Original Item: Only One Available. Now this is a lovely example of a rather rare stiletto type dagger that bears the “faced sun” seal of the Katipunan. This type of dagger clearly shows just how influenced the Philippines were affected by the long standing Spanish Occupation. The Katipunan, officially the Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK; Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation), was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by anti-Spanish colonialist Filipinos in Manila in 1892; its primary goal was to gain independence from Spain through a revolution.

The condition of the knife is quite nice actually, especially for the age and climate in which this stiletto would have been carried. The stiletto features a lovely 11 ⅜” triangular shaped laminated steel blade which has an appearance of an American Trapdoor bayonet. The blade bears no visible markings and is presented without any extensive damage. The 4” handle is made of hand carved dark hardwood and appears to have once had a pommel cap which is no longer present.

The 11 ⅜” scabbard is in lovely condition and appears to be complete both the throat and drag silvered components. The scabbard itself appears to be a wooden interior wrapped with what appears to be of tortoise shell or a type of animal horn. The wrap held up surprisingly well and only has slight flaking present. The throat features an eight rayed “Faced Sun” surrounded by 3, 5-Pointed stars, the same insignia from the Filipino flag of the era. The eight-rayed Philippine sun was a mythical sun, with a face. There seems to have been no definitive representation of the sun, however, beyond its having a face and eight rays. Different numbers of minor rays, from one on either side of the main ray, to three on either side of the main ray, and so on, have been observed in photographs and prints.

This is a beautiful example of a rare stiletto from the Filipino Revolution. Comes more than ready for further research and display.

The Philippine Revolution was a conflict waged by the Filipino revolutionaries against the Spanish colonial authorities in an attempt to win the archipelago's independence.

The Philippine Revolution began on August 24, 1896, when the Spanish authorities discovered the Katipunan, an anticolonial secret organization. The Katipunan, led by Andrés Bonifacio, began to influence much of the Philippines, taking full advantage of Spanish failures against Cuban nationalists in 1895 and declaring Spain a weakened empire. During a mass gathering in Caloocan, the leaders of the Katipunan organized into a revolutionary government, named the newly established government "Haring Bayang Katagalugan", and openly declared a nationwide armed revolution. Bonifacio called for an attack on the capital city of Manila. This attack failed; however, the surrounding provinces began to revolt. In particular, rebels in Cavite led by Mariano Álvarez and Baldomero Aguinaldo (who were leaders from two different factions of the Katipunan) won early major victories. A power struggle among the revolutionaries led to a schism among Katipunan leadership followed by Bonifacio's execution in 1897, with command having shifted to Emilio Aguinaldo, who led the newly formed revolutionary government. That year, revolutionaries and the Spanish signed the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, which temporarily reduced hostilities. Filipino revolutionary officers exiled themselves to Hong Kong. However, the hostilities never completely ceased.

On April 21, 1898, after the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor and prior to its declaration of war on April 25, the United States launched a naval blockade of the Spanish island of Cuba, off its southern coast of the peninsula of Florida. This was the first military action of the Spanish–American War of 1898. On May 1, the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Squadron, under Commodore George Dewey, decisively defeated the Spanish Navy in the Battle of Manila Bay, effectively seizing control of the area surrounding Manila. On May 19, Aguinaldo, unofficially allied with the United States, returned to the Philippines and resumed attacks against the Spaniards. By June, the rebels had gained control of nearly all of the Philippines' countryside, while the cities remained under Spanish control. On June 12, Aguinaldo issued the Philippine Declaration of Independence.[9] Although this signified the end date of the revolution, neither Spain nor the United States recognized Philippine independence.

The Spanish rule of the Philippines officially ended with the Treaty of Paris of 1898, which also ended the Spanish–American War. In the treaty, Spain ceded control of the Philippines and other territories to the United States. There was an uneasy peace around Manila, with the U.S. forces controlling the city and the weaker Philippines forces surrounding them.

On February 4, 1899, in the Battle of Manila, fighting broke out between the Filipino and American forces, beginning the Philippine–American War. Aguinaldo immediately ordered "that peace and friendly relations with the Americans be broken and that the latter be treated as enemies". In June 1899, the nascent First Philippine Republic formally declared war against the United States, in which the Americans prevailed.

As a result of the war, the Philippines became commonwealth under the U.S. and would not become an internationally recognized independent state until 1946.