Shadow Keris
 

OK, just for fun because things seem a bit slow around here, a bi-product of my Halloween lighting for my party. I walked out of my study into the hallway and thought, oh look, that's kind of interesting. So i pulled out the camera for a shot. Most of my friends wouldn't recognize this shadow, but i would imagine that would be different here... :)
Too bad i don't know enough to write a book on the subject. This might make a nice cover.

Love it!

All you need now is the content.

Great shot David, an excellent bookcover.
drd

Well Alan, you know, let me know if you ever write that book that you swear you will never write ;) ....or it could even work for a magazine article title page i suppose...
Have camera, will work for keris.... :D

Great shot! And about time someone writes something more, even if it is a coffee-table book, about Malay kerises. :)

The substance behind the shadow...
 

Well i'm sure that some of you might be wondering just what it is that creates such a beautiful shadow... ;)
....and Kai Wee, i'd say if anyone here has access to beautiful Malay keris worthy of a nice "pin-up" coffee table book it's you...I'll have my agent call your agent and well do lunch... :D

the substance behind the sheath?
 

Can we please see the blade so that it's not againts forum rule of controversial post? :D (and make sure it's not the shadow this time so it won't draw further speculation ;) ).

Somebody please do a good reference book of keris Melayu.

Beautiful fittings.. looks like a piece from Kedah. If you don't mind David, can we see the blade.. :p

Well, i sure got myself into a bind this time, didn't i. :rolleyes: :)
As i am sure some of you know it is not generally my practice to show my blades on the internet for numerous reasons, some practical, some personal. But it is also not my intention to be a tease either, so since i have raised the interest level of my own accord i suppose it wouldn't be fair of me not to give you all a bit of a viewing, especially given the relevance of this blade to Kai Wee's concurrent Carita thread. :)

Killer beauty! :) the lines are so sharp that looking at it can cut... :)

Aweee.. David *drooling*, what a beauty.. very nice well-constructed piece indeed.. :D There's some age to it but imho, haven't reach antique status yet.. ;)

I'm in progress of writing.. still in the early stages but do need assistance and more inputs.. anyone who is willing to contribute can contact me at my email address..

Outstanding piece!

On the positive side about the age (assuming it is not an antique, yet, whatever), it is good too see that such level of crafmentship is still available from contemporary artists.

@ Alam, as I nowhere understand keris Melayu I might not be able to contribute on the material side but let see if I can list some 'expected points' from the view of somebody who wish to learn, I will surely be in touch. I wish the writing progressing well.

I probably wouldn't call this Keris contemporary (if contemporary means the last 20 or 30 years). I am very curios if David could tell us something more about it.

David, congratulations to this keris, equal if contemporary or old, just beautiful!

Not sure what more i can tell anyone Gustav. I pretty much lucked into this keris shooting a collection of weapons that someone in my area was trying to get rid off. JHe needed images for internet sales. He had a number of keris and i got some in exchange for the work and also bought others at some good prices. I have many more Java/Bali keris in my collection so the Malay pieces are more a mystery to me, but i do know quality when i see it. :)
As for age i wouldn't call this contemporary either, though i also would question if it is 100 years old. So i might call it "old", but not yet antique. It shows some age,patina and slight pitting and the I have always thought that pre-WW2 was a good assessment, but i might be wrong. :shrug:

I agree that this keris is not contemporary. The smiths in Malaysia has lost the ability to produce anything even close to this now. It's a beautiful keris, and age is one thing we cannot fault it on; it will age nicely. :)

Prior to contrary belief, it is not true Kai Wee. Through WW2 smiths in Pattani did continue keris production in remote regions, although in smaller scale.. slowed down during WW2 but increased production since.. info from various sources.

I see new kerises from the North, but they are just KLOs made with power tools from metal blanks. Haven't seen a really good quality new keris from the area yet. If there are, I would be most happy for the future of Malay kerises!

Don't spend too much time in this forum, but the thread title intrigued me. David, that's one stunning photograph and you are correct in that it would make for an eye-catching cover. ;)

Thanks, a compliment much appreciated... :)

I cant agree more.

In recent years, due to exposure from electronic media, the interest on keris has improved tremendously, but this supposedly good development also had invited unscrupulous makers and dealers alike. Thus the KLOs are flooding the Malaysian keris market.

But I saw on social networking sites/blog many keris enthusiast which is likely from Singapore/Malaysia sometime post really nice contemporary Keris Semenanjung :shrug:

As for power tools, we really have to compromise (more result oriented). I know in the ideal world it is nice to know that our collection is fully handcrafted but for today economy it is difficult for the artist to survive just to rely on fully handcrafted piece of art which take longer to accomplish not to mention for example good day to work, pauses between work, ideal work hour etc etc if we are to follow the traditional path. Moreover, values and the planet and it's surrounding which the artist live is rapidly changing, so his need and inspiration. They understand that collectors are mostly towards antique pieces/pay good money for antique, which is one of the contra-productive aspect on contemporary art. Who knows that in earlier few centuries things are the other way around. I agree about degradation of skill, but someone with good knowledge/basic skill on how to make one item only need to see enough examples and stimulus/support to achieve better quality piece of art. But most of their time are not spent on study, so I guess it is our responsibility on approaching and passing this. Let us ask our self for example how many time we commissioned new keris or it's fittings directly to the artist? Well not so many artist around and geographical barrier as well as amount to pay for newly commissioned job will likely exceed what we are willing to pay. In 21st century mostly anything are ready to wear. How many time we are today into buying fabric and bring it to tailor? Ready to wear clothing are abundance in the market, more selection and affordable. If we are commissioning a new work, we cannot see how it like until it finish, the result might be disappointing and we are rarely into buying this risk.

Just my two rupiahs...

(Without experience, enough skill and proper tools) I once decided to make my own buntut without power tools which can be commissioned for small amount of money and will likely be done in one or two days, almost surely with power tools. At first I can't stop doing it because like what many artist has gone trough I guess, the semangat, the more powerful spirit is working and my hands are nothing but medium, but then... this job has take long hour and I tell you it hurt your palm :D, I put it aside looking for better days to continue (excuses). Looks not a prime material, should I cut another part of the horn and start all over again? :D

Tunnggulametung is right.

Handwork takes time.

Working with all traditional hand tools, it will take a skilled craftsman about 100 to 115 hours to carve a blade of simple dhapur that carries pamor.

That equates to about 12 to 14 eight hour days.

If the skilled craftsman uses power tools the time used decreases dramatically and can drop to only around three days, or even less.

Then there is the forge work.

If good quality modern mild steel is used and commercially produced nickel, or some other modern, clean contrasting material, no washing of the material is required, ie, repeated welding and folding to remove impurities.

Working with one striker and a forge of European design, and starting from scratch, a competent smith can produce a forging to carve a keris from in under two 8 hour days. That forging would have a random mlumah pamor and would be for a straight keris.

However, if the material is wrought iron, and meteorite, or some other material that requires extensive cleaning before use, if the forge is of traditional Javanese/Balinese design, if the pamor is anything other than a simple mlumah motif, the time used multiplies exponentially, and the possibility of failure increases exponentially.

Then there is the cost of teak charcoal, which is expensive, and the cost of tools --- a file only stays sharp for so long.

Now, let us add in the esoteric requirements for a traditional keris, which will involve a number of slametans (offerings) at various stages, and various very strict requirements for how and when the work is carried out.

You could easily be looking at six months for a 100% genuine, traditionally made keris blade.

Who is prepared to pay the cost of six months of a man's life, for a keris blade ?


Even for a blade of simple dhapur and pamor, made with power tools, you are still looking at roughly a week's work for a skilled craftsman to produce a simple keris blade.


Now consider the complete keris.

The wrongkos are always 100% handwork with hand tools.

The jejerans are always 100% handwork with hand tools --- this applies to wood, but if ivory or other hard materials are used, power tools are used in the work.

The mendak is 100% handwork with hand tools.

An embossed pendok is all handwork with punches, and an engraved pendok is engraved with gravers ( like small chisels) and a hammer.

The material for a good quality silver pendok starts as granules that are melted into a small ingot; this ingot is then hammered out to a fan shape prior to being wrapped around a mandrel and the joint silver soldered.

The edge where the joint is made has been left thicker to accept the soldering.

How much thicker? Between five and twelve blows of the hammer --- counted over the three days it takes to forge out the ingot to a fan shape. A good quality silver pendok takes about 5 or 6 days to make, before any engraving or embossing is done.


Yes, "keris like objects" do exist.

In Central Jawa we can find these in stores that sell traditional clothing. The KLO has a blade of flat iron whose only purpose is to hold the very poor quality wrongko and jejeran together.

In Bali we used to be able to find KLO's in the tourist souvenir shops, these also had blades of flat iron, often with an artificially etched pamor pattern, but the wrongkos and handles were very often good quality carvings. I have not seen these Balinese KLO's for many years.


The fact of the matter is that modern keris production in Indonesia is directed at the local market in Indonesia:- low quality modern production fills the ongoing need for local people to own a keris; high quality modern production is directed at the local demand for collectors and connoisseurs of the keris as art, but it fails to fill that demand.

It fails to fill it because the very best work of the very best craftsmen is always insufficient to meet the demand. In fact, the very best work of the very best men is really only available to a very select circle of buyers. It is seldom seen outside a tight circle of connoisseurs and dealers.

In the opinion of many Javanese art connoisseurs, the keris is the highest expression of the Javanese plastic arts.

The original post that generated this post of mine was directed at the situation in Malaysia. I have no knowledge of this situation, and my comments do not relate to Malaysia, they do relate directly to the current situation in Indonesia.

The traditional way of making a keris blade and the accompanying dress parts does take an immense amount of time and effort! I suppose using power tools and industrial quality metal is acceptable in the making of a modern keris, but then the question is when does the grinding of a piece of metal blank into the shape of a keris turn into proper keris making? I must admit I'm not clear about this myself, but seeing the mass-market new pieces commonly found in the Malay keris market now, they certainly do feel more like KLOs than real new kerises.

Regarding the really good new Malay kerises, Shahrial's recent comments made me sit up and try to take note of what's around. So far, I've only seen 1 example which I would consider as good. Perhaps it would also be useful to post examples of what is considered a good new Malay keris to share that standard. It would also be useful as a yardstick for collectors to know what is the best available out there.

To start that off, I post the following pictures, taken from a fellow Facebook acquaintance's photo album, of the good new Malay keris (apologies, I cannot remember who is the owner of the pictures and the keris). I must clarify that I'm only referring to the blade, and not the fittings.

To clarify, I'd like to request fellow forumnites who have photos of high quality new Malay kerises to share them (if possible), so that we can have an idea of what is the state of Malay keris making at the higher levels. :)

Yes, Kai Wee, when we are considering a plain black blade that could have been produced by stock removal from a bar of mild steel, I do agree that it might be difficult to decide just exactly where the line is drawn between a "proper" keris and something that looks like a keris.

However, with this type of keris, that same problem was always there.

If you have a blade that has been made from a single piece of material, without a welded-in core there is essentially no difference between such a blade made now, and one made 100 years or more in the past.

None of us question the integrity of an old blade of this type, we appraise it by reference to its artistic beauty and the excellence of its material.

Why should we act any differently when we consider a modern blade of the same type?

Should not exactly the same standards apply?

With such a blade, the time difference between roughing out with an angle grinder, and forging to shape is minimal. In fact, if I were to be asked to make such a blade myself, I would choose to forge to shape, because it would save me time in the long run.

I haven't seen any of these modern Malaysian KLO's, but perhaps we are really talking about keris of low, and even extremely low, quality.

Maybe 5 or 10 years down the track , when these current makers have learnt their trade, there will be a pretty severe problem with forgeries. It would be very, very difficult to gauge the age of a blade that had been well made, but with no core, and that had been skillfully aged.

And as long as some amongst us focus their attention upon the concept of "old", rather than the concept of "excellent" you can bet on it that a lot of these recently produced blades will gain around 100 years of age with the first few weeks after they have been completed.

I rather feel that this matter comes back to knowing and understanding the keris.

If we focus upon art and excellence, there should be no difference at all between old and new.

However, if our focus is upon the history of a culture, or the esoteric content of the keris as a cultural icon, then that focus is necessarily concentrated upon the old, rather than the new.

But such a focus relegates the keris itself to a position which is subordinate to the passing of time.

It all comes back to where our true values lay.

Photos of recent, good quality blades would be informative, but what I'd really like to see is photos of what people refer to as keris like objects.

G'day Alan,

You have articulated the issue very well. The point about where our values lie and how we look at kerises is indeed key to whether we embrace certain types of kerises and reject other types.

In terms of the artistry of a keris, standards shift with time. The older kerises which with 'quiet' controlled grace may look less impressive compared to a flamboyant OTT new keris screaming for attention. And that seems to be the direction that a lot of the newly-made kerises are taking - it needs to 'wow' the viewer in an instance. But maybe 3 months down the road, it doesn't look so good any more. The viewer feels saturated by the overdone features.

And then, there is the issue of practicality. A Malay keris made in the traditional method should stand up to use, at least in an emergency. Newly made kerises are not expected to be used, and many would get dents and dinks on the edges or tip the moment it is brought into contact with something hard, like a stone countertop, for instance. Is this still considered a keris? If a newly made katana is not quenched properly, but has the most beautiful metal grain and form, is it still a katana? I don't know what is the standard that collectors expect of newly made kerises, but would the easily deformed kerises mentioned above be considered true kerises?

So I guess what I've written reflects my personal values I use to assess kerises. Maybe what I consider KLOs are accepted as good solid pieces by others, and I would say maybe I could be wrong in the long run, because in any collecting hobbies, it is what the majority of the collectors want and appreciate that matters, not the quirky/stubborn individual. :)

About pictures of KLOs. Now that is difficult because I have not thought about keeping any of those as examples. Even if I have, it could be socially suicidal to post them because it would invariably offend some one. :)

Yes Kai Wee, perhaps you're right about the pics of KLO's --- but they would be useful.

However.

Style and personal taste may be a factor in how we structure our collections, but speaking for myself, I do not apply the same standards to all keris. I can like one keris for one thing, a different keris for a different thing, so whether we're talking about recent flamboyance, or the quiet grace of a previous time, it makes no difference to my personal appraisal, because I do not apply the same standards to every keris:- one is appraised according to one set of standards, another is appraised according to a different set of standards, and my personal taste encompasses all variations.

In fact, some of the keris which I consider to be "core collection" are keris which I believe the vast bulk of collectors, and most certainly all connoisseurs, would not look at twice.


When we introduce the requirement for a blade to be able to be used as a weapon, we have started down a new road.

Probably the two most generally accepted relevant factors for use as a weapon are firstly balance, and secondly that the blade has undergone some form of heat treatment.

As a weapon a keris is essentially a short rapier. It needs to be able to pierce. It does not usually need to be able to pierce metal, nor even leather, it needs to pierce soft fabric and skin. However, at the time in history when keris might have had to pierce metal, at least some Javanese mpus did make blades that were capable of doing this.

Even an iron blade will function well as a weapon when only fabric and skin need to be pierced, and iron cannot be hardened. In fact, even sharpened bambu makes an effective weapon when only fabric and skin need to be pierced.

So how relevant is the requirement of a heat-treat to the function of a blade as a weapon?

A keris is not a tool for cutting, as is a skinning knife, so it does not need to be able to hold an edge particularly well.

The makers of times past were well aware of this, and they were also well aware that when you harden steel you weaken it.

This is the reason why old blades were never hardened for their full length, and very often we will find an old blade that has only had the first few inches back from the point hardened.

If we consider the question of balance, we find that many Javanese nem-neman blades have appalling balance. Sometimes in Solo these keris are referred to as "crowbars" (lingis). However these keris are very highly regarded and carry values in accordance with this high regard.

In respect of a very high quality newly made keris, that has not been subjected to heat treatment, or one of the Javanese nem-neman keris that have not been heat treated, the matter of accidental damage to an edge is not something that is open to consideration, for the simple reason that these keris are treated as very valuable art works and any action that could cause damage to the blade is carefully guarded against.

It is not relevant to compare a Japanese blade to a keris, especially a Javanese keris, as the way in which each of these blades are appraised is entirely different.

Equally, it is not valid to appraise all the various types of keris under the same set of standards:- the standards that we can apply to a Javanese keris are not necessarily valid when applied to a keris from a different area, and the same is true of keris which come from different periods in time. We do not appraise a keris from the time of Pakubuwana X in the same way as we do a keris from the classification of Pajang.

Whilst it is true that we each might have our own standards for those things that we collect, and these standards will reflect our own individual tastes, it is equally true that in any field of art or craft there are certain universal standards that are agreed to by the broad population of collectors in that field.

It is these standards that perhaps we could attempt to delineate.

If the minimum requirements for a keris to be regarded as "real" could be set forth, then perhaps we might find that some of these KLO's are in fact just keris that have failed to achieve an acceptable standard of quality, rather than objects that are not in fact, keris.


The photo below is submitted with this question:-

Is this blade a keris?

Ok, I see the conundrum I'm getting myself into. :) Perhaps I have 1 static set of standards which is based on kerises from a particular region and time period. In a nutshell, I'm 'frozen' in one time-space locus of the keris world and seeing and judging the rest of the time-space loci through the same tinted glasses.

In the end, as a collector, do we collect what resonates deeply with ourselves, or perceive what the majority of collectors value and go with that? To be recognized as an established collector, perhaps the latter is more important. And increasingly, I believe that collecting is not so much a knowledge-based (ok, it plays a material role, but not all of it) process, but a political/social process in which recognition is given by the rest of the collectors to some collectors with the right mix of social characteristics (influence, wealth, intelligence, social network, etc). So much so that some of them can start out collecting things that nobody never really cast a second look at, and soon, many others want to collect it too. In the keris world, I think it is not so much that nobody wants to collect kerises as a category, but within the world of kerises, what type of kerises are desirable. Maybe with time, some of the really fancy kerises exhibited at the recent Pameran could be the mainstream desired type of kerises to collect for their creativity and flamboyant flair.

Regarding the keris you have posted, it is a simple keris, but the feeling I get from it is that it is made by a serious student of the keris. It is not the most artistic, but I have the feeling that the intent to make a proper keris is there. The commercial drive behind this keris is not strong, and it certainly does not have the impressive dapur seen in the likes of those new kelengan malela kerises. Forced to choose between the two, I will pick this simpler keris. So in short, I would say this is a keris, and not a KLO.

Hmmm... I just realized that in my post above, another factor has been defined by myself - the intent behind the manufacture of a keris blade - a keris blade made for commercial reasons vs a blade made for non-commercial reasons. A blade made purely for sale seems to cheapen its worth according to my values, but I have to recognize that ultimately, craftsmen need to eat and support their families.

Then perhaps I would consider whether the keris maker has truly a passion for making kerises. Pride of the artisan in his craft and art? Am I buying that pride?

And if it was an old keris made for sale - a simple but function keris kodi? I would be more inclined to accept it (though I may not buy it) because of the history and cultural overlay to it. The commercial old keris then becomes a vessel holding a bit of cultural significance because it was some past man-in-the-village's personal carry keris.

Questions for introspection, and it seems that even for myself, my 1 set of standards is not so fixed. :)

I must admit that when mentioning nice blades in my earlier post, I don't count some aspect like material, forging, lamination etc. It is rather uneasy to observe lamination on some, especially contemporary Peninsula blade which stained with warangan on computer screen. In my opinion, other than being more practical for long term storage-providing better resistance to rust, a blade without pamor didn't benefit from the process. What I observe the most is the garap, please let me know Malay terminology for this. But then I only have my understanding from the internet, those who are in Malaysia/Singapore must know the exact situation better then me. When I mention social networking/blog, it is mostly Multiply which I refer to. I remember youtube has interesting video about Malay smith on action too. For these style I've no worry. What I worry probably is the future of Bugis/Bugis style blade which seems fading away.

I think it is significance to remind anyone to the legend of Keris Mpu Gandring in this thread and how important smith in older time (although it is Javanese tale and might be fiction as well).

source: http://candi.pnri.go.id/jawa_timur/s..._singasari.htm
Legend around Singasari Dynasty

Some temples in East Java, especially around Malang, have a close historical connection to the Singasari Kingdom. Singasari dynasty descended from Ken Dedes and her two husbands, Tunggul Ametung an akuwu (chief of an area comparable to present day Subdistrict) of Tumapel and Ken Arok, a commoner who killed Tunggul Ametung and seized his power and wife.

The history of Singasari Kingdom has given birth to a legend of Kris (Javanese double-edged dagger) Mpu Gandring that is highly popular among the people of East Java. Legend has it that Ken Arok was born out of an affair between a woman from Panawijen village named Ken Endog and Brahma. Shortly after his birth, baby Ken Arok was abandoned by his mother in a cemetery, and then was found and brought home by an experienced thief. From his stepfather, Ken Arok learned many things, such as murder, gambling and robbery. Young Ken Arok became the meanest bandit around Tumapel and people were afraid of him. One day, Ken Arok met a Brahmin priest called Dang Hyang Lohgawe and the priest advised him to leave his walk of life. Following the advice of the priest, Ken Arok quit being a criminal and became a Tumapel soldier.

The then chief of Tumapel, an area within Kediri Kingdom, was Tunggul Ametung, who married Ken Dedes, the daughter of Mpu Purwa who lived in Panawijen village. A son named Anusapati was born out of the marriage. One day Ken Dedes went home to see her father. As she stepped down from her imperial carriage, a strong wind blew open her under skirt. Ken Arok, who was on duty of escorting the carriage, briefly saw the thighs of Tunggul Ametung’s wife. To the eyes of Ken Arok, the thighs produced a sparkling light. The scene lingered on the mind of Ken Arok. He then asked Mpu Parwa about what he had seen. The master explained that the light was an omen that Ken Dedes was predestined to be a woman who would descend kings on the island of Java.

Ken Arok then ordered a Kris from a Kris master (mpu) in Tumapel named Mpu Gandring. It takes long to forge, shape, and follow the necessary rituals to make a reliably powerful Kris. Because the completion of his Kris was dragging on, Ken Arok became very angry. He snatched the unfinished Kris and stabbed it to the body of its maker. Dying, Mpu Gandring cast a curse upon Ken Arok that he too would meet the same fate to be killed by the same Kris and that the Kris would take seven lives. Ken Arok lent Mpu Gandring Kris to his colleague, Kebo Ijo, who liked to show off. Kebo Ijo showed the Kris to his fellow soldiers and bragged that the Kris was his. After it became a common knowledge that the Kris was Kebo Ijo’s, Ken Arok stole and used it to stab Tunggul Ametung. As it was expected, people, who were under the impression that the Kris belonged to Kebo Ijo, accused him for the murder while Ken Arok walked freely and took over Tunggul Ametung’s place as the chief and married Ken Dedes.

Soon after he became the chief, Ken Arok conquered Kediri Kingdom, which was under the reign of King Kertajaya (1191-1222). Upon defeating Kediri Kingdom, Ken Arok declared the establishment of Singasari Kingdom and made himself its first king entitled Rajasa Bathara Sang Amurwabhumi. Ken Arok had a son named Mahisa Wongateleng from his marriage to Dari Ken Dedes, and another son named Tohjaya from his marriage to Ken Umang. Then, Mpu Gandring’s curse started to happen. Anusupati killed Ken Arok and took over his throne, Tohjaya came up and killed Anusupati and claimed the throne. In turn, Ranggawuni, Anusupati’s son, killed Tohjaya and came to reign. Ranggawuni was addressed Jayawisnuwardhana and ruled Singasari from 1227 until 1268. Jayawisnuwardhana was succeeded by his son, Joko Dolog, who was called Kertanegara (1268-1292).

Kertanegara was the last of Singasari kings. He was overthrown by Jayakatwang, the king of Kediri. Jayakatwang, however, was defeated by Kertanegara’s son-in-law, Raden Wijaya, who was the descendant of Mahisa Wongateleng and King Udayana from Bali. Later, Raden Wijaya established a new kingdom named Majapahit and ruled the kingdom from an area called Tarik (Trowulan).

Oh yes, Mpu Gandring and Ken Arok.

Essential reading for anybody who wishes to understand the nature of Jawa.

The lessons taught in this little story still hold true today.

I like the taste and decorum exhibited in this version.

In the original, good ole Kenny boy saw a bit more than just thighs.

Quote:-

In my opinion, other than being more practical for long term storage-providing better resistance to rust, a blade without pamor didn't benefit from the process.


Tunggalametung, I guess you mean the process of lamination, ie, the repeated folding and welding of material ?


In the original keris of Jawa, this was not an option, it was a requisite part of the process of making a keris.

The material available was of various types and various qualities, so in order to produce material that was of adequate quality for use as a weapon, it was necessary to weld the small available pieces together, and then repeatedly fold and weld to remove the impurities. This repeated folding and welding created a pattern in the material, which eventually came to be recognised as an indicator of a weapon's integrity, and as a consequence was demanded by the paying customers. This was the birth of pamor.

To provide a harder edge than could be obtained from the iron used in the pamor material, a thin sliver of steel was inserted between the plates of pamor. Steel is very expensive to produce by the old technologies.

When higher quality material became available in areas outside of Jawa and Bali, and where the beliefs in pamor had not taken root, blades were produced from all steel.

If a piece of material was large enough,and of adequate quality, it was not necessary to amalgamate pieces of material by folding and welding, but if a large piece of material could not be obtained, then the folding and welding process was necessary, however, the material being brought together into one large piece was steel, and of much higher quality than the various ferric materials used in earlier times. This steel was obtained from imported commercial goods, such as tools imported from China, and tools and machinery from Europe. Much of the production of these keris lacking pamor appears to have been carried out by Chinese smiths, whose work was reputed to be of very high quality.

In the context of keris form, "garap" means "workmanship". In Bahasa Indonesia a synonym is "pembuatan". Maybe this same word is valid in Malay, I don't know.

OK.

Not a KLO.

That puts you in agreement with a number of notable people in Jawa, Kai Wee.

But its not much of a keris. Low quality, poor form. Not much going for it at all. Maybe even somebody's first attempt at a keris.

The point I'm trying to make is that these blades that are currently being produced in Malaysia, and that I have not yet seen, might fall into this same category of poorly made keris.

It takes time to develop the skill and understanding necessary to create a properly proportioned and executed blade.

I'm not saying that KLO's do not exist, what I am trying to say is that when we describe something as a keris like object, rather than a keris, we could well be adopting an elitist position which we are not really entitled to take.

Inevitably we are going to collect what we like. In fact, I personally feel that this is really the only relevant guideline upon which to build a collection, that is, to collect what you like. As one's knowledge increases , so will his level of discernment --- hopefully --- and the quality of what one likes will rise.

Well, that's the theory. But it doesn't always work like that, because some people never advance in an appreciation of quality, and then there are others who have learnt to recognise quality, have acquired quality, but have turned back to favour keris which lack the quality of known mpus, or of the modern perfectionists, and have directed their attention to the seemingly more humble work of village makers. It is widely rumored that this was the direction that was taken by that noted connoisseur Panembahan Harjonegoro during the several years prior to his passing.

Then there is the "social" factor, as you note. If we have a number of collectors who associate together, as is the case with collectors groups and societies in Indonesia and Malaysia, then the less experienced will be led by the more influential members of the group, and in such a situation there are many possibilities, including the value and nature of a person's collection becoming a measure within the hierarchy of the group.

This situation can be both beneficial and detrimental to the acquisition of a true understanding of the keris. Much depends upon the influential people within these groups.

My own feeling is that if we are to truly understand the keris, we should not limit ourselves to a single style, or a single period, or a single area of production, but we should try to understand what is expressed in the entire range of keris.

Certainly our natural likes and dislikes will direct us towards one style, or period , but to better understand our own chosen sub-field, I feel that we need to also have some understanding of the keris that fall outside that sub-field.

And this brings us back to the dreaded KLO's.

My feeling is that a genuine student of the keris could do a lot worse than to keep at least one example of this type of keris. If we only know perfection it can become very difficult to recognize imperfection.

Sorry for the misunderstanding but I was going to say warangan staining to a blade without pamor (kelengan as how I understand it). I personally think these blades were more stand out without previously mention staining. But when long term storage is in mind, combined with larger number of ones collection, it really help to protect the blade against rust-less time required to maintain. This is due to my personal observation that a blade with warangan staining is more immune to rust compare to one without. This all being said with previous discussion (in this forum) about keris storage in memory.

Thank you for the translations :)

G'day Alan,

Indeed, when I referred to KLOs, I could have been too harsh and demanding. The world of keris just gets bigger and bigger the further/closer one looks...


Hi Tunggulametung,

After reading the story of Ken Arok, could I ask then why did you adopt Tunggul Ametung as your internet moniker? It's an interesting choice!