Is This A Gobang Sword From Preanger, Java?

kai · 17th July 2018, 03:31 PM

Hello Algelan,

Indeed, the short answer would be yes, this example is a sword of the type which Maurice referred to as Gobang in his paper! The style seems to have been typical for Sumedang and, I reckon, Bandung; these swords are documented for the whole Preanger highlands but not necessarily confined to any specific origin. Also, the name does pop up with quite different Sunda blades elsewhere, too. There seems to be quite a bit of variability in usage of names/definitions throughout the region and it seems preferable not to assume any narrow definition/origin...

The good ol' examples are quite rare and the early type(s) seems to have dropped out of fashion by the mid-19th century. I believe your piece predates the 20th century, too. It would be good to etch the blade to possibly narrow things down a bit more!

Originally, the whole scabbard was covered by rattan bindings; those bindings at the tip are a later repair and might hide some losses to the (horn?) tip. There's a bit of wood missing below the horn throat, too. It would look really nice if you were to restore the missing rattan binding, preferably adding a bit of contrast with light vs. stained rattan (which needs to be finely splitted). Anyway, a good piece of history!

Regards,
Kai

17th July 2018, 03:31 PM	#6
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Hello Algelan, Indeed, the short answer would be yes, this example is a sword of the type which Maurice referred to as Gobang in his paper! The style seems to have been typical for Sumedang and, I reckon, Bandung; these swords are documented for the whole Preanger highlands but not necessarily confined to any specific origin. Also, the name does pop up with quite different Sunda blades elsewhere, too. There seems to be quite a bit of variability in usage of names/definitions throughout the region and it seems preferable not to assume any narrow definition/origin... The good ol' examples are quite rare and the early type(s) seems to have dropped out of fashion by the mid-19th century. I believe your piece predates the 20th century, too. It would be good to etch the blade to possibly narrow things down a bit more! Originally, the whole scabbard was covered by rattan bindings; those bindings at the tip are a later repair and might hide some losses to the (horn?) tip. There's a bit of wood missing below the horn throat, too. It would look really nice if you were to restore the missing rattan binding, preferably adding a bit of contrast with light vs. stained rattan (which needs to be finely splitted). Anyway, a good piece of history! Regards, Kai