Origin of my "mystery keris"

[Greybeard]

Originally Posted by Greybeard

Hi all,

Some time ago I got a rather interesting keris from Malaysia (Sarawak). According to the seller this keris was made in the WW II era -- and it was allegedly used as an "execution knife"!

The keris has 13 pronounced luk. Some of its basic features resemble Sengkelat or Parungsari. It has a rather broad, heavy, thick blade and deep sogokan. Greneng and jenggot are very sharp and distinct. The central ridge is similar to a Naga`s body (simply made, nothing fancy; bordered by deep grooves). There is no visible pamor (I see one or two very faint lines, but I cannot tell whether these might be some hint of pamor).

The keris appears to be well made and very sturdy, functional like a tool (or a weapon, of course). It has apparently seen a lot of hard use as it is well worn. The blade is freckled with small shallow corrosion pits, and the edges show light uniform erosion.

The hilt (large planar type) and the sheath (gayaman type; plain brass pendok) appear quite Javanese in style; simple but of good quality.

When I got the keris it showed much neglect with the whole blade being rust-brown and dirty. When removing the hilt, I found some completely rotten material wrapped around the rusty pesi! I thoroughly cleaned the blade from all rust and dirt; now it shows lightly pitted grey metal and -- as mentioned -- no pamor.

While I do not at all believe the "execution knife story", I really wonder whether some kerises might have seen service during World War II in Malaya and/or Borneo (e.g. as some sort of "partisan" weapon ... ).


Best regards,

Greybeard

Last year I started above thread. Now I can provide some pictures. Any idea where this blade might come from? Some of its carved features remind me of Bali/Lombok. The ada-ada seems quite unusual to me; the condition is rough with ragged edges. The blade is thick and heavy. Length without pesi: 40 cm.

Regards,

Heinz