[A. G. Maisey]

There is probably one other thing that I should mention while I'm on this subject, and that is the idea of "isi".

The word isi in Javanese means contents, or insides, or to be filled with. Its a pretty useful word, and it is not restricted to keris usage. For instance , if you're using the toilet, and somebody tries to open the door, you just yell "ISI!" and they go away.

Isi is not a mystical word.

But when we use it in reference to a keris it does refer to a mystical element. An element that beginners and children often confuse with the concept of tuah.This is understandable, because both tuah and isi are ideas about a mystical force within the keris.

Unlike tuah, isi can exist in any keris. It does not come from the Mpu, as tuah does. It might be inherent in the iron before the keris is even made, it might be due to an occurrence during forging, it might be caused by some event during its life, it might be purposely introduced by magical practice. Isi can enter a keris from a multitude of sources.

Again, unlike tuah, it is not always a positive power, but can also be negative, and unlike tuah it is not selective in whom it affects.

Isi is a universal force that in fact has no form, but it usually assumes the form of something either terrible or good, to permit it to be perceived by a person.

However, even if a keris does have isi, no matter how powerful that isi may be, it will not necessarily affect everybody. If a person has sufficient spiritual or mystical strength of the right type, isi will not affect that person. Isi should never have any effect upon an Mpu, a pandai keris, a mranggi, or a devout person. Isi can affect a person who is weak, or who is incomplete. Such a person can sometimes gain the strength to resist isi by meditation, fasting, and prayer.

So, here we have the difference between the two mystical elements that can exist in a keris.

There is the tuah, that is purposely brought into the blade by the Mpu who made it, and the tuah is fixed in place by the power of the yoni.

Then there is the isi, which is not brought into the blade by the Mpu, and is not fixed in place by the yoni.

The tuah is invariably positive, but requires the keris to be matched to the right custodian, and that custodian must believe that the tuah is present and active on his behalf.

The isi is a natural, or an accidental or an intentional placement of a mystical power into the keris.

The isi is not necessarily a positive force, but can also be distinctly evil, it is not selective in its effects but can affect anybody lacking the spiritual power to resist it.

Tuah can exist in any keris that has been made correctly to incorporate this talismanic power, however the yoni can only exist in a keris that has been made by an Mpu to contain tuah, and the power of this tuah is fixed by the yoni.

Isi can exist in any keris.


Kai, in light of the above, I feel that perhaps you may already have the answer to your question, however, if it is not yet clear, please let me proceed.

The keris as a whole is a personality. It may or may not contain tuah, and it may or may not contain isi. But the keris is only a personality if it is believed to be so by the custodian.

If the custodian is correctly matched to the keris, and believes that the tuah is active on his behalf, every action he takes involving that keris will be a positive action from the perspective of the keris, and the tuah will remain with the keris and with the custodian of the keris as long as it is believed in.

However, isi is not so controllable, nor predictable. Isi may or may not like the heat of a candle flame. But isi may or may not like a million other things as well, and there is no way to know what that isi may find objectionable or pleasant except by the practice of tayuh, or mystical divination, usually through dreaming.

However, if we disturb the isi, we may find out too late that something we did caused that isi to become a little uncomfortable.Then we may have to pay.


In the whole of this element of the belief system there is also the human element.

If the custodian of the keris believes in tuah it is real, but selective.

If the custodian of the keris believes in isi, it is real, but non-selective.


Where the custodian of a keris has some doubt about his spiritual ability to resist the force of a possible isi, then he is well advised to entrust any work to be done on his keris to a person who does possess this spiritual ability. This is the role of the mranggi.



All of the above is as I have been taught, and is only a repetition of those teachings.

Nothing here necessarily represents my personal opinions.