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Interesting Information about Butterfly knives
The
Balisong is a butterfly knife, and is sometimes
known as a Batangas knife. It is a form of folding pocket-knife with
two handles that counter-rotate around the tang such that, when closed,
the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. In the hands of a
trained user, the knife blade can be brought forth quickly using one
hand.
Manipulations
(flipping) are perfomed for art or amusement and
require great skill. Translated from Tagalog, the word "Balisong" means
"Broken Horn" (literally, "baling sungay") as the original Balisongs
were made from carved animal horns and recycled knife blades. The name
butterfly knife is a term coined in the United States much like
"drumbox" for the kahon.
The
history of the butterfly knife is uncertain, with
the following three main opinions: The knife may actually have been
invented by the French. The book "Le Perret" shows an obvious sketch of
a balisong knife, and is dated 1710 A.D. The book itself suggests the
balisong was developed in the late 1600's or early 1700's A.D.
The
knife dates back to around 800 A.D. and is a traditional weapon of the
Filipino fighting art of Eskrima; however, it is not actually a
prominent weapon in the art. The knife was invented around 1900 A.D. in
the Philippines and spread by American soldiers returning from World
War II.
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