Traditional Filipino Weapons (TFW) Gayang Review
Feb 10, 2015 7:08:11 GMT
Post by Croccifixio on Feb 10, 2015 7:08:11 GMT
There's been an influx of TFW reviews here (my favorite is the Katana review), which is funny since I'm posting ANOTHER TFW review (will be my last until I purchase another one in the not-too-distant future). For now, here it is.
TFW Gayang Review
Introduction
The German Zweihander. The English Longsword. The French Rapier. The Chinese Dao. The Japanese Katana. The Saracen Scimitar. The Indian Talwar. The Viking Ulfberht.
Some swords are so iconic, and have grown to represent the culture they’re from. A few swords define cultures. Warriors from the East to the West have used blades as principal tools of violence for millennia. And among these tools is the one blade that will stand out among its peers.
For the blade-crazy culture of the Philippines, there is no clear king; the majestic Moro Kris, with its beautiful waves and hilt patterns; the graceful and versatile Ginunting, used by the Philippine Marine Force Recon to this day for CQC; the brawny Barung and its massive chopping power; the sleek Sansibar with its agility and lightness; the kooky two-handed Kampilan with its artistic wood carvings and strangely shaped blade; the iconic Itak Tagalog, the sword of revolution and freedom... all, one way or another, represent the diverse bladed arts of the country.
It is in this list of iconic Philippine blades, I submit, that the Gayang deserves its rightful place: the graceful curves of the Kris, the versatility of the Ginunting, the cutting power of the Kampilan and Barung, the speed of the Sansibar in hand, and the curvature of the Itak Tagalog.
Historical overview
"Bladed weapons abound, especially in Moroland, in the Sulu Archipelago. Each weapon is not necessarily accompanied by an organized system of fighting skills but rather is used to suit individual tastes and requirements. Common Moro knife weapons include: the gunong, kalis, barong, kampilan, laring, gayang, banjal, punal, pira, utak, panabas, bangkcon, and the lahot. ... The bladed-weapon was the core weapon; the kris, bolo, and the balaraw (a dagger-bladed knife), the standard types."
- Draeger & Smith 1969 p.186, as quoted in www.forensicfashion.com/1902MoroChief.html
- Draeger & Smith 1969 p.186, as quoted in www.forensicfashion.com/1902MoroChief.html
As a young boy, I was familiar with many Philippine blades every time I visited my father’s province in Davao, Mindanao. I knew of the Itak – we had several throughout my life – that was used for the household. I remember the first time my father allowed me to use one to cut open a coconut. It was heavy for my young hands, and it took quite some time before I got through the tough shell of the fruit.
In school, I discovered that the Itak was used as a weapon by the Philippine revolutionaries when they rebelled against Spanish rule. Back then, firearms were few and far between, so blades were still the weapons of the common folk.
Later on, I discovered the various other swords the Philippines is famous for: the Kris, the Kampilan, the Barung. Yet I had never heard of a Gayang, which looked like an Itak, but had a secondary tip at the unsharpened edge, and was wider along its length than any Itak I had ever seen.
My amateur research led me to some sources which said that the Gayang was actually native to Borneo. Presently, Borneo is not part of the Philippines. However, the Malay race (native South East Asians in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, etc) was, once upon a time, not divided by national boundaries but by blood ties to the different Sultans. The once-powerful Sultanate of Sulu had owned parts of Borneo back then, and it was only logical that the people in the Sultanate shared the same things – culture, heritage, and weaponry.
“Gayang” is also a Malaysian name for an area in the contested Sabah island (I have no plans of getting into the political issues of sovereignty).( www.maplandia.com/malaysia/sabah/kampong-gayang/) Also, it’s supposedly an Old Tagalog (principal dialect of the National Capital Region in the Philippines) word for lance/spear. (http://tagalog.pinoydictionary.com/word/gayang/) Further research on vikingswords.com gives me an idea that the Gayang is actually the Philippines’ version of a Mandau, which is the traditional weapon of the Dayak of Borneo.
Thus, my conclusion would be that the Gayang, while unfamiliar to a Filipino living in the cities, would be very familiar to those who live in the region near Borneo. The cross-culture nature of the Gayang is thus understated. It represents, for me, how territorial and international definitions of statehood and nationhood are somehow made irrelevant by real-life connections; culture, blood, ethnicity, proximity prove to be the stronger connection in the field.
Here’s the famous Weapons of Moroland plaque wherein a Gayang can be seen:
"Weapons of Moroland" by Alternativity - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Weapons_of_Moroland.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Weapons_of_Moroland.JPG
From Dimasalang of vikingsword.com
Some interesting discussions on a Gayang here: www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8261
Alas I have yet to schedule a trip to the National Museum here in Manila to view their arms and armour. Perhaps one day, when I start collecting both replicas and antiques, I will take the time to do so. For now, this review must move on. Suffice to say that I believe the design to be historically accurate, though made by a mixture of modern and traditional materials.
Full Disclosure
This is my first sword, alongside my previously-reviewed TFW Celtic Dress Sword. I’ve previously stated that Ron, while no business associate of mine, has proven to be a very responsive businessman who stands by his products and takes a personal interest in them.
I also bought this second hand, and therefore I am not the sword’s first owner. More importantly, the sword’s prior owner actually used this for the XO Blade Olympics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OQJsYbODoU&feature=youtu.be), a tournament similar to the knife tournaments in the US wherein blades are subjected to different kinds of abuse ranging from cutting a row of water bottles, to cutting through a 2x4 wooden board, to cutting rope, and even cutting golf balls. This explains some of the sword’s blemishes, and my amazement at the toughness of the sword.
Initial Impressions
No unpacking was involved as I purchased it as is in the previous owner’s stall. The blade was slightly discoloured at the belly, and upon close inspection I saw that it was due to wood fragments and stains. That’s when I discovered that it was used for the XO Blade Olympics and had actually cut through several stacks of wood! The scabbard had a slight crack in it near the mouth.
However, I was mesmerized by the blade. I loved its contours, the carving on the Kamagong (Ironwood) handle, and the wickedly sharp point. Most importantly, the blade felt extremely light. It even felt lighter than many of my knives in the kitchen! I fell in love with it right away and was willing to pay any amount just to have it.
Amusingly enough, it wasn’t initially for sale, as it held some sentimental value for the owner (again, due to the blade tournament – he won 5th place, a relatively low placement in my opinion, given how wonderfully the blade cut when I finally got around to trying it). I persuaded him to sell it to me since I was buying the Celtic Dress Sword as well, and told him that I had plans to slowly buy up his entire collection. This wasn’t necessarily true, as he had some wall-hanger junk, but it wasn’t necessarily false as well because he had some antique blades and some other, nice, Filipino swords.
The owner said he bought it in 2013.
I paid 6000 ($133.33 @ 45 per USD) PHP for it, which is 57% of its current brand new price. Since I didn’t spend on shipping, I felt this was a worthwhile buy.
As I said before, I was blown away by the handling. It didn’t even feel like a weapon to me at first. Given 18 inches of steel, I expected more heft. After starting my study of Filipino Martial Arts, I think the handling is perfect for CQC. My instructor, who also has a blade-making business, thought very highly of the blade’s handling as well.
Statistics
Specs in inches:
24.625 length
18.625 blade
1.375 base/shoulder
2.1875 widest
3.125 grip
4.125 point of balance
Weight: 630 g
COP could not be discerned due to the solidity and short length of the piece.
Components
Combat blades from the Philippines are relatively simple. The nature of Filipino Martial Arts, whether traditional or modern, primarily involve little armour (with the exception of the well-armed Moro fighters) and CQC. This led to little protection for the hands, as it would impede the agility of the blade in executing the techniques. Modern innovations have improved the protection (such as D-guards on Visayan Sansibars, and the saber-like guards on combat Ginuntings), but since this weapon is a traditional one, it has no such device.
The Blade
I cannot say enough about the blade. My prior review of the TFW Celtic had me gushing over that sword’s blade, but this simply awes me too much. I sometimes question if I’m too easily fascinated by the blades, but since I now own a few, I think my opinion is a little more educated than before.
This is my favourite blade. It evokes something in me that I can’t really explain. My first love in the sword world was the European longsword, specifically type XIIs and XIIIs. I still love them dearly, but they feel a little alien to me, a little distant. Longswords are weapons of war, but this little Gayang was a weapon of art.
I imagine I’d feel the same, or more, if I saw a Peter Johnsson blade up close (especially that Vorpal Sword).
Going back to the point of this review, the blade has a forward curve from its base, but retracts at the thickest point of the blade to form a back curve. It’s similar to a Nepalese Kukri but bends back enough such that the tip is aligned with the guard. I feel this allows the sword to be a good thruster, since the wielder can focus his/her weight at the tip.
This sword is basically a blade and a handle cum pommel. Previously, the blade had a light brown stain at the belly due to prior usage. I removed that with polish and sandpaper. The blade also has distal taper, which explains why it felt so light to me initially. I cannot measure it yet, but will do so once I get callipers and a little free time. The tip is very, very sharp. I am always very careful when handling this sword because of its tip. Even a slight poke (an accident due to showing it off) with it led to a sizeable hole in my car’s front seat. I tested the sword on a water bottle and got a silent cut on my first freaking try. This is not to brag about my skill, which is non-existent (as I later learned when I tried using my longsword without any training), but the blade’s edge is surprisingly easy to align.
The Gayang has a reinforced tip, meaning the metal bulges a bit before the tip. The distinguishing characteristic of a Gayang blade is the secondary tip, which some claim to be for sword-to-sword combat, wherein you use it to catch another blade. I would argue that if ever, the Laring can be used for that purpose (I think TomK reviewed the TFW Laring before: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/10302/filipino-laring-sword-review), but the Gayang’s secondary tip is either cosmetic or simply a hook to prevent a thrust from penetrating too deeply into another person.
There is a noticeable secondary bevel which I am completely comfortable with. As I understand it, these bevels were common in Filipino swords, although historical finds show only single bevels (depending on whether the owner was right or left-handed) in order to aid in the sword’s secondary, agricultural function. Keep in mind that the Philippines is a country with forests, jungles, and tall grass. Warriors needed to be able to move quickly through dense vegetation. A single bevel would aid in shaving wood, cutting grass, and would be easier to maintain. In any case, this sword has a double bevel which means its principal use was warfare.
Since this sword has seen much use in the aforementioned Blade Olympics, I expected plenty of nicks or rolls on the edge. I was very much surprised to find almost none. There are a few nicks at the widest part of the edge, which was probably caused by the wood, but even that area was paper-slicing sharp.
That aspect also impressed me quite a bit. This sword made me think cutting paper was very easy to do as I saw Skallagrim and others do on youtube. But my other blades, while able to cut paper, took quite some time getting used to. I have to align them properly and slice very carefully. For this Gayang, it felt effortless.
I will post videos of my cutting sessions at a later time because every time I cut with this, no one’s available to take a video. I’ll have to borrow my father’s tripod and camera. Apologies for that.
Let’s get to the scoring.
10 points for function, 10 for aesthetics, and 9.5 on historical accuracy (I hesitate to give this a 10 because of the double bevel, but honestly, this shouldn’t really count).
The Handle
I like the handle. It’s simple, but has a few extras that make me like it more and more each day. The carved base before the nut not only looks great up close, but also aids the grip, preventing looseness while swinging. The slight grooves give you excellent edge-alignment. The dark Kamagong is a perfect wood for the sword.
Now I have to point out that when I bought this sword, I didn’t inspect it that closely. I later saw slight cracks in the wood near where the trigger finger is. I did some research and apparently, these are only cosmetic, external cracks and do not affect the structural integrity of the weapon. I likewise showed it to my FMA instructor who chimed that these cosmetic cracks are normal for Kamagong. Since TFW has a disclaimer for the care of the native wood in different climates, I attribute the cracks to temperature changes and sword abuse.
The only potential issue is the short length of the grip. A little more than 3 inches (not including the metal ring near the guard) might be too short for non-Asian sized hands.
10 points on function, 9 on aesthetics, 9 on historical accuracy.
The Guard
The guard is plain, as it usually is for Filipino blades save the Kampilan. It looks to be brass. It’s eminently suitable for the blade, but it’s nothing to write home about. Again, these guards are on these blades to prevent slippage, and not to help defend the hand.
8 points on function, 7 points on aesthetics, 9 points on historical accuracy.
The Pommel
The pommel is very interesting in my opinion. The nut is something ahistorical, but necessary for increased toughness. Olden blades were usually burned into the wood and then supported with hardened tree resin. The sharp wooden point is a weapon in and of itself. Perhaps it is a little too sharp, as I sometime become paranoid while using the sword that I might stab myself.
7 points on function, 7 points on aesthetics, 7 points on historical accuracy.
The Scabbard
The scabbard is decent. The wood is cracked. Now I don’t know if this is due to the weather or to negligence on the previous owner’s part. Suffice to say that it’s decently attractive because of the rattan wrappings. Perchance it could be improved by improving the wood. If the sheath was a nice type of wood (like Kamagong or Molave), then it would be very nice indeed. The sword was also quite loose, dropping out of the scabbard if you angled it downward.
The newer design is one with a modern twist, wherein a metal clip is attached near the mouth to allow the option of wearing it on a belt, and make the fit tight enough so the blade doesn’t fall out. This is a good innovation for safety and convenience, and does not earn negative points for me since the sword is not represented as an antique.
7 points on function, 8 points on aesthetics, 8 points on historical accuracy.
Overall average is 8.4 (125.5/150).
Handling Characteristics
I’ve gushed enough about the handling that you probably have an idea, so I’ll summarize in cave-speak. LIGHT. FAST. NICE.
Lookit dat taperz
Just kidding. Dry handling it for the first time is dangerous because it’s deceptively fast for such a wide blade. The distal taper is top-notch, because considering the absence of a heavy guard and pommel as a counterweight, the POB is only 4 inches. More importantly, the vibration node in the grip gives me almost no recoil at all when I swing wide and hit a hard target. Either that, or edge alignment is too easy that my bad form isn’t so obvious to me.
The Gayang is the best sword for cutting that I have seen/used. Hard plastic 2L bottles are hard for my other swords unless I concentrate very well on edge alignment. This one can take two out at the same time. Silent cuts are the norm on smaller bottles. I have yet to successfully get a cut on an empty, 500ml bottle, but I’ve come close to it on this sword. I plan to try green bamboo and soaked banig (similar to tatami) soon so I can study how I cut more closely. When I get a decent katana, I will compare them side-by-side to show which sword is the true lightsaber (I vote for the Albion Knecht).
Test Cutting
EDIT: Here's the video I made over the weekend. Nothing much though. My form was pretty bad throughout the day, but at least I got through some hard plastic without hurting the blade.
As I previously said, the blade cuts wonderfully through light-heavy targets. It is definitely paper-cutting sharp. I hope to not embarrass myself when I post videos at a later date, but even if I do, I’m sure the sword’s cutting prowess will still shine through.
As I previously said, the blade cuts wonderfully through light-heavy targets. It is definitely paper-cutting sharp. I hope to not embarrass myself when I post videos at a later date, but even if I do, I’m sure the sword’s cutting prowess will still shine through.
Here's Ron's own cutting though, and another video online about this sword:
Conclusions
At the end of the day, 8.4/10 on objective points, but I will give this one a 9.99/10. It’s my first (or second) sword, and I now have 6, but it’s still far and away my favourite. There’s really not much to dislike. Hell, even the price point is amazing! At TFW and KOA, this comes at $230. Sure you can get more steel for the buck, but these 18 inches are the best-designed 18 inches you’ll ever get (no innuendo). I recommend this to all sword-lovers, even if your taste is not in FMA blades. Heck, my taste WAS NOT in Filipino swords but I’ve slowly grown to love my own as much as I love Euros. My new personal (and expensive) policy is one Filipino sword for every non-Filipino sword. If I were to rank my favourites, it would be the TFW Gayang and the KCB Type XII-wheel pommel (which I’ll review later on) right up there, with the Gayang edging the longsword out due to its amazing cutting power.
Pros (Bad-Poor-Decent-Good-Great)
Great blade.
Great handling.
Great looks.
Great price.
Good pommel.
Cons
Short grip is not suitable for big-handed people
Pommel potentially hits your hip if you misalign a downward cut
Pommel potentially hits your hip if you misalign a downward cut
Not for baseball players, cosplayers, and katana cultists (just kidding!).
Not a Falchion or Messer.
Overall, the Gayang is a must-buy for those with diverse blade interests. Heck, just try one and find out if your interest is diverse enough.
The Bottom Line
If you only had $220 I’d GIVE you $10 to buy this.
That said, I’m on the hunt for the Gayang-beater among Philippine swords. Probably gonna try a Barong and Sansibar next time.
PS: Hyperbole was used in the making of this review. But the conclusions are true opinions. :)
PS: Hyperbole was used in the making of this review. But the conclusions are true opinions. :)
keep up the great reviews..
