Yes David, that is correct, Madura is a part of East Jawa, and before these modern administrative boundaries came into being, it was regarded as a part of Jawa. From the time of Majapahit, and possibly before that time, Madura smiths were producing keris and other products of the forge for people on the mainland.
It used to be a short ferry ride from Surabaya to Madura, but now they've got a bridge over the narrow strait.
However, I think I can understand why Yuuzan would like to keep Madura as a separate entity.
Madura blades do have certain distinctive features that do not occur in blades made on the mainland.
The forms of Madura dress are many and varied and are not reflected in dress used on the mainland.
On the other hand, blades and dress from other parts of East Jawa are often quite difficult to tell apart from blades and dress that originated in other parts of Jawa.
I do feel that it might be of more assistance to the bulk of our membership if we concentrated on East Jawa without Madura, because this is where the difficulty lays, in identifying point of origin for keris that are very close stylistically.
|