Javanese Keris

[Athanase]

Hello,
This is one of my first keris. A simple and modest keris that attracted me to the shape of the handle and especially the monster's face on it (and its very low price ).

The wood (painted to imitate timoho?) of warangka is pierced with a natural hole.

Blade length: 30cm
Length of ganja: 6 cm
Ganja thickness: 7mm

[A. G. Maisey]

East Jawa.

The timoho is probably genuine, not stained.

The dark markings in timoho are actually caused by disease in the tree, sometimes that disease results in a part of the black stained area going rotten and falling out. Genuine timoho is sometimes filled to patch these holes, as the dress becomes older and if it is not regularly maintained by a mranggi, the filling falls out.

Just as a blade needs to be maintained, if one wishes to keep old hilts and scabbards these also need to be maintained. A scabbard like this would be very seldom encountered in Jawa, because if the owner wanted to keep the scabbard rather than replace it, he would give it to a mranggi to repair and re-polish as soon as a defect was noticed.

I know that some collectors in the Western World treasure that which they regard as "patina", but this is not really acceptable in the keris bearing societies with which I am familiar.

Just as we do not wear a jacket that shows worn cuffs and elbows, or trousers that show a shiny seat, people in Jawa who have respect for themselves, their forebears, and their keris do not permit the keris dress to appear in a degraded condition.

This dress should be restored.

[Sajen]

Agree in all points with Alan, East Java, wood is most probably "real" timoho and should get restored, nice honest East Java scabbard, nice hilt and honest blade. Congrats.

Regards,
Detlef

[David]

Originally Posted by Athanase

Hello,
This is one of my first keris. A simple and modest keris that attracted me to the shape of the handle and especially the monster's face on it (and its very low price ).

The only think i might add here is that the mask faces carved in the hilt are known as "cecekan" and i have heard it suggested that they are a stylized Kala face, so perhaps we should look at this as more deity than monster. In Javanese Mythology Barata Kala is the god of the underworld, but also the god of time and destruction. There may also be an ancestor reference here.
The style of your planar hilt, with its bellied-out front, is a less common variety which Solyom's refers to as "kagok". Literally i believe it means "clumsy" or "fattened".

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by David

The style of your planar hilt, with its bellied-out front, is a less common variety which Solyom's refers to as "kagok". Literally i believe it means "clumsy" or "fattened".

Yes, I know this hilts under the same name. What I've read and heard is the same, this hilts shall depict semar. When my time it allows I will show other interpretations of this form. A most interesting hilt form.

Regards,
Detlef

[A. G. Maisey]

Kagok has several meanings, depending on how it is used.

1) if you are referring to feelings, it means unpleasant, disagreeable, awkward and so on, for example you turned up at the boss' place for afternoon tea wearing Levis and a T-shirt, and everybody else was in a three piece suit.

2) if you are referring to the way that somebody speaks, for example, if they have a foriegn accent, or a broad dialectical accent, you can describe this person's speech as "kagok", example would be somebody who learnt English in Hong Kong --- yeah, they can speak English, but usage is strange and inflected with an accent, even though technically correct

3) if you are referring to a physical object --- as with this hilt --- it means unusual, extraordinary, strange

I know that it is given as a type name or style name by some writers, but I feel myself that it is a description that has morphed into an accepted name

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

I know that it is given as a type name or style name by some writers, but I feel myself that it is a description that has morphed into an accepted name

Solyom just refers to a similar hilt as "Kagok style", so i am not certain he intended it to be taken as a proper name. It would be understandable if that has become the case in subsequent years.
Does anyone have a different name for this particular style of planar hilt?

[A. G. Maisey]

The blade itself is probably able to miss a full clean and stain, the present finish is not too bad.

It does need attention, but for the moment the full vinegar strip and warangan re-stain can be sidelined.

Remove the hilt.

I'd start by washing with dishwash liquid and a hard toothbrush under hot running water, then dry thoroughly with lint free cloth and a hair dryer.

Then a regular daily spraying of a penetrating oil, like WD40 or similar for about a week or two.

Under very good light and eventually using magnification --- I prefer a 3X machinists loupe --- go over the blade very carefully using medium steel wool wound around the end of a sate stick and gently remove as much of the rust as is possible.This is a long, slow process. Each time you put it away for the day spray with the oil to get rid of the muck you've removed from the blade.

The final cleaning is done under magnification using a fine pick, a saddlers awl is good, and magnification.

When it is as free of rust as you can get it, brush it well with mineral turps, touch up any little patches missing stain with cold blue, spray with WD40, allow to dry overnight, then one of the traditional fragrant oils, a plastic sleeve, and it will be good for another 100 years.