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28th November 2010, 12:10 PM
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#1 |
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 238
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I must admit that when mentioning nice blades in my earlier post, I don't count some aspect like material, forging, lamination etc. It is rather uneasy to observe lamination on some, especially contemporary Peninsula blade which stained with warangan on computer screen. 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. What I observe the most is the garap, please let me know Malay terminology for this. But then I only have my understanding from the internet, those who are in Malaysia/Singapore must know the exact situation better then me. When I mention social networking/blog, it is mostly Multiply which I refer to. I remember youtube has interesting video about Malay smith on action too. For these style I've no worry. What I worry probably is the future of Bugis/Bugis style blade which seems fading away.
Last edited by David; 29th November 2010 at 02:20 PM. Reason: Site listed was a commercial site |
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28th November 2010, 12:30 PM
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#2 |
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 238
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I think it is significance to remind anyone to the legend of Keris Mpu Gandring in this thread and how important smith in older time (although it is Javanese tale and might be fiction as well).
source: http://candi.pnri.go.id/jawa_timur/s..._singasari.htm Legend around Singasari Dynasty Some temples in East Java, especially around Malang, have a close historical connection to the Singasari Kingdom. Singasari dynasty descended from Ken Dedes and her two husbands, Tunggul Ametung an akuwu (chief of an area comparable to present day Subdistrict) of Tumapel and Ken Arok, a commoner who killed Tunggul Ametung and seized his power and wife. The history of Singasari Kingdom has given birth to a legend of Kris (Javanese double-edged dagger) Mpu Gandring that is highly popular among the people of East Java. Legend has it that Ken Arok was born out of an affair between a woman from Panawijen village named Ken Endog and Brahma. Shortly after his birth, baby Ken Arok was abandoned by his mother in a cemetery, and then was found and brought home by an experienced thief. From his stepfather, Ken Arok learned many things, such as murder, gambling and robbery. Young Ken Arok became the meanest bandit around Tumapel and people were afraid of him. One day, Ken Arok met a Brahmin priest called Dang Hyang Lohgawe and the priest advised him to leave his walk of life. Following the advice of the priest, Ken Arok quit being a criminal and became a Tumapel soldier. The then chief of Tumapel, an area within Kediri Kingdom, was Tunggul Ametung, who married Ken Dedes, the daughter of Mpu Purwa who lived in Panawijen village. A son named Anusapati was born out of the marriage. One day Ken Dedes went home to see her father. As she stepped down from her imperial carriage, a strong wind blew open her under skirt. Ken Arok, who was on duty of escorting the carriage, briefly saw the thighs of Tunggul Ametung’s wife. To the eyes of Ken Arok, the thighs produced a sparkling light. The scene lingered on the mind of Ken Arok. He then asked Mpu Parwa about what he had seen. The master explained that the light was an omen that Ken Dedes was predestined to be a woman who would descend kings on the island of Java. Ken Arok then ordered a Kris from a Kris master (mpu) in Tumapel named Mpu Gandring. It takes long to forge, shape, and follow the necessary rituals to make a reliably powerful Kris. Because the completion of his Kris was dragging on, Ken Arok became very angry. He snatched the unfinished Kris and stabbed it to the body of its maker. Dying, Mpu Gandring cast a curse upon Ken Arok that he too would meet the same fate to be killed by the same Kris and that the Kris would take seven lives. Ken Arok lent Mpu Gandring Kris to his colleague, Kebo Ijo, who liked to show off. Kebo Ijo showed the Kris to his fellow soldiers and bragged that the Kris was his. After it became a common knowledge that the Kris was Kebo Ijo’s, Ken Arok stole and used it to stab Tunggul Ametung. As it was expected, people, who were under the impression that the Kris belonged to Kebo Ijo, accused him for the murder while Ken Arok walked freely and took over Tunggul Ametung’s place as the chief and married Ken Dedes. Soon after he became the chief, Ken Arok conquered Kediri Kingdom, which was under the reign of King Kertajaya (1191-1222). Upon defeating Kediri Kingdom, Ken Arok declared the establishment of Singasari Kingdom and made himself its first king entitled Rajasa Bathara Sang Amurwabhumi. Ken Arok had a son named Mahisa Wongateleng from his marriage to Dari Ken Dedes, and another son named Tohjaya from his marriage to Ken Umang. Then, Mpu Gandring’s curse started to happen. Anusupati killed Ken Arok and took over his throne, Tohjaya came up and killed Anusupati and claimed the throne. In turn, Ranggawuni, Anusupati’s son, killed Tohjaya and came to reign. Ranggawuni was addressed Jayawisnuwardhana and ruled Singasari from 1227 until 1268. Jayawisnuwardhana was succeeded by his son, Joko Dolog, who was called Kertanegara (1268-1292). Kertanegara was the last of Singasari kings. He was overthrown by Jayakatwang, the king of Kediri. Jayakatwang, however, was defeated by Kertanegara’s son-in-law, Raden Wijaya, who was the descendant of Mahisa Wongateleng and King Udayana from Bali. Later, Raden Wijaya established a new kingdom named Majapahit and ruled the kingdom from an area called Tarik (Trowulan). Last edited by tunggulametung; 29th November 2010 at 08:12 AM. Reason: Adding missing words on the quote |
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28th November 2010, 09:27 PM
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#3 |
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Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 7,017
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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. |
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28th November 2010, 09:57 PM
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#4 |
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Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 7,017
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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. |
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28th November 2010, 10:17 PM
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#5 |
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Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 7,017
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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. |
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29th November 2010, 12:00 PM
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#6 | |
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 238
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Quote:
Thank you for the translations 
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30th November 2010, 02:03 PM
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#7 |
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Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Singapore
Posts: 1,180
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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! |
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30th November 2010, 03:35 PM
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#8 | |
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 238
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Quote:
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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Hybrid Mode
