KERIS BLADE

A. G. Maisey · 2nd November 2011, 08:27 AM

This is a core question, and is both the easiest and the most difficult question to answer.

The easy answer is that a keris made by a karaton mpu will be of superior workmanship.

But does this mean every keris of superior workmanship is going to be the product of a karaton mpu?

No, it does not.

What it means is that any keris that is claimed as being the work of a karaton empu should be of superior workmanship.

This then means that it should follow exactly the style for the period and it then follows that it should be able to be identified as being the work of a particular maker.

We are now into the realm of tangguh, and what that means is that any number of people can give any number of opinions, some of which might be able to be accepted, some of which might not be able to be accepted.

It makes it a little bit easier if it is a more recent blade, and it carries a ron dha, but even then, all opinions are open to question.

If one can obtain the opinions of several people, preferably people who do not belong to the same keris group, and those opinions agree, then there is a good chance that the opinions will be correct.

In short, there is no easy way to answer this question adequately.

PenangsangII · 3rd November 2011, 03:19 AM

Thank you Alan.

from the historical perspective, many keraton empu started off as an apprentice / panjak of the empu who served in the kraton. Legends however, mention that best empu could be from ndheso / humble working place, such as the case of Empu Gandring, Jaka Sura, Sombro and many more. It is also a fact, some kraton empus also relinguished their kraton association and became ascetic in the rural area, Mpu umyang being the case here.

Does this mean, those originally from Kraton, when they left the service and became empu ndheso, they no longer produce keris of kraton's quatlity and pakem?

A. G. Maisey · 3rd November 2011, 04:32 AM

Penangsang, in this life there is one thing that is almost universally true:-

you mostly get what you pay for.

When a man is working under the aegis of a karaton, or even a lord of lower degree, his objective would have been to produce the very best he was capable of, and he was maintained at a level that permitted this.

Now, if a person is sufficiently relaxed to leave behind the security of life under the patronage of a lord, then he needs to make his own way, and his time assumes a different value.

I think that we can assume that if this man was working for a bag of rice, the keris would be worth a bag of rice, on the other hand, if he was working for a brace of kerbau, the keris value would correspond to this.

3rd November 2011, 04:32 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Penangsang, in this life there is one thing that is almost universally true:- you mostly get what you pay for. When a man is working under the aegis of a karaton, or even a lord of lower degree, his objective would have been to produce the very best he was capable of, and he was maintained at a level that permitted this. Now, if a person is sufficiently relaxed to leave behind the security of life under the patronage of a lord, then he needs to make his own way, and his time assumes a different value. I think that we can assume that if this man was working for a bag of rice, the keris would be worth a bag of rice, on the other hand, if he was working for a brace of kerbau, the keris value would correspond to this. Last edited by A. G. Maisey; 3rd November 2011 at 06:19 AM.

2nd November 2011, 08:27 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	This is a core question, and is both the easiest and the most difficult question to answer. The easy answer is that a keris made by a karaton mpu will be of superior workmanship. But does this mean every keris of superior workmanship is going to be the product of a karaton mpu? No, it does not. What it means is that any keris that is claimed as being the work of a karaton empu should be of superior workmanship. This then means that it should follow exactly the style for the period and it then follows that it should be able to be identified as being the work of a particular maker. We are now into the realm of tangguh, and what that means is that any number of people can give any number of opinions, some of which might be able to be accepted, some of which might not be able to be accepted. It makes it a little bit easier if it is a more recent blade, and it carries a ron dha, but even then, all opinions are open to question. If one can obtain the opinions of several people, preferably people who do not belong to the same keris group, and those opinions agree, then there is a good chance that the opinions will be correct. In short, there is no easy way to answer this question adequately.

3rd November 2011, 03:19 AM	#2
PenangsangII Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 401	Thank you Alan. from the historical perspective, many keraton empu started off as an apprentice / panjak of the empu who served in the kraton. Legends however, mention that best empu could be from ndheso / humble working place, such as the case of Empu Gandring, Jaka Sura, Sombro and many more. It is also a fact, some kraton empus also relinguished their kraton association and became ascetic in the rural area, Mpu umyang being the case here. Does this mean, those originally from Kraton, when they left the service and became empu ndheso, they no longer produce keris of kraton's quatlity and pakem?