Is it a Tajong?

A. G. Maisey · 27th March 2009, 08:08 AM

David, I do not know if it can be called a tajong or not. I do not know exactly what a tajong is,or what this word denotes or means, and although I have collected keris for a very long time, I had never come across the word "tajong" until a few years ago when I saw it mentioned on this site.

The original question was :- is it a tajong?

My answer is that I do not know.

But I do think it has a bit of age, I do think that it has some characteristics that also belong to the type of keris that is called a tajong, and I do think that it is a less than elegant production.

To me, this is an interesting keris. Purists in the field of tajongery may well disallow it membership of the group, just as I and some others would disallow some village Javanese keris recognition as legitimate Javanese keris.

But this is coming back to that "name game" that we are all so familiar with.

In my book, names do not mean a hell of a lot:- you accept and appraise something for what it is, not because you can hang some name or other on it.
Yeah, OK, I know I'm the odd man out, but if something has quality I really don't care what it is called, and if something lacks quality, I care even less.

By any measure this keris is interesting, simply because it is an oddity.

PS:-

http://www.kerisarchipelago.150m.com/webpage/Tajong.htm

David · 27th March 2009, 01:46 PM

"Tajongery"

That's very funny Alan.
Obviously i am with you in the i don't know or the i am just not sure category.

It has always seemed to me that the name "tajong" mostly relates to the dress and even more specifically to the hilt form, but maybe some of our friends on the Peninsula can verify this.
Thanks for the link to Dave's site. I had lost track of it and have been looking for the link ever since this thread first appeared.
I do agree that this keris is never-the-less interesting.

BluErf · 28th March 2009, 05:10 AM

Actually, this tajong, though crude, has all the essential features of a tajong, right down to the crown, the garuda mungkur on top of the head, the swirl motifs on the side of the head, the beard, the eye lashes, and stylized arms in front of the body. So it is tajong.

David · 28th March 2009, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluErf

Actually, this tajong, though crude, has all the essential features of a tajong, right down to the crown, the garuda mungkur on top of the head, the swirl motifs on the side of the head, the beard, the eye lashes, and stylized arms in front of the body. So it is tajong.

Thanks Kai Wee, that's part of what i wanted to know. Now, is it your opinion that the term tajong merely refers to the hilt, or is the rest of the dress as specific? Is there more than one blade form that is acceptable in tajong dress? Can you tell from the features of this tajong hilt approximately how old it is?

BluErf · 28th March 2009, 07:26 PM

The term tajong can refer to the hilt or the keris as a whole. But as a whole keris, the sheath form needs to be that as shown in both specimens in this thread. Any other sheaths would be inappropriate (sometimes, we see tajong hilts plonked onto sampir tebeng, i.e. the trapezoid sheath type, which is inappropriate). The blade is usually a pandai saras or a carita and shd be proportionate in length to the overall sheath and hilt. The overall aesthetics of a tajong keris needs to be 'long and lanky'. Short stumpy ones don't look right.

BluErf · 28th March 2009, 07:27 PM

I can't tell how old the tajong is.

A. G. Maisey · 28th March 2009, 11:14 PM

Can anybody say what the word "tajong" means, and what language it is from?

And while we're at it, how about coteng? Language? Meaning?

27th March 2009, 08:08 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	David, I do not know if it can be called a tajong or not. I do not know exactly what a tajong is,or what this word denotes or means, and although I have collected keris for a very long time, I had never come across the word "tajong" until a few years ago when I saw it mentioned on this site. The original question was :- is it a tajong? My answer is that I do not know. But I do think it has a bit of age, I do think that it has some characteristics that also belong to the type of keris that is called a tajong, and I do think that it is a less than elegant production. To me, this is an interesting keris. Purists in the field of tajongery may well disallow it membership of the group, just as I and some others would disallow some village Javanese keris recognition as legitimate Javanese keris. But this is coming back to that "name game" that we are all so familiar with. In my book, names do not mean a hell of a lot:- you accept and appraise something for what it is, not because you can hang some name or other on it. Yeah, OK, I know I'm the odd man out, but if something has quality I really don't care what it is called, and if something lacks quality, I care even less. By any measure this keris is interesting, simply because it is an oddity. PS:- http://www.kerisarchipelago.150m.com/webpage/Tajong.htm Last edited by A. G. Maisey; 27th March 2009 at 01:07 PM.

27th March 2009, 01:46 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,218	"Tajongery" That's very funny Alan. Obviously i am with you in the i don't know or the i am just not sure category. It has always seemed to me that the name "tajong" mostly relates to the dress and even more specifically to the hilt form, but maybe some of our friends on the Peninsula can verify this. Thanks for the link to Dave's site. I had lost track of it and have been looking for the link ever since this thread first appeared. I do agree that this keris is never-the-less interesting.

28th March 2009, 05:10 AM	#3
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Actually, this tajong, though crude, has all the essential features of a tajong, right down to the crown, the garuda mungkur on top of the head, the swirl motifs on the side of the head, the beard, the eye lashes, and stylized arms in front of the body. So it is tajong.

28th March 2009, 07:26 PM	#5
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	The term tajong can refer to the hilt or the keris as a whole. But as a whole keris, the sheath form needs to be that as shown in both specimens in this thread. Any other sheaths would be inappropriate (sometimes, we see tajong hilts plonked onto sampir tebeng, i.e. the trapezoid sheath type, which is inappropriate). The blade is usually a pandai saras or a carita and shd be proportionate in length to the overall sheath and hilt. The overall aesthetics of a tajong keris needs to be 'long and lanky'. Short stumpy ones don't look right.

28th March 2009, 07:27 PM	#6
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	I can't tell how old the tajong is.

28th March 2009, 11:14 PM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Can anybody say what the word "tajong" means, and what language it is from? And while we're at it, how about coteng? Language? Meaning?