Keris Surakarta today's buy.

Pendita65 · 26th May 2026, 07:38 PM

Today's buy,

I bought this Keris from a colleague he inherited together with some other Tjikeroe knives and Golok from his deceased father in law who was stationed in Indonesia just before the war. I found this Keris appealing to me despite the relatively thin blade. (Not super thin) I don't know the Dapur and the ganja is in a form I have not seen often. The dress is relatively simple and plain and does not fit very good inside the Warangka but the ganja is of nice proportion with the curled up grening. I guess the mendak is a cage mendak from West Java if I am correct.

Who can share some more info about it. I thi k it has 7 Luk

Sajen · 27th May 2026, 02:40 PM

Hi Martin,

The ganja is called ganja wilut!

The sarung/scabbard looks very West Javanese to my eyes. The blade is sadly very worn!

Regards,
Detlef

Pendita65 · 27th May 2026, 04:42 PM

Hi Detlef,

Yes it's worn but it also shows history, and it has been cleaned often so for me it's also a relic of being cherished. So I cleaned the blade allready just need to stain it with warangan and I will get some lessons from someone I met lately. I learn him French polishing and he learns me to stain traditionally Keris. So in june I will start with a few cleaned Keris.

And it is not the only Keris in my collection that is worn so I am fine with it as I still can see the craftsmenship in them.
And thank you for the reply on my message.

Regards, Martin

David · 28th May 2026, 04:41 PM

Yes Martin, i also believe that it os worth preserving some keris even when they are very worn. I look forward to seeing this blade once it is fully cleaned and stained. I believe the wrongko can be restored to some a much nicer level as well, especially if you are skilled with French Polishing.
I find the mendhak rather interesting. Is any familiar with this form? I don't know that i have seen it before.

Sajen · 28th May 2026, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

I find the mendhak rather interesting. Is any familiar with this form? I don't know that i have seen it before.

Hi David,

I can't tell you more about this type of mendak, I know that this type is rather rarely seen, Alan has shown once this type in two threads, pics are attached. I also have a keris with this type, last pic.
Alan will be able to tell us more, hopefully.

Regards,
Detlef

Pendita65 · 29th May 2026, 08:48 AM

Hi David and Detlef,

What i was told by some Dutch collectors that it is a cage mendak from West Java and pretty rare.

And I truly hope to bring back some pamor with staining. Especially I have a lot Keris cleaned allready but not yet stained.

Regards, Martin

A. G. Maisey · Today, 04:57 AM

I'm a bit late to the party here, been away & very limited access to net & time.

I see this keris as a blade that might have been of some degree of quality at one time but has been largely eaten by time. The attention of a skilled m'ranggi might be able to bring some life back into it. Yeah, I know, a lot of out-of-culture keris collectors will be shocked by the idea of carrying out more than very minor surgery on an old, damaged blade.

This is not the attitude of a knowledgeable Javanese keris person. In Jawa the attitude is that we have a duty, an obligation to preserve an item of tosan aji for future generations, & this means active restoration where this is warranted.

This keris needs care & attention, not just staining.

I cannot accurately count the luk.
The visible luk come to 7, but that produces an unacceptably long distance from final luk to point, so originally this blade might have had 9 luk (current method of count).

I think that the blade is probably East Jawa, possibly Madura Sepuh. I would need it in hand to give a solid, defensible opinion.

The gayaman wrongko retains sufficient distinct characteristics to identify it as a generic gayaman that really, could come from anywhere on the Island of Jawa.

The original work does not permit a precise affixation to the Solo area of Jawa, but the overall form is perhaps possible to fit into a Gandon or Kagok Gabel or Gabel sub-classification of Central Javanese gayaman forms. It does tend towards something that might have originated in Banyumas, but I think that to give it as Banyumas might be stretching things a bit too far.

To comply with Javanese standards it should be given a complete strip, rebuild & polish. The same applies to the hilt & mendak --- but I'd tread gently with the hilt, this would need close examination under magnification before a final decision could be made.

If we accept that the Javanese people own their own culture, & that the Javanese keris is a part of that culture, I believe that we really should try, in-so-far as it is possible, to follow the Javanese line of thought when we meet up with a sad old piece of tosan aji:- bring life back into the keris and make it something that future generations will regard as worthwhile preserving.

26th May 2026, 07:38 PM	#1
Pendita65 Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 174	Keris Surakarta today's buy. Today's buy, I bought this Keris from a colleague he inherited together with some other Tjikeroe knives and Golok from his deceased father in law who was stationed in Indonesia just before the war. I found this Keris appealing to me despite the relatively thin blade. (Not super thin) I don't know the Dapur and the ganja is in a form I have not seen often. The dress is relatively simple and plain and does not fit very good inside the Warangka but the ganja is of nice proportion with the curled up grening. I guess the mendak is a cage mendak from West Java if I am correct. Who can share some more info about it. I thi k it has 7 Luk Attached Images

27th May 2026, 02:40 PM	#2
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,784	Hi Martin, The ganja is called ganja wilut! The sarung/scabbard looks very West Javanese to my eyes. The blade is sadly very worn! Regards, Detlef

27th May 2026, 04:42 PM	#3
Pendita65 Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 174	Hi Detlef, Yes it's worn but it also shows history, and it has been cleaned often so for me it's also a relic of being cherished. So I cleaned the blade allready just need to stain it with warangan and I will get some lessons from someone I met lately. I learn him French polishing and he learns me to stain traditionally Keris. So in june I will start with a few cleaned Keris. And it is not the only Keris in my collection that is worn so I am fine with it as I still can see the craftsmenship in them. And thank you for the reply on my message. Regards, Martin

28th May 2026, 04:41 PM	#4
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,295	Yes Martin, i also believe that it os worth preserving some keris even when they are very worn. I look forward to seeing this blade once it is fully cleaned and stained. I believe the wrongko can be restored to some a much nicer level as well, especially if you are skilled with French Polishing. I find the mendhak rather interesting. Is any familiar with this form? I don't know that i have seen it before.

29th May 2026, 08:48 AM	#6
Pendita65 Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 174	Hi David and Detlef, What i was told by some Dutch collectors that it is a cage mendak from West Java and pretty rare. And I truly hope to bring back some pamor with staining. Especially I have a lot Keris cleaned allready but not yet stained. Regards, Martin

Today, 04:57 AM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,222	I'm a bit late to the party here, been away & very limited access to net & time. I see this keris as a blade that might have been of some degree of quality at one time but has been largely eaten by time. The attention of a skilled m'ranggi might be able to bring some life back into it. Yeah, I know, a lot of out-of-culture keris collectors will be shocked by the idea of carrying out more than very minor surgery on an old, damaged blade. This is not the attitude of a knowledgeable Javanese keris person. In Jawa the attitude is that we have a duty, an obligation to preserve an item of tosan aji for future generations, & this means active restoration where this is warranted. This keris needs care & attention, not just staining. I cannot accurately count the luk. The visible luk come to 7, but that produces an unacceptably long distance from final luk to point, so originally this blade might have had 9 luk (current method of count). I think that the blade is probably East Jawa, possibly Madura Sepuh. I would need it in hand to give a solid, defensible opinion. The gayaman wrongko retains sufficient distinct characteristics to identify it as a generic gayaman that really, could come from anywhere on the Island of Jawa. The original work does not permit a precise affixation to the Solo area of Jawa, but the overall form is perhaps possible to fit into a Gandon or Kagok Gabel or Gabel sub-classification of Central Javanese gayaman forms. It does tend towards something that might have originated in Banyumas, but I think that to give it as Banyumas might be stretching things a bit too far. To comply with Javanese standards it should be given a complete strip, rebuild & polish. The same applies to the hilt & mendak --- but I'd tread gently with the hilt, this would need close examination under magnification before a final decision could be made. If we accept that the Javanese people own their own culture, & that the Javanese keris is a part of that culture, I believe that we really should try, in-so-far as it is possible, to follow the Javanese line of thought when we meet up with a sad old piece of tosan aji:- bring life back into the keris and make it something that future generations will regard as worthwhile preserving.