old keris for comments

A. G. Maisey · 30th April 2014, 08:36 PM

Very often when we find a feature added to a keris at some time after its manufacture, we form the opinion that this has been done to increase its saleability. In many cases this is true, but there are numerous cases where it is not true, or may not be true.

In the case of James' keris it is my opinion that it is extremely unlikely that the sogokan were added for any commercial reason, but rather because of religious belief.

The symbolism attached to the sogokan is that it is an icon of Siwa (Shiva). It is an upwards pointing triangle that first appeared in the early keris (Keris Buda) when Jawa was still dominated by the Hindu-Buddhist faith known as Jawa-Hindu. After the Jawa-Hindu faith was replaced by Islam, this faith was taken to Bali, along with the Javanese people who migrated to Bali during the years prior to the collapse of Majapahit, and especially towards the end of the Majapahit era. In Bali the old religion of Jawa evolved into the Bali-Hindu faith.

In fact, pre-Islamic Jawa-Bali probably should be viewed as a nexus, rather than as two separate entities, so probably it is incorrect of me to say that the faith was taken to Bali, rather it very probably formed a part of Balinese culture and society from around the time of its appearance in Jawa, but it remained alive and vibrant in Bali, after it was replaced in Jawa by Islam.

The features that we find in a keris are not just haphazard curlicues that have been added for ornamentation or personal adornment, these features are a language of symbols that must be read according to the religious and societal conditions that prevailed in Jawa when they began to appear in the blades of early keris. The upwards pointing triangle is one such symbol, and it symbolises Siwa.

I am of the opinion that one of the previous owners of James' keris carved these rudimentary sogokan into this blade as a symbol of Siwa. It is a Balinese blade, it is a blade with some age. Until quite recently it seems probable that knowledge of the ancient symbolism locked into the keris blade was understood by some Balinese people. I believe that a previous owner of James' keris was one of these people.

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30th April 2014, 08:36 PM	#6
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Very often when we find a feature added to a keris at some time after its manufacture, we form the opinion that this has been done to increase its saleability. In many cases this is true, but there are numerous cases where it is not true, or may not be true. In the case of James' keris it is my opinion that it is extremely unlikely that the sogokan were added for any commercial reason, but rather because of religious belief. The symbolism attached to the sogokan is that it is an icon of Siwa (Shiva). It is an upwards pointing triangle that first appeared in the early keris (Keris Buda) when Jawa was still dominated by the Hindu-Buddhist faith known as Jawa-Hindu. After the Jawa-Hindu faith was replaced by Islam, this faith was taken to Bali, along with the Javanese people who migrated to Bali during the years prior to the collapse of Majapahit, and especially towards the end of the Majapahit era. In Bali the old religion of Jawa evolved into the Bali-Hindu faith. In fact, pre-Islamic Jawa-Bali probably should be viewed as a nexus, rather than as two separate entities, so probably it is incorrect of me to say that the faith was taken to Bali, rather it very probably formed a part of Balinese culture and society from around the time of its appearance in Jawa, but it remained alive and vibrant in Bali, after it was replaced in Jawa by Islam. The features that we find in a keris are not just haphazard curlicues that have been added for ornamentation or personal adornment, these features are a language of symbols that must be read according to the religious and societal conditions that prevailed in Jawa when they began to appear in the blades of early keris. The upwards pointing triangle is one such symbol, and it symbolises Siwa. I am of the opinion that one of the previous owners of James' keris carved these rudimentary sogokan into this blade as a symbol of Siwa. It is a Balinese blade, it is a blade with some age. Until quite recently it seems probable that knowledge of the ancient symbolism locked into the keris blade was understood by some Balinese people. I believe that a previous owner of James' keris was one of these people.