First Keris

[ganjawulung]

Thanks Kay,

Hopefully in a couple weeks, I will complete this sheath with the right keris. I've got one, and I returned it to the seller, because of no good appearance in the sekar kacang and greneng on the tail. Wavy (bugis?) keris with quite good pamor. But no good garap of work of art...
Anyway, thanks your kind attention.

Ganjawulung

[PenangsangII]

Pak Ganjawulung,

Bugis kerises are meant to be used as weapon, so they are normally not beautiful (artistically), but believe you me, the appealing point of Bugis blades is the macho image.

I suggest that you find a solid and robust bugis sepokal to be dressed in your sarung & hulu.

[ganjawulung]

Originally Posted by PenangsangII

.. Bugis kerises are meant to be used as weapon, so they are normally not beautiful (artistically), but believe you me, the appealing point of Bugis blades is the macho image.

I suggest that you find a solid and robust bugis sepokal to be dressed in your sarung & hulu.

Dear (Ario) Penangsang Part Two (?),
This Bugis blade was sent to me from East Java last Saturday. The "pasikutan" (appearance, sorry for using Javanese term on this Bugis), is quite robust. Good iron, but too much corrosion on the core side. The pesi was wax-sealed in a Javanese/Solonese hilt. (Pls see the pictures). Do I need to send it back? Please, your advise, Penangsang...

Ganjawulung

[Alam Shah]

Made in the style of Bugis blades... but might not be... Just my 2 cents opinion.

[PenangsangII]

Pak Ganja,

Got the nick from my late grandfather who used to liken my temperement to that of Arya Penangsang .

Regarding the sepokal, like Alam Shah had said, I am not too sure whether that is a true blue Bugis or a keris from other regions, looks like a sepokal though.

I saw Raja Gunadala at the base of your keris (looks like a human figure?), I suggest that you keep it. Very nice old blade, and I would like to see it the bugis hulu and sarung before commenting any further.

[kai]

Regarding the sepokal, like Alam Shah had said, I am not too sure whether that is a true blue Bugis or a keris from other regions, looks like a sepokal though.

It is a Sepokal but I assume that he's referring to the pieces produced by Maduran bladesmiths these days - at least that's what came to my mind...

BTW, I don't like the Jawa-style etching&staining on a Sulawesi-style blade (nor Sumatran, Malayan, Bali, etc. for that matter ): The heavy warangan can be easily toned down by soaking in coco nut water but I'd also suggest some gentle polishing to get a smoother surface (assuming this is a recent piece and there is enough substance to the blade to work with). While old Bugis-influenced blades often have topographic relief from repeated cleaning/etching, they still tend to have a smooth surface rather than the "porous" finish in keris Jawa.

Much more important would be a decent fit to your scabbard though - any pics? (Kampung.net is still down, I guess? Searching this forum and Alam Shah's website will turn up quite a few pics though to get a better feeling how Bugis blades are supposed to fit.)

Regards,
Kai

[ganjawulung]

Thanks Shahrial, Penangsang, Kai,
Your advice is very useful to determine my next choice. The common mistakes of people like me is: treating other kerises as if Javanese kerises. I'll keep in mind your advice...

Ganjawulung