Standing Keris
 

Hi All,

Keris is amazing: asymetric in form, but has a good balance. I've tried many times to make some symetric blade to stand on its sheath, but always fail. But many kerises can stand. Not because of magical or spiritual reason, but rather of their good balance...

Some Indonesian people like to buy kerises which can stand. On their point, or on their hilt. If a keris can stand (not on a sheath like this), but on its hilts, some people are willing to spent millions and millions rupiahs. Just to be able to buy the "standing kerises". A little bit crazy...

Looks like a nice keris whether it can stand or not. :D
Yes, many times people attribute the standing keris to some magickal principle or power of the practitioner when it is really just a matter of good balance and patience. :shrug:
I personal would not base buy a keris on whether or not it will stand, but i must admit...it's a pretty cool trick! :cool:

Sengkelat Panji Wilis Ganjawulung
 

You are right, David,

This one is a nice keris, dhapur Sengkelat (of course 13 luks) with a "moustache", golden moustache like Charlie Chaplin's moustache, or Hitler's moustache. We calll such gold ornament as "panji wilis". Nicely carved, with very small floral carving. Tangguh nom-noman (every keris from Mataram era and after, we call it "youngsters" or nom-noman, nem-neman althour it was made more than 250 years ago..

Hi Ganjawulung,

We balance kerises every year during the Rangsang Rias event held in celebration of Muharram every year. Hopefully some of the collectors who would pay millions of rupiah for a "standing keris" would grace our occasion. :D

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php

BluErf,

Wow, really fantastic! What some Indonesian people want to buy is standing keris on its hilt (without sheath), or on its point (without sheath too). Upon a glass surface... The later is, more expensive. Once I've heard, one miliar (1.000.000.000) rupiahs! But of course, I've never seen with my own eyes, anybody who wants to pay such amount of money..

Anyway, it's nice to see the "balance tradition" in Singapore. See, the asymetrical keris has a good balance, isn't it?

Keris Balancing...
 

The picture that BluErf had linked and posted, had 3 members of this forum.
BluErf, standing in white observing..., DAHenkel squatting balancing a keris and myself (the fat one) opposite Dave. :D

Another older picture from the 2nd Rangsang Rias (2005), click here.

Sharial,

I need to use magnifier to see BluErf... By the way, what's the meaning of Rangsang Rias? Is there also, people demonstrate mewarangi (etching?) kerises?

Here the pictures of another standing keris :)

Now, that's a different form of standing. :D Not for the uninitiated.

To make your blade standing on it's hilt without resting on it's sheath is easy. You just have to make a "specially designed" hilt, that is, a hilt with hollow in it's lower part, then fill it with Mercury (air raksa) and make sure you put a thin and light blade on the hilt. Then you got standing keris on it's hilt.

So, the-standing-keris-on-it's-point's prices is still 1 billion ? I thought it's already rise up, as I've already heard this rumor a long time ago, and as all other thing's price is already risen up, it should risen up too, right? :D

I have a story regarding the standing keris on it's point. Once, a close friend of mine accompanied his friend, a 'kiyai' who could made kerises to stand, any keris, to meet a 'keris broker' who looking for a standing keris. Once they met, the kiyai started the shows with just an ordinary old keris, on the glass table, and on any other surfaces as the broker wished to. As the show succeeded, the broker stand still and seem to think for a while. Then suddenly he said "Could you make the keris stand and walking around ?" Then the shows was over. :p

Right Mas Boedhi,
I often heard about demand of the standing keris from many keris broker too.
They told that the price up to 1 billion rupiahs, but I never heard that the transaction has been successful. Just like a game and then...... dreaming :shrug:

.... Unless.. we put a genie or spirit to a keris. But who want to buy the keris with genie inside (not Intel Inside :D ) which can make the owner will get trouble if they didn't give the Sajen (offering of flowers or food to spirits, etc.) on time (as seen on TV ?).

Adding to the stories I've heard...

A friend of mine who went to Java, looking for a powerful keris which can stand on its end when commanded. So as he was talking loudly about keris at a warung kopi, one of them whom was showing him a small old keris. Suddenly, a man appears before them and asked "..., would you like to see the keris stand?" (in Bahasa Indonesia). Both of them replied "Yes of course."

Then the man asked to put the keris flat on top of the table and commanded the keris to stand on its tip. To their surprise, it did stood up... then he picked it up and hand over to one of them.

He then, looked at a spoon, next to them and asked them to look. He then commanded it to stand. The spoon did stood vertically. The two of them looked at each other in awe... Then the man asked "Do you want to learn the art or do you still want a powerful keris which can stand."

While they were thinking... about what the man said, the man had left the warung...

That's all I have to say... the moral of the story... hmmm... I don't know? :confused: :D You decide...

Dear All,

What I want to tell you is that keris is not only a matter of keris itself. So many human aspects in it. In some part of Java, for instance. To test kerises, sometimes they "hit" the point of the keris to a coin. If can stab (the tester lift the coin with the point of the keris), than the tester say, "This is a Brojoguno's keris,"

Brojoguno or Brajaguna, is a very famous empu in the Solonese Kingdom era of Paku Buwono. Actually he was Madurese empu with a good ability in making a very strong blade to stab (prick) metal. Good quality of metal, and good style in making keris. So, Brajaguna is still a "money back guarantee" for selling keris in many Indonesian pasar, until now. Idem dito, the standing keris. The selling point for the "bakul keris" or keris merchants...

By the way, Mansur,

How can you make kerises standing on their points? It's a kind of magic? I don't see a trick in that effort...

Shahrial, i really like this story! ;) :)

Yes right that this pictures not edited and tricked. Its a real pic.
Just gave the Dupa/Hio (joss stick/incense) beside the keris, and then the keris will standing on its point... (... but of course thats just joke :D )..