Keris Solo for identification

Paul B. · 29th June 2018, 01:35 PM

Here is a recent purchase of a keris from Solo.
The blade is strikingly wide with fine Pedaringan Kebak pamor and interesting pamor at ganja sides.
This could be a Tuban blade from Pajajaran era?
Gandar iras dress (it may look pretty young but it isn't) Cendana kayu?
Anybody interested to chime in?

Bjorn · 29th June 2018, 06:12 PM

I like the blade. It's sturdy and shows character.

If possible, post a photo of the top of the gonjo (like shown on the below illustration). Tuban blades have a very specific style of gonjo, so such a photo could help in identifying if the blade has a Tuban style (which is not to say it would originate from the Tuban era).

Paul B. · 29th June 2018, 08:18 PM

Here is a pic and it looks quite the same to me.

Bjorn · 29th June 2018, 09:40 PM

Paul, I'm afraid you've read too much into the illustration I provided. The illustration I added was only to show from what angle to take the photo, it does not show a Tuban gonjo.

As your photo is taken from an angle, it is difficult to see, but from what I can glance I'd say the gonjo is not Tuban.

In this thread you can read more about what a Tuban gonjo looks like.

Paul B. · 29th June 2018, 10:05 PM

Maybe it isn't the original ganja.

A. G. Maisey · 29th June 2018, 11:21 PM

Based upon what I believe I can see in the photos, the gonjo might be a replacement, I cannot tell from the photo, and the blade classification is moving towards Tuban, but I would hesitate to give it as Tuban.

However, this brings us back to a continual problem with the Tangguh system of classification:- if it is not Tuban, what is it?

Is it in fact classifiable at all?

Well, I think it probably is classifiable but I'd need it in my hand to give any opinion, and that opinion would be based upon a balance of the indicators.

But is it Tuban Pajajaran?

No, sorry we cannot go there. As with just about all tangguhs, there are definite indicators that you can home in on as soon as you look at a blade, and then you try to confirm or discard those indicators by putting the other indicators on one side or the other of the balance.

In Tuban Pajajaran the lower gonjo tail below the buntut urang,that is, the area where we would look for a tungkakan if there was one, declines as it joins the wadidang. On Paul's keris the gonjo is straight, thus it cannot be classified as Tuban Pajajaran.

There are multiple other indicators that would need to be assessed in the hand, but that single "tungkakan" indicator disallows Tuban Pajajaran.

If we classify a blade as Tuban-Pajajaran, that does not necessarily mean that it originated in the Pajajaran era. The Pajajaran era ended in 1579.

The pamor at the gonjo sides is simply a random pamor that has had its appearance altered by forging to elongate the pattern, the wrongko is probably Cendana Jawa, that is unscented sandalwood.The jejeran is less than good,as also is the mendak, in fact these two items spoil the entire ensemble, which is actually pretty nice.

29th June 2018, 01:35 PM	#1
Paul B. Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 205	Keris Solo for identification Here is a recent purchase of a keris from Solo. The blade is strikingly wide with fine Pedaringan Kebak pamor and interesting pamor at ganja sides. This could be a Tuban blade from Pajajaran era? Gandar iras dress (it may look pretty young but it isn't) Cendana kayu? Anybody interested to chime in? Attached Images

29th June 2018, 06:12 PM	#2
Bjorn Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Netherlands Posts: 188	I like the blade. It's sturdy and shows character. If possible, post a photo of the top of the gonjo (like shown on the below illustration). Tuban blades have a very specific style of gonjo, so such a photo could help in identifying if the blade has a Tuban style (which is not to say it would originate from the Tuban era). Attached Images

29th June 2018, 08:18 PM	#3
Paul B. Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 205	Here is a pic and it looks quite the same to me. Attached Images

29th June 2018, 09:40 PM	#4
Bjorn Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Netherlands Posts: 188	Paul, I'm afraid you've read too much into the illustration I provided. The illustration I added was only to show from what angle to take the photo, it does not show a Tuban gonjo. As your photo is taken from an angle, it is difficult to see, but from what I can glance I'd say the gonjo is not Tuban. In this thread you can read more about what a Tuban gonjo looks like.

29th June 2018, 10:05 PM	#5
Paul B. Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 205	Maybe it isn't the original ganja.

29th June 2018, 11:21 PM	#6
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,892	Based upon what I believe I can see in the photos, the gonjo might be a replacement, I cannot tell from the photo, and the blade classification is moving towards Tuban, but I would hesitate to give it as Tuban. However, this brings us back to a continual problem with the Tangguh system of classification:- if it is not Tuban, what is it? Is it in fact classifiable at all? Well, I think it probably is classifiable but I'd need it in my hand to give any opinion, and that opinion would be based upon a balance of the indicators. But is it Tuban Pajajaran? No, sorry we cannot go there. As with just about all tangguhs, there are definite indicators that you can home in on as soon as you look at a blade, and then you try to confirm or discard those indicators by putting the other indicators on one side or the other of the balance. In Tuban Pajajaran the lower gonjo tail below the buntut urang,that is, the area where we would look for a tungkakan if there was one, declines as it joins the wadidang. On Paul's keris the gonjo is straight, thus it cannot be classified as Tuban Pajajaran. There are multiple other indicators that would need to be assessed in the hand, but that single "tungkakan" indicator disallows Tuban Pajajaran. If we classify a blade as Tuban-Pajajaran, that does not necessarily mean that it originated in the Pajajaran era. The Pajajaran era ended in 1579. The pamor at the gonjo sides is simply a random pamor that has had its appearance altered by forging to elongate the pattern, the wrongko is probably Cendana Jawa, that is unscented sandalwood.The jejeran is less than good,as also is the mendak, in fact these two items spoil the entire ensemble, which is actually pretty nice.