Forging song

[Anthony G.]

Hi all

Anyone knows why an old Indonesian gentleman is singing while the other person is forging? What song is it all about?

https://youtu.be/4GMv-ISm97M

[A. G. Maisey]

This is pure showmanship Anthony, all staged for the benefit of the bule audience. This is not the way it really is.

If there is one thing that Basuki Teguh Yuwono is really great at it is promotion. He truly is a very talented man, but his greatest talent I will leave unspoken. I have never met Basuki face to face, but I did have a lot of contact with his teachers. He is well known in Solo, and probably across Indonesia, I know a Balinese pande, the current generation of a pande family, who wanted to get into making keris, so he went to Solo and took some lessons from Basuki.

Regarding the song. I do not understand one word of it. It is being sung in either high level Javanese, probably Krama Inggil, or perhaps the language used by dalangs, which is a variety of Kawi, Kawi being the old language of literature.

This is what is typical in Solo:-

http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/BANDIFORGE.html

[David]

Do we know the white folks doing the striking? Known writers on the subject? Or is this simply keris making tourism?

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

This is pure showmanship Anthony, all staged for the benefit of the bule audience. This is not the way it really is.

If there is one thing that Basuki Teguh Yuwono is really great at it is promotion. He truly is a very talented man, but his greatest talent I will leave unspoken. I have never met Basuki face to face, but I did have a lot of contact with his teachers. He is well known in Solo, and probably across Indonesia, I know a Balinese pande, the current generation of a pande family, who wanted to get into making keris, so he went to Solo and took some lessons from Basuki.

Regarding the song. I do not understand one word of it. It is being sung in either high level Javanese, probably Krama Inggil, or perhaps the language used by dalangs, which is a variety of Kawi, Kawi being the old language of literature.

This is what is typical in Solo:-

http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/BANDIFORGE.html

Hi Alan

Thanks for the info.

[Seerp Visser]

David, the ugly old man striking....its me.

[A. G. Maisey]

David, as I have written, Basuki is talented, he uses every angle to build his business, and in spite of what he may present, it is a definite business. A little bit of added culture probably makes the whole presentation seem a bit more authentic, but it is really only providing something non-authentic that might seem to be truly authentic to some people. Icing on an already excellent cake that doesn't really need icing.

[JustYS]

Originally Posted by David

Do we know the white folks doing the striking? Known writers on the subject? Or is this simply keris making tourism?

Hi David,

You may find more information under the following link:

http://ificah-blog.com/the-making-of...-teguh-yuwono/

Cheers,

[A. G. Maisey]

Thanks YS, interesting pictures & text.

Interesting approach too:- bring the pande to Europe, rather than visit the pande.

[David]

Well, i'm not sure that "interesting" would be the word that i would use.

[Jean]

Originally Posted by Seerp Visser

David, the ugly old man striking....its me.

Hello Seerp,
I figured that the striker was yourself as your name is mentioned in the video. The article attached to the Ificah post is self-explanatory, and I find the initiative interesting and would have attended the session if I had known it.
Regards

[David]

Originally Posted by Seerp Visser

David, the ugly old man striking....its me.

LOL! I don't know Seerp, i think you were looking quite handsome in that video.

[Seerp Visser]

I was very fortunate that Mpu Basuki Teguh Yuwono, Mpu Totok Brojodiningrat and the photographer Ibu Septiana visited me in January 2019.
I had a number of questions and uncertainties about the forging of the Keris (for my study about this subject).

Patrick the Vries, the owner of “de Vries Antiek” (a shop in the Netherlands, specialized in the Keris and other traditional Indonesian weaponry),
suggested to ask an Mpu for assistance.
Patrick knew the work of Mpu Basuki and was familiar with his traditional way of forging a Keris.
With the help of the Indonesian Embassy in the Netherlands, Patrick could arrange a visit of the three to my forge in Belgium.

During three full days working (with all of us) Mpu Basuki forged a Keris Dholog with the pamor Buntel Mayit.
During those days we worked as one family with the same goal. We discussed the questions I had in detail and where required Basuki showed how some technical aspects were performed.
Mpu Totok accompanied the forging work in a spiritual way by chanting authentic mantras'.

Their visit made an unforgettable impression on me, not only because of the technical aspects but also because of the way we worked together which felt like working with friends knowing each other for many years.

I made a report of this visit in the shape of a small booklet (A4 format, 36 pages).
This booklet can be ordered with Patrick de Vries (15 Euro).
De Vries antiek, http://www.devriesantiek.nl/ (general)
www.kris-keris.com (Keris page), email: info@devriesantiek.nl

[Seerp Visser]

I have difficulties adding images to the replies.
Here the image of the front cover of the booklet.

[David]

Originally Posted by Seerp Visser

I was very fortunate that Mpu Basuki Teguh Yuwono, Mpu Totok Brojodiningrat and the photographer Ibu Septiana visited me in January 2019.

I would like this ask this question without appearing to be accusatory or critical. I actually do not know the answer to this question and would like to know. This is not in any way a questioning of the skillset of these particular gentlemen, but are they truly Mpu or are they very skilled Pande. I realize that for some these designations might be changing, but if i am not mistaken at one time an Mpu had to be specifically employed and charged by the keraton. Is this the case with these two gentlemen?

[Patrick]

Hello,

The "old man" is a Empu Totok and he is chating mantra's while forging to enclose the spirit of the mantra into the iron while closing the iron (folding and forging). So the spirit of the mantra is kept in the iron (in the Keris).

Best regards,

Patrick de Vries

[David]

Originally Posted by Patrick

The "old man" is a Empu Totok and he is chating mantra's while forging to enclose the spirit of the mantra into the iron while closing the iron (folding and forging). So the spirit of the mantra is kept in the iron (in the Keris).

Thanks for the addition info about the purpose of the mantra. Seerp already identified Empu Totok in his above comment.
Are there any photos of this keris finished. At the end of the video it appears that only basic forge work has been done. It is still not fully shaped and there is no gonjo. I would love to see the finished product.

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Hello,

The "old man" is a Empu Totok and he is chating mantra's while forging to enclose the spirit of the mantra into the iron while closing the iron (folding and forging). So the spirit of the mantra is kept in the iron (in the Keris).

Best regards,

Patrick de Vries

interesting. thanks