Shadow Keris

A. G. Maisey · 28th November 2010, 09:27 PM

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.

A. G. Maisey · 28th November 2010, 09:57 PM

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.

A. G. Maisey · 28th November 2010, 10:17 PM

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.

tunggulametung · 29th November 2010, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

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 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.

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

BluErf · 30th November 2010, 02:03 PM

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!

tunggulametung · 30th November 2010, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluErf

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!

Hello BluErf,
I'm sorry to disappoint you, the interesting choice doesn't has any interesting reason. I should have use Airlangga, Gajah Mada or Ken Arok

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28th November 2010, 09:27 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,056	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.

28th November 2010, 09:57 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,056	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.

28th November 2010, 10:17 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,056	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.

30th November 2010, 02:03 PM	#5
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	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!