That's interesting, Pak Boedhi. I've got to get to Jakarta again some day. Haven't been there for years.
Anyway--- let's assume that it was indeed a crucible that had iron deposits in it, that does not prove iron production in Jawa. It indicates that there may have been iron production in Jawa.
A few years back Dietrich Drescher did a smelt of sand (I think) from somewhere in the south-west of Jawa (again "I think"---I'm pretty vague on the details of this), and demonstrated conclusively that the possibility was there for Jawa to produce iron. So, yes, we know that Jawa could have produced iron, but to the best of my knowledge we do not yet know if in fact iron was produced in Jawa. I think we'd probably need some archaeological evidence to demonstrate this.
There is no doubt that iron was produced in maritime SE Asia outside of Jawa, so it is probably reasonable to assume that it was also produced in Jawa, but we do not yet have the proof, at least as far as I know.
On a number of occasions, and in a number of places, I have put forward the proposition that early pamor was the result of necessity in mixing irons of differing qualities to produce workable material, and to extend the quantity of high grade material that was available. A working smith is able by simple tests to identify various qualities in material. I wrote fairly comprehensively on this in an another thread on this forum, but I forget where it is to be found. It can probably be found with a search if you're interested.
As you say, iron used in Jawa would have come from differing sources. There is a particular pamor that has the external appearance of wootz. I think it might be possible that this particular pamor material is wootz of a quality that was able to be used in an unadulterated form.In the case of this material we might be able to assume that it is of Indian origin, but , as you say, once you start to mix material from one source, with material from another its probably impossible to identify origins.
Jawa may have imported iron, but it also exported iron products to the rest of maritime SE Asia, and to as far away as South India. The Book of Duarte Barbosa (about 1518) makes interesting reading. Writing about the Javanese trading ships that came to Malaka:- "---In these ships the Jaos (Javanese) bring hither great store of rice, beef, sheep, swine, deer, salt meat, fowls, garlic, and onions, and also bring for sale many weapons , spears, daggers, short swords all finely worked and damascened on fine steel--------".
So it was not just a matter of obtaining sufficient iron to satisfy local needs, but obtaining sufficient iron to satisfy a manufacturing industry that exported weapons to the rest of SE Asia, and beyond.
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