if has another purpose, once the owner successfully stabbed the enemy in the ribs area, the Keris owner will twist the Keris like opening a door lock using a key. This is done without pulling out the Keris. The triangular section of the Keris will put enough force to break the enemy ribs apart and because of the wavy blade of the Keris, it will cause large laceration in the internal organ, a big wound which cause major blood loss that lead to death. It is designed to ensure the enemy will meet death and will not survive the attack.
Survey, which short blade would you prefer?
Like to vote:
Kris
Khyber knife
Cinquedea
Wakizashi
Gladius
I was going to say that a wavy kris is more about draw and cut than chopping, but you get around to mentioning that at around the 15:00 mark, so...
The weapon that killed oliver queen...
Johan Jönsson sane but it was more of a straight blade then a curved
But the same for the guard
I'm not an expert in southeast asian history so I might be wrong, but to my understanding, the indonesian *Keris* is more of a dagger or a long knife and has its handle at mounted 90° instead of having it mounted in line with the cutting edge, meaning that when holing it, the cutting edge is facing towards the sides of your hand.
The filipino *Kalis* or most commonly know here as *kris* or *Kris bolo* is more of a machete or a sword as compared the the keris.
Its handle is mounted in a conventional manner, ie the handle is in line with the cutting edge.
this is a sundang. probably of moro origin
The terminology is really confusing - when I Google 'Sundang' most of what I find are what I would call Bolo. Before making this video I searched online to see what most people are calling these swords and most places seem to just call them Kris swords, although they seem to have various different names in different areas.
I'm engaged to a Filipina and have spent some time over there. I find it funny how Pekiti Tersia folks will argue with Khali folks who argue with Arnis folks as to what to call different weapons. Like the Barong, in most Tagalog areas, they just call it a Bolo because a Barong is a type of men's shirt. I've heard this called a Sundang over there, but usually Kris is what I hear, and they will argue over it. Bring in a Silat guy from out of country and it can get really interesting. Mostly it's friendly . . . mostly.
scholagladiatoria Im Cebuano Visayan so the term Sundang is more like an umbrella term for us for any bolo/ machete type weapon. So in our language/dialect a Kris is a kind of Sundang
I suspect that this is a bit like the tulwar/talwar/tegha issue. What's true in one place isn't necessarily true in another.
or the chakram thing.
My friend Danny from the Philippines gave me an original one as a gift! It's insanely sharp! Like you could easily cut someone's fingers off without applying much pressure whatsoever! The design makes it seem like cutting would be hard, but that's an illusion.
Wohhhooooo thank you matt for featuring this beautiful weapon. It takes white people before pinoys will take notice of their own culture.
I'm sorry, I'm pinoy and I would like to ask what you mean by that statement.
Unfortunately true for most I love our culture and it really ticks me off when people tell me I have "no culture" especially when it's people from my own family
Takto I believe he means that most pinoys don't care enough about their precolonial history and culture, which is unfortunately true about most people in general, who are more interested in the modern day.
I think the part about it taking white people is just a joke about how most famous/reputable historophiles are European or Caucasian, and they're the type of people that pay these traditions their proper respect.
Kaerath Rhys I see. I'll agree that most people today are more interested in the modern day. What I disliked was how he centered the comment around pinoys when the Kris could be found all around South East Asia , though it may have been because Matt focused heavily on the Philippines and Filipino Martial Arts.
Carlo Enad White people? "white" people have asian martial arts in almost every corner. Its mostly japanese dojos that they think are magical.
We have 1 small hema club in my country and large association of kendo.
Falx has potentially more contact with the flesh because it is inward sharpened. Tulwar and such has more edge for the blade length. I think this kind of wavey blade has best of the both worlds. More contact with potential enemy with edge, more edge for the blade, at the cost of production.
I just got a dagger Kris at a flea market for $20
Cool
If it isn't forged, sadly its not considered a kris :) hope you find a good one
Didn't read through all the replies, but in "Asian Fighting Arts", the author (Dreager?) mentions a lot of the superstitions attached to the Kris. That the number of "waves" is associated to the owner's idea of "lucky numbers" and that in purchasing a knife it's very important to get the right number. Also, that the blade could be "milked" to produce oil or water, that it would rattle in it's sheath to warn the owner of danger, and that in some cases it would fly out of the sheath and fight on it's own!
One of my reference books shows a very slender Kris that was described as an "executioner's Kris". The victim was tied in a chair, and the blade thrust down behind the collarbone into the heart.
I hope you do more reviews on south east asian weapons because as a filipino it helps increase the popularity of our culture
In Philippines, the Kris was used to finish off an enemy. To cut the head off. In actual combat, the blades were straight and pointed. The sticks were used for training only.
Kris are unique sword or dagger. In Malaysia, the way to make a kris is to mix 7 types steel including meteorite. Those 7 steel must be from different area, although it is curvy it can balance itself from the tip. Some would forge it with poisonous material so 1 cut would be enough. To enchance the pain they would drip lime on the blade.
5 (6 counting the uniqueness claim) myths in one comment - is this a new record?
In Moro kris/kalis sword culture, more curves means more talismanic power and caused more horrible wounds if used properly and with the right techniques. Curved blades usually were strucked at 45° angle to cut flesh which needs proper training. Also to determine the number of curves, count the concave curves, not the convex ones. Moro warriors usually carry 2 spears and shield with a barong or kris or kampilan sword, 1 spear was for throwing and the other for fighting, while the sword was a sidearm. In cases where spears were not available, a shield and kampilan was the fighting weapons, with kris or barong as sidearm, the scabbards of swords also serves as improvised shields or bucklers. Moro swords were used in fighting using messer like sword techniques without using the sword guard, especially for barong and kris.