Origins

Oral traditions stated that the balisong may have existed as early as 800 A.D., serving as a versatile tool for farmers and fisherman.  There are no documented or archeological evidence to support this assertion. The following books state this belief.

• Jeff Imada’s The Balisong Manual (1984): “The knife’s ancestry dates back to the latter part of the T’ang dynasty, around 800 A.D.”¹  [The Tang Dynasty started in 618 and lasted through 907 C.E. in China.]  “The balisong, or Filipino butterfly knife, is one of the ancient weapons of Kali, the ancestral art of all the Malaya-Polynesian fighting systems.”² 
• Balisong: The Lethal Art of Filipino Knife Fighting (1986), co-written by Maestro Sonny Umpad: “The structure of the balisong dates back to the latter part of the T’ang dynasty (c. A.D. 800).”³
• Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas’ Arnis: Presas Style and Balisong book (1988): “Martial art writers call it the “nunchaku of the 80’s”.  To the Western part of the world, Balisong is a new weapon.  However, in the Philippines, it is an old weapon of self-defense.  The knife’s ancestry dates back at around 800 A.D.”⁴

Various sources stated that the balisong originated in the Batangas region of the Philippines.^{5 6 7}  Batangas is a province on the southwestern part of Luzon island, located south of Manila. “First constructed in 1905 in Batangas, Philippines by Perfecto de Leon, the balisong gained mass exposure after World War II [1939-1945] when the Batagueño blade smiths earned a living providing custom crafted knives to American servicemen stationed in the Philippines at Clark Air Force Base and Subic Naval Base.”^{8 9} “The Batangueños [a person from Batangas] are well known for carrying and drawing Balisong knives in fights or simply manipulating the Balisong.”¹⁰.

Some sources have stated “the balisong was originally an adaptation of a French measuring tool called the pied du roi (meaning foot of the king) which was invented between the 1500s to the late 1760s.”¹¹. The YouTube video The Art of Making Balisong stated “A knife originated in France during 1500s then brought to Philippines during the Spanish Conquest and Settlement.”¹²

I find it interesting that two sources mention China’s T’ang dynasty. So far I haven’t found a source that mentioned the possibility that the balisong originated from or has some connection with China.

A Knife with Many Names

The name balisong is a Tagalog word that comes from two separate words.  

• One source defined the balisong as “The literal translation of the word balisong is ‘breaking horn’ or ‘breaking song’.  The term break comes from the way the knife breaks open to expose the concealed blade.  The word song usually refers to the rhythmic clicking sound the knife makes when it is artfully manipulated.”¹³  
• Another source had a slightly different definition: “…balisong came from the word “bali” which means “to break” and “sung” taken from Filipino word sungay, meaning horn.”¹⁴
• A third source states “The word balisong came from two Sanskrit words, baliman (power, strength), and sungin (having a sheath or a calyx). The last syllables of the two words were dropped.  Bali was combined with sung to read balisong which later came to be spelled balisong.”¹⁵
• A fourth source – “The original knife took its name from a small barrio [Barangay] called Balisung (sp.), in the Batangas region of the Philippines.  The people of that town are noted solely for producing the knife.  According to the elders of that area, the art of making this particular knife has been handed down for centuries by their forefathers.”¹⁶  Here’s a YouTube Video titled Visiting Balisong – the Philippines’ Town of Blades, Monkey Steals Peach, YouTube, August 29, 2022.  Grandmaster Rene Tongson of the Filipino martial art system Abaniko Tres Puntas is featured.   Grandmaster Tongson said this village is the origin of the butterfly knife.  “This place here is Barrio or Barangay Balisong part of Taal Municipality in the province of Caavite in the Philippines.”¹⁷  

So which came first – the Balisong knife or the Balisong village?  We’ll probably never know.

Multiple sources also stated “The knife is also known as the Batangas knife.  It is also referred to as the Vientenueve [alternative spelling of Bentenueve], or “twenty-nine,” because, as legend has it, a great master in the blade arts could dispose of twenty-nine enemies with his butterfly knife.”^{18 19 20} “The famous Balisong Vientenueve is notorious for its length and size.  It was originally used as a sword and for its practicality of folding it like an Arnis stick.  The handle serves as a case.  It doubles its size when opened.  There is a legendary belief that it can actually dismantle 29 (vientenueve) people in one thrust.”²¹

The balisong is also known as the butterfly knife due to the rapid fluttering motion of the two handles and a fan knife due to the clacking sound it creates.²²

Philosophical and Spiritual Characteristics

To some balisong users, the knife is more than a utilitarian tool for farmers or fisherman; or a self-defense tool.  For others, it embodies the practical Filipino cultural philosophies of adaptability, ingenuity, utility and art. 

“The balisong has many ancestral meanings.  Fully closed, it symbolizes “3 in 1 for peace.”  Partially opened, it represents the three geographical locations of ancient forefathers.  Fully opened, it signifies “3 in 1 for combat”.²³

According to FMA practitioner Amante P. Mariñas Sr., “The blade of the knife is a source of strength and power; The handle is the sheath from which this power or strength emerges.  The balisong, then, is a mechanism of ‘sheathed strength’ or ‘sheathed power’ in the hands of an experienced wielder.”²⁴

Balisongs are believed to carry spiritual symbolism of the Triangular Forces: Sentient (Subtle), Mutative (Medium) and Static (Crude). The triangular forces affect all of the user’s mental, physical, and spiritual actions with the balisong. According to ancient Vedic philosophy, these three forces (called Gunas) are the source of creation, motion and action, all of which are symbolic of the sacred qualities found in the study, practice, and use of the sanctified balisong.^{25 26 27}

“In essence, to use this knife is to uphold the sacred belief that the butterfly is symbolic of the energy that originates from the combining of the triangular forces.  It is essential that the practitioner fully understand that the balisong represents  a purity of this ancient philosophy, and it must never be defiled.  Many venerated Filipino masters of this art have intentionally avoided teaching the more advanced knife fighting techniques because unappreciative proteges have violated this ancient Vedic philosophy.”²⁸

FMA practitioner Shishir Inocalla wrote in his book Vientenueve Balisong: Filipino Knife Fighting, “It is my belief that Balisong Knife is a Sacred Art. As in various religious systems, it is a symbol of strength and courage. Anyone who Masters Balisong and Knife Fighting and attains Realization of the Inner-Self, is a True Balisong Expert – spiritual warrior – a Datu.”²⁹

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1. The Balisong Manual, by Jeff Imada, Know Now Publishing Company, 1984, p. 8. ↩︎
2. The Balisong Manual, by Jeff Imada, Know Now Publishing Company, 1984, p. 8. ↩︎
3. Balisong: The Lethal Art of Filipino Knife Fighting, by Sid Campbell, Gary Cagaanan, Sonny Umpad, Paladin Press, 1986, p. 9 ↩︎
4. Arnis: Presas Style and Balisong, by Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas, Ernesto A. Presas, 1988, p. 175 ↩︎
5. Balisong: The Lethal Art of FIlipino Knife Fighting, by Sid Campbell, Gary Cagaanan, Sonny Umpad, Paladin Press, 1986, p. 3. ↩︎
6. Filipino Armas de Mano Presas Style, by Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas, Ernesto A. Presas, 1996, p. 72. ↩︎
7. Arnis: Presas Style and Balisong, by Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas, Ernesto A. Presas, 1988, p. 175. ↩︎
8. Filipino Martial Culture, by Mark Wiley, Tuttle Publishing, 1996, p. 122-123 ↩︎
9. Filipino Martial Culture, Mark V. Wiley, Tuttle Publishing, 1996, p. 58. ↩︎
10. Vientenueve Balisong: Filipino Knife Fighting, by Shishir Inocalla, 2018, p. 11. ↩︎
11. Butterfly Knife, Wikipedia, viewed on February 27, 2026. ↩︎
12. The Art of Making Balisong, Bryan Villanueva, YouTube, December 7, 2012. ↩︎
13. Balisong: The Lethal Art of Filipino Knife Fighting, by Sid Campbell, Gary Cagaanan, Sonny Umpad, Paladin Press, 1986, p. 3 ↩︎
14. Arnis: Presas Style and Balisong, by Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas, Ernesto A. Presas, 1988,  p. 175 ↩︎
15. The Pananandata Balisong article by Prof. Amante P. Mariñas Sr., Tambuli Journal 20th Anniversary Edition, edited by Mark Wiley, 2013. ↩︎
16. The Balisong Manual, by Jeff Imada, Know Now Publishing Company, 1984, p. 8 ↩︎
17. Visiting Balisong – the Philippines’ Town of Blades, Monkey Steals Peach, YouTube, August 29, 2022. ↩︎
18. Balisong: The Lethal Art of FIlipino Knife Fighting, by Sid Campbell, Gary Cagaanan, Sonny Umpad, Paladin Press, 1986, p. 3 ↩︎
19. Filipino Armas de Mano Presas Style, by Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas, Ernesto A. Presas, 1996, p. 72. ↩︎
20. Arnis: Presas Style and Balisong, by Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas, Ernesto A. Presas, 1988, p. 175. ↩︎
21. Vientenueve Balisong: Filipino Knife Fighting, by Shishir Inocalla, 2018, p. 11. ↩︎
22. Butterfly Knife, Wikipedia, viewed on February 28, 2026. ↩︎
23. The Balisong Manual, by Jeff Imada, Know Now Publishing Company, 1984, p. 8 ↩︎
24. The Pananandata Balisong article by Prof. Amante P. Mariñas Sr., Tambuli Journal 20th Anniversary Edition, edited by Mark Wiley, 2013. ↩︎
25. Tamuli Media: Transformations with Mark V. Wiley, by Mark V. Wiley, https://tambulimedia.com/vientenueve-balisong-filipino-butterfly-knife/ ↩︎
26. Vientenueve Balisong: Filipino Knife Fighting, by Shishir Inocalla, 2018, p. 11. ↩︎
27. Balisong: The Lethal Art of FIlipino Knife Fighting, by Sid Campbell, Gary Cagaanan, Sonny Umpad, Paladin Press, 1986, p. 4 ↩︎
28. Balisong: The Lethal Art of FIlipino Knife Fighting, by Sid Campbell, Gary Cagaanan, Sonny Umpad, Paladin Press, 1986, p. 4 ↩︎
29. Vientenueve Balisong: Filipino Knife Fighting, by Shishir Inocalla, 2018, p. 61. ↩︎