Northern Sansibar #1

Blade Length: 17.25″
Overall Length: 23″

Northern Sansibar #1 – These newly forged “Northern Sansibars” are a fine new addition to our previous TFW 5 full sized Sansibar collection and have shorter blades by approximately 4 to 5 inches. They are extremely quick, in-fighting blades, yet are extremely solid with full quarter inch spines at the guard, as well as the #2 having a unique Spanish influenced hand guard. The Northern Sansibars – Beautiful, yet deadly!

Many of us know by now,  as history shows us, there are no Sansibar swords that originated in the Northern Philippines area of Luzon. The Sansibars home of origin is in the Cebu and Leyte area. The true origins of the Sansibar on how it got to the northern Philippines is not well known, though there are theories with no exact proof as of yet.

It is thought to have arrived in the Northern Philippines because officers and fighting Filipino guerrillas from the north who participated in the rebelling against the Spanish occupation. When they came back home to the Northern Philippines some brought back the Sansibar swords that they saw in the Cebu and Leyte area. That has influenced this particular designed Sansibar sword of the Northern Philippines. The hand-guard was later put on which was also an influence to the same people by the Spanish during the occupation in the Philippines. Makes logical sense since it protects the hand during sword battles. You will see this hand guard here and there on many different swords throughout the Philippines which is also obviously influence by the Spanish swords. You will see various indigenous swords with a hand guard here and there. 

Another theory on how the Sansibar ended up in the northern Philippines is, there were traveling boatmen that carried the Sansibar for self defense. They traveled the seas to cross into the other islands in the Philippines including the Northern Philippines. That is also a good explanation of why the Sansibar design actually reached and influenced a few sword designs in other islands within the Philippines. The Philippines is a melting-pot of ideas from many cultures.