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Old 3rd August 2021, 08:28 PM   #1
Bjorn
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 188
Default Pawakan

The forum has been a bit quiet lately, so I thought we might do a small experiment on pawakan - the feeling evoked by a blade. To provide some more background:

Tangguh is evaluated according to a a blade's features, most of which - according to my understanding - cannot be appraised from a photo.

Pamor and pawakan, I feel, are most easily identified from photos, and it is pawakan in particular that this thread seeks to explore.

The descriptions on the definition and categories here are taken from Jean's book "The Keris - Legendary Weapon from Indonesia". The section on pawakan refers to the Ensiklopedi Keris as the main source. (Please correct me if I inadvertently got this wrong, Jean.)

Pawakan is defined as "the evaluation of the style and rhythm of the blade shape and the impression about its characterization". The following categories are listed:
  • kaku: clumsy, not harmonious
  • wingit: eerie, giving a terrifying impression
  • prigel: giving a deft and skilled impression
  • sedeng: average
  • demes: giving a neat impression and nice-looking
  • wagu: not harmonious
  • odol: coarse, sloppy
  • kemba: tasteless
  • tampa semu: not giving any impression
  • sereng: strong, fierce
  • bagus/ayu: handsome, pleasing

Now this is quite a list already and I get the impression there is some overlap between some of these terms.

How to play
Once someone has posted a photo (from profile, tip of the blade pointing up, kembang kacang pointing to the left) we can weigh in on how each of us perceives the pawakan and why it evokes such a feeling in us.

It'll be interesting to see if there are large differences in our perceptions of whether we will all end up at or near the same one.

Hopefully this will provide some entertainment and education!
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