Between Solo and Yogya
 

Dear All,

Solo (Surakarta) and Yogya (Jogjakarta) are not the only Javanese style. Nevertheless, these two styles are the most dominan in the Javanese keris. These pictures, show you for visual comparison: Ladrang (left) and the parable in Yogya style, Branggah (right).

Solo and Yogya which only 64 kms apart, are brother cities, though in the past history, they are rivalry. So no wonder if in the style of their kerises are opposing, contradictory. Also in their expressions of Javanese culture.

You will recognize more and more, everytime you compare the two styles of sheath in your hand. The type of daunan (leaf of the sheath) is also different. You may compare from the following pictures from above.

The hilts, are different. The form of pendhok (metal scabbard) is different too. And almost every detail is different, between Solo and Yogya style. The philosophy is also different.

Solo style, is more "gebyar" (glamour) in their dresses: sometimes studded with gems, gold, diamonds. But the Yogya style is more simple. The most glamour of Yogya style is only pendhok from "gangsa" (gold and copper or gold and brass). And much more differences of their style...

Ganjawulung

Solo Vs Yogya
 

Dear Pak Ganjawulung & friends,

I dont know why, but when it comes to Jawanese keris, Solo style has always caught my eyes. Definitely not because of "gebyar" as I like simplicty & practicality over cosmetic appearance. Maybe the hilt style....Solo style is more practicle if it is to be used as a weapon....sorry, I am more inclined towards the use of keris as a weapon.

Warm regards,
Penangsang

Dear Penangsang,
Yes, it is matter of taste. But for the Solonese people (and the Yogyanese), style it is a matter of their identity. A Solonese noble man of course doesn't want to "wear" (not to have for just collections) keris with Yogyanese style. And likewise the Yogyanese nobleman. True Yogyanese, is even more fanatic -- doesn't want to touch Solonese keris (nom-noman, or new Solonese keris) with Solonese sheath.

For me? I was born as Solonese, but "prefer" to have Yogyanese style for my collections. It is a matter of simplicity, and personal inclination... But I have some kerises with Solonese style in my collection.

Ganjawulung

It All Comes Down To ......
 

........Personal taste.
Each is different; neither is better.
This seems a non-issue. :shrug:













My opinion. :shrug:

Gayaman
 

Dear All,
These pictures below are the "gayaman" styles. On the left, is Solonese gayaman with wanda (special style) of Banyumasan, and on the right is Yogyanese gayaman with "wanda" Hamengku Buwanan -- or Yogyanese style in the era or Hamengku Buwono (recent style of Yogya. In the past, there was also Amangkuratan style). Banyumas is the west state of Solo, or to be exact -- west Central Java.

Ladrang and Branggah, usually used for formal occasions, such as formal visit to the King of Solo or Yogya. Or, attending a wedding ceremony. And Gayaman is more for daily use either for high ranking or lower ranking court servants...

You may regard the difference in the form of hilts, and upper end of the pendok (straight for Solonese, and curved for Yogyanese. And the form of the pendhok -- the metal in the scabbard -- the Solonese is bigger. And for the Yogyanese -- becomes smaller in the lower part...

Ganjawulung

Riyokusuman?
 

Dear All,
This is another keris with Yogyanese style. Even the keris, is Yogyanese too, from the era of Hamengku Buwono (recent era) but some regarded it as Riyokusuman style. And it has an official stamp in the back of the upper pendhok, just to denote the official administration for certain purpose.

The keris, bears dhapur "pendawa prasaja" or dhapur pendawa (five luks) without sogokan in the middle of the sor-soran. The blade is pamorless, or Javanese people call it as "kelengan" (all black)...

Ganjawulung

Salam to all keris afficionados,

Pak Ganja, your Yogya kelingan looks very exquisite, the kind of keris blade that I would go for....

One question, is there any difference between the Solonese & Yogyanese blades in terms of daphur, pamor, greneng etc. If there is, what is/are the difference/s? Also, what makes them so different, I mean, there must be somekind of enmity in the past, but arent they all Jawanese afterall?

Dear Penangsang,
Yes, the "gagrak anyar" (new era) kerises of Solo is much different with the nom-noman (new) Yogyanese kerises. New Yogyanese kerises are more Mataram's style, old style (although the kingdom is younger than karaton or palace of Solo). And the new Solo style is really new, in the style of the form of the blade, ganja (quite easy to recognize). But the new Yogyanese, sometimes difficult to recognize whether it is nom-noman or older Mataramese. The most different, is the tip of the keris. Mataram kerises and also Yogyanese kerises, are usually with "nyujen" (a kind of a very sharp-pointed leaf) type, but the tip of Solonese mostly (not all) "anggabah kopong" (like an empty grain of rice). But very, very seldom -- or maybe never -- new Solonese tip of kerises with "nyujen" type...

Ganjawulung

[QUOTE=ganjawulung...The most different, is the tip of the keris. Mataram kerises and also Yogyanese kerises, are usually with "nyujen" (a kind of a very sharp-pointed leaf) type, but the tip of Solonese mostly (not all) "anggabah kopong" (like an empty grain of rice). But very, very seldom -- or maybe never -- new Solonese tip of kerises with "nyujen" type...
[/QUOTE]
Addition: and also the type of "mbuntut tumo" or "like a hair-flea"...

Ladrang Capu
 

Dear All,
These pictures below, show you two "ladrang" types of Solonese sheaths. But they are different in basic form. The first (right) form is the type of "Ladrang Kadipaten" (usually for Pangeran or Prince and for people who has the same degree or level), and "Ladrang Capu" for oldies...

Please regard the Capu's pendhok, is not made of metal but wood! It was handycrafted by the mranggi (keris-sheath maker) with patience. No machine can make such wooden pendhok, I think...

Ganjawulung

Correction: The first (right) ... it must be The first (left)...

Ganja, thanks for posting these comparisions!

That scabbard with wooden pendhok is really great craftmanship! And the wood is just gorgeous... (:-)::: :D

The pendhok functions as the complete backside of the scabbard, I assume?

Regards,
Kai

Ganja, I am astounded by that wooden pendhok. Is that inlay along the front edges, if so what is inlayed? That is amazing craftsmanship.
DrD

Dear Kai,
I just took off the pendhok from the scabbard to be photographed. Please see the pendhok, put on the scabbard in the first picture. The pendhok was especially made for that "ladrang capu" (please spell as chapoo...). So, it was made of different wood...

Ganjawulung

No, Doctor. Not inlayed, but carved carefully. I think with a sharp-pointed tool. And then, whitened the small lines of carving with a kind of white paint... We call the carving technic as "cukitan" teknik. Cukit or nyukit, is a work of "hurting" the wood or iron surface with sharp tool to make ornament on that piece of art..

Ganjawulung

Dear Doctor,
I have asked Mas Min (I don't even know his komplit name, but he is around 44-45 years of age) -- the maker of the wooden pendhok -- about this carving. According to Mas Min (he is a Solonese mranggi), the white colour in the cukitan is not white paint, but crushed white bone mixed with wooden glue and then wiped after it put on the carving...

Ganjawulung

Dear Kai,
The name of the wood is "pilisium" or in Latin, Filicium decipients. You can find such trees in many places in Jakarta. Actually, the colour of the inner wood is white. Easy growing, and softer than Akasia...

Ganjawulung

Pilisium
 

Pak Ganja,

I am very interested in the pilisium wood. The pendok is amazing - I have never seen anything like it. I am currently creating a traditional kebun of aroun 3,5 hectares in a remote part of Ngawi and would very much like to be able to plant some pilisium trees. You wouldn't be able to point me to the right direction to obtain seedlings would you?

And while I am at it, I would also like to plant trees like trembalo, timoho, kemuning, kemuning werut and other types of trees traditionally used for warangka making. If anyone has access or knows of seedlings of these plants I would be gratefull. Especially if they are available in the Yogya-Solo-Madiun area.

By the way, ground bone (used as a pigment) and glue (used as a fixer) is paint.

Thank you very much in advance,
Bram

Thank you Ganja for these comparisons. While this is all pretty much basic infomation it is wonderful to see it so well illustrated here on the forum for the less studied or casual collectors to see and understand. The incredible range of variance in the keris throughout all of Indonesia has often baffled the non-collectors who may have a mild interest.
I also agree that that wooden pendok is just fantastic and beautiful. Thank you for showing it.
As for the variation of form i say (as the French do) "Vive la difference!". Personally i have no preference in this regard and it is part of my aim in my collection to collect as many variants as i can find (that appeal to me of course :) ). It probably doesn't need to be said, but Solo and Yogya keris have far more things in common with each other than they do differences. ;)

Dear Kiai Carita,
If you are in Jakarta, you will see that pilisium or filisium trees are planted for greening the street's border almost everywhere. It seems, that pilisium now is becoming a "favorit" of the "Dinas Pertamanan DKI Jakarta" (gardens affairs service of Jakarta). Logically, they have the seeding plantation somewhere around the capital city.

In the seventies, former Governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin popularized new plants from South America (?) -- Akasia -- for greening the street's border of Jakarta. The greening was good. But unfortunately, many akasia trees often fell to the ground due to heavy storms. Then recently, came this pilisium trees -- the fast growing, and quite robust tree against the occasional storm in the rainy seasons...

Then "came" the keris connoisseurs, who regarded the interesting texture of this pilisium wood. Yes, actually the inside of the pilisium wood is white in colour. The same as "pohon kenari" (canary), or "kemuning". They have good texture -- striped, and if they are processed in a certain way -- will become "tigerlike" skin... Kenari, kemuning, and pilisium wood, they are all have light colour inside. But if they are processed -- in the traditional way: soaked in a "gambier" water and lime stone (gambier is boiled first with water then mixed with limestone) -- they will become "tigerlike" chatoyant... Nowadays, it is possible too if you process the kenari, kemuning and pilisium wood in a certain "chemical liquid" to make chatoyance of such woods. But I don't know exactly, what chemical it is...

Another precious tree for keris lovers, is "timo" or "timoho" tree (Kleinhovia Hospita L). In Yogyakarta, there are only about three (3) left. Two in Mr Adam (bus owner in the centre of Yogya) and the other in the middle of a village alley near Pasar Srandakan (see my picture below, i took it a few years ago). This "sacrified" timo in Srandakan, Bantul (Yogya) was taken care of by an old man not far from the tree. Sometimes, this old man grows a number of timo trees in pots. He will refuse to give them to you, if you say: "I'll buy it", instead of "May I take care of your small tree," and then you "change" in return, with some money...

Timoho trees are not easy to grow. The seed are growing, quite apart from their long roots... Nice to hear that you will plant such tree, Pak Kiai. Good luck..

Ganjawulung

Hi David,
"Vive la difference aussi...!" I like the differences too: Javanese, Sumatranese, Bugis... And Malay, Patani... Thanks David for your kind attention...

Ganjawulung

Branggah Timoho
 

Dear All,
These are more pictures of a Yogyanese sheath, made of timoho wood. The pelet (motive of wood) is "ngingrim". The type of sheath is "branggah" with wanda Hamengku Buwanan, and the hilt is made of "tayuman" wood. Kinds of tayuman trees also grown by the gardens affairs dept of Jakarta for greening the capital city's street..

Ganjawulung

Ladrang Pilisium
 

And this is a new warangka, Ladrang Solo -- pilisium (filicium) wood -- made by mas plompong from Bekonang, Solo. According to mas plompong, the pilisum wood was processed after it became warangka. It was lubricated with certain liquid (traditional, or chemical) in order to make it chatoyant...

Ganjawulung

Forest Mango
 

Hi All,
Another example of wood texture. Forest mango wood (I don't know the latin name of this kind of mango), sometimes have good texture too. But no chatoyance, event if it is processed like you processed the kemuning, trembalo, kenari and pilisium wood.

Please see the example of the forest mango's texture in this "cis" (sharp weapon, usually put in a old walking stick). The forest mango's fruit is smaller, very sour, and the trees are usually robust...

Ganjawulung

These posts on various woods are quite interesting, Pak Ganja, but I have a question for you:- can you please advise your source for the name of the weapon shown in your most recent post, as "cis" ?

Thank you.

Salam,

Pak Ganja, I have never come across any weapon called "cis", pls elaborate. From the visual alone, I suspect that the "cis" is equivalent to tempius or pedang sodok. The dressing (hilt & scabbard) strongly resembles Chinese jian?
It was said that during Singhasari & Majapahit times, there were a lot of mingling between the Chinese / Monggols & the Javanese.

Tempius?
 

Dear Alan,
I appreciate very much to your correctness... Cis, unfortunately, I follow to call it such name just based on the "ex owner". I have checked the name of such kind of "sharp point of long spear" or "sharp point of two edged weapon" in keris books, ensiklopedi, but didn't find any clue. What the reality was, the original sheath of this weapon was a broken old wooden walking stick.

Tempius? (Please see the picture of Mr Lalu Djelenga's book). Not exactly tempius, because this weapon is flat, thin, and has two edges. Or may be Lombok "sendirung" (the other picture)? Neither. Sendirung has a "methuk" like tombak at the base...

What is your suggestion?

Ganjawulung

This is more pictures of the "long sharp two edged weapon"...

Ganjawulung

Here is an image of what I know as a cis.

There is considerable variation in form, but they all resemble either an angkus, or a harpoon.

Is this blade ovoid in cross section, or triangular?

How has the tang been formed?

Not triangular, but slightly curved, quite thin. The tang or pesi, just like badik's tang -- flat and wide... It looks more "pedang" (sword) than spear...