Quote:
|
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Looks like we're going to get Madura whether we want it or not. Inevitable I suppose, and I guess we'll get other keris posted that will be queried as East Jawa or not. Probably not a bad thing, because it shows what is not East Jawa.
|
I couldn't agree more. I hope this thread will contribute to increasing people's understanding of East Jawa keris, and a process of elimination can be a useful tool for discussion and learning.
Now that several photos have been placed, I am wondering about pendok on East Jawa blades. Is there anything that sets them apart from pendok in other parts of Jawa? Are specific types (e.g. blewah) used more than others, or conversely, rarely used?
And what about wood types? Are there any special preferences or are these the same as in central Jawa (e.g. pelet being highly appreciated; an angle of 45 degrees for the grain in the wrongko).
For the wrongko, most of us know that these look relatively bloated and lack the elegance of wrongkos from Solo and Jogya. What I find noticeable is that all the East Jawa gayaman seem to follow the Solo style, i.e. with the little upticked, pointy wave at the right-hand top of the wrongko. Are there also East Jawa gayaman that adopt the Jogya style?
And what about ladrang forms. I don't have any Jogya ladrang myself so I still find it difficult to identify these. Are the ladrang forms in the photos above in Jogya style? Do they also appear less elegant in comparison to those of Jogya?