The title of this thread is "The basics of keris understanding". IMO this is a quite ambitious project considering the lack of reliable historical records and many legends and myths about the subject.
Alan made an excellent overview of the practical situation: yes, most of us are just collectors, why?
Because it is very difficult to get a deeper knowledge of the keris without learning the Javanese and other Indonesian cultures and this is quite impossible if you don't live there and have access to an experienced teacher (they virtually disappeared). Even so and having lived in Indonesia, a Westerner would need a very deep effort to switch his rational mind to this complex culture.
About my personal experience: As a kris book author, I have tried to learn whatever materials is available on the subject but admittedtly limiting myself to the kris. I attempted to understand a bit of the Javanese culture by reading a book about Kejawen (Javanese traditional spiritual teaching) but I did not "bite" into it. I also tried to study, understand, and present the tangguh classification of the Javanese blades with the help of Alan, but the result turned to be disappointing to the point that I have decided not to publish my next book at least in the near future.
Regards
Jean
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