Javanese Keris?

harrywagner · 13th November 2015, 12:30 PM

This is a fairly recent purchase. I believe it is from Java, but only because the seller thought so. I imagine is was meant as a display item, but could also have been a tourist piece. It is not a weapon (IMO). I like the split blade and the little guy that serves as the hilt. He looks like he is wearing a baseball cap, which I find amusing. Comments welcome.

David · 13th November 2015, 03:10 PM

I wouldn't call it a display item or a tourist piece Harry. You haven't really provided very good photos for a better assessment though. I do suspect from what i can see that yours is a fairly recent one, late 20th century or later. Very hard to tell without clear close-ups though. The crack was probably intentional rather than being a forging flaw, but it is hard to tell in the photos.You are probably right that this keris was not intended as a physical weapon, giving this long crack in the blade. Keris serve many purposes within Javanese culture and sometimes their purpose is more talismanic than practical. They also serve as an aspect of formal dress. So no, this wasn't made specifically as a wall hanger. There is some lore about the mystical power of gazing through such openings made in the blade. When these openings are made with this purpose in mind it is called combong.

harrywagner · 13th November 2015, 06:07 PM

Thanks David. Here are what I hope are better pictures. I agree about the split blade being intentional. It makes the piece even more interesting. I like it, whatever it's intended use. Here is the info the seller provided:

"Indonesian Keris from Yogyakarta region (Java). Carved wooden hilt represents mythical serpent Nanga Sasra. The Wilah (blade) is wavy (13 dapor lok) with elaborated forging pattern (pamor) and a slot representing the mythical serpent Nanga Sara."

A. G. Maisey · 14th November 2015, 01:30 AM

The description of this keris given by the seller is not quite accurate.

The blade is 13 luk, pamor is adeg in the body of the blade, and probably what we can call a "flame" pamor in the base ( I can give a Javanese name for this, but I will need to spend more time on analysis of this little patch of pamor in the sorsoran). It is probably a 20th century blade, but I cannot be certain of this from photos, no matter how good.

The wrongko (warangka, scabbard) is Solo (Surakarta) gayaman, which is the informal, everyday style, the wood can probably be classified as kayu pelet, it might be timoho, but I cannot tell from a photo. The pendok (metal scabbard cover) is bunton style, the photos are not good enough for me to identify the embossed motif, but it is most likely lung-lungan ( twining vines and foliage).

The jejeran (ukiran, hilt) is a Madurese style, depicting a serpent, it would be legitimate to describe this as a jejeran with naga motif. The mendak (hilt ring between hilt and blade) is a Central Javanese kendit set with pastes.

The only thing wrong with this keris is the hilt, it is totally out of place, it should be taken off the keris and displayed separately as a miniature sculpture. This existing hilt should be replaced with a Solo planar style of hilt, preferably a yudowinatan model.

Do this and you will have an absolutely correct Solo gayaman keris that could be used for wear on most occasions. It is a recent keris, but most definitely not "tourist", or "wall hanger". It is the real deal, but get rid of that hilt, it does not belong.

Jean · 14th November 2015, 09:49 AM

According to the EK and the Pamoratlas this pamor pattern with a triangular motif at the base and pamor Adeg above it is called Junjung Darajat and said to originate from Madura or East Java. Personally I am not convinced that the void in the middle of the blade is intentional.
Regards

harrywagner · 14th November 2015, 12:04 PM

Thanks A.G. and Jean. The seller bought the hilt separately, and it is a replacement. The original hilt, not pictured, is rather plain and also wood. It looks similar to the hilt I have seen on many Keris. I will post a photo as soon as time allows. Thanks again.

Harry

harrywagner · 14th November 2015, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jean

According to the EK and the Pamoratlas this pamor pattern with a triangular motif at the base and pamor Adeg above it is called Junjung Darajat and said to originate from Madura or East Java. Personally I am not convinced that the void in the middle of the blade is intentional.
Regards

Hi Jean,
I'm not sure either. The seller thought it was. I'll post some close-ups as soon as time allows. Thanks for the info!

harrywagner · 16th November 2015, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jean

According to the EK and the Pamoratlas this pamor pattern with a triangular motif at the base and pamor Adeg above it is called Junjung Darajat and said to originate from Madura or East Java. Personally I am not convinced that the void in the middle of the blade is intentional.
Regards

Hi Jean,
Here are some close-ups of the blade. The seller thought the split was intentional. I think it adds interest to the knife, so if it was an accident, it was a fortunate one!

Harry

harrywagner · 14th November 2015, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

The description of this keris given by the seller is not quite accurate.

The blade is 13 luk, pamor is adeg in the body of the blade, and probably what we can call a "flame" pamor in the base ( I can give a Javanese name for this, but I will need to spend more time on analysis of this little patch of pamor in the sorsoran). It is probably a 20th century blade, but I cannot be certain of this from photos, no matter how good.

The wrongko (warangka, scabbard) is Solo (Surakarta) gayaman, which is the informal, everyday style, the wood can probably be classified as kayu pelet, it might be timoho, but I cannot tell from a photo. The pendok (metal scabbard cover) is bunton style, the photos are not good enough for me to identify the embossed motif, but it is most likely lung-lungan ( twining vines and foliage).

The jejeran (ukiran, hilt) is a Madurese style, depicting a serpent, it would be legitimate to describe this as a jejeran with naga motif. The mendak (hilt ring between hilt and blade) is a Central Javanese kendit set with pastes.

The only thing wrong with this keris is the hilt, it is totally out of place, it should be taken off the keris and displayed separately as a miniature sculpture. This existing hilt should be replaced with a Solo planar style of hilt, preferably a yudowinatan model.

Do this and you will have an absolutely correct Solo gayaman keris that could be used for wear on most occasions. It is a recent keris, but most definitely not "tourist", or "wall hanger". It is the real deal, but get rid of that hilt, it does not belong.

Many thanks for this incredible information. This is very generous of you. I could not be more surprised by your last paragraph! I have a modest collection, but of the knives I do have I was sure this one was a display or tourist item. I am very happy to know otherwise. I am not a purist though so a tourist item or display piece would not be out of place in my collection, but it is still nice knowing it is not.

I bought two Keris from this seller. He has never let me down. I had not planned on posting photos of the other one, but am re-thinking that. I was certain it was a display piece. Now I am not so sure.

Thanks again for the info. Much appreciated.

Harry

A. G. Maisey · 15th November 2015, 09:00 AM

This post concerns the pamor motif found in the sorsoran of Harry's keris.I've now been able to see it clearly, and I've been able to access my records.

Jean has nominated junjung darajat.

I have never seen junjung darajat, but my understanding is that it combines a small patch of ujung gunung, which is a miring pamor, with one of the mlumah pamors, my notes do not mention combination with another pamor miring.

Personally, I am inclined to regard this keris as having dwi warna pamor, that is two pamors in the one blade.

One of those pamors is adeg, this is clear, but the other pamor?

I feel that we have 4 or 5 possibles:- Putri Kenurung, Bawang Sebungkul, Sombro, Pengasih, and maybe the outside possibility of Slamet.

From these I'd be inclined to put my money on Pamor Sombro. When Sombro is combined with a second pamor the two pamors together can sometimes be given another name, but there is only mention of it being combined with mlumah pamors, not with miring, thus I feel we must regard this blade as dwi warna:- adeg sapu + sombro.

13th November 2015, 12:30 PM	#1
harrywagner Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 373	Javanese Keris? This is a fairly recent purchase. I believe it is from Java, but only because the seller thought so. I imagine is was meant as a display item, but could also have been a tourist piece. It is not a weapon (IMO). I like the split blade and the little guy that serves as the hilt. He looks like he is wearing a baseball cap, which I find amusing. Comments welcome. Attached Images

13th November 2015, 06:07 PM	#3
harrywagner Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 373	Better photos Thanks David. Here are what I hope are better pictures. I agree about the split blade being intentional. It makes the piece even more interesting. I like it, whatever it's intended use. Here is the info the seller provided: "Indonesian Keris from Yogyakarta region (Java). Carved wooden hilt represents mythical serpent Nanga Sasra. The Wilah (blade) is wavy (13 dapor lok) with elaborated forging pattern (pamor) and a slot representing the mythical serpent Nanga Sara." Attached Images

14th November 2015, 12:04 PM	#6
harrywagner Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 373	Replaced hilt Thanks A.G. and Jean. The seller bought the hilt separately, and it is a replacement. The original hilt, not pictured, is rather plain and also wood. It looks similar to the hilt I have seen on many Keris. I will post a photo as soon as time allows. Thanks again. Harry

13th November 2015, 03:10 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,029	I wouldn't call it a display item or a tourist piece Harry. You haven't really provided very good photos for a better assessment though. I do suspect from what i can see that yours is a fairly recent one, late 20th century or later. Very hard to tell without clear close-ups though. The crack was probably intentional rather than being a forging flaw, but it is hard to tell in the photos.You are probably right that this keris was not intended as a physical weapon, giving this long crack in the blade. Keris serve many purposes within Javanese culture and sometimes their purpose is more talismanic than practical. They also serve as an aspect of formal dress. So no, this wasn't made specifically as a wall hanger. There is some lore about the mystical power of gazing through such openings made in the blade. When these openings are made with this purpose in mind it is called combong.

14th November 2015, 01:30 AM	#4
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,704	The description of this keris given by the seller is not quite accurate. The blade is 13 luk, pamor is adeg in the body of the blade, and probably what we can call a "flame" pamor in the base ( I can give a Javanese name for this, but I will need to spend more time on analysis of this little patch of pamor in the sorsoran). It is probably a 20th century blade, but I cannot be certain of this from photos, no matter how good. The wrongko (warangka, scabbard) is Solo (Surakarta) gayaman, which is the informal, everyday style, the wood can probably be classified as kayu pelet, it might be timoho, but I cannot tell from a photo. The pendok (metal scabbard cover) is bunton style, the photos are not good enough for me to identify the embossed motif, but it is most likely lung-lungan ( twining vines and foliage). The jejeran (ukiran, hilt) is a Madurese style, depicting a serpent, it would be legitimate to describe this as a jejeran with naga motif. The mendak (hilt ring between hilt and blade) is a Central Javanese kendit set with pastes. The only thing wrong with this keris is the hilt, it is totally out of place, it should be taken off the keris and displayed separately as a miniature sculpture. This existing hilt should be replaced with a Solo planar style of hilt, preferably a yudowinatan model. Do this and you will have an absolutely correct Solo gayaman keris that could be used for wear on most occasions. It is a recent keris, but most definitely not "tourist", or "wall hanger". It is the real deal, but get rid of that hilt, it does not belong.

14th November 2015, 09:49 AM	#5
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	According to the EK and the Pamoratlas this pamor pattern with a triangular motif at the base and pamor Adeg above it is called Junjung Darajat and said to originate from Madura or East Java. Personally I am not convinced that the void in the middle of the blade is intentional. Regards

15th November 2015, 09:00 AM	#10
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,704	This post concerns the pamor motif found in the sorsoran of Harry's keris.I've now been able to see it clearly, and I've been able to access my records. Jean has nominated junjung darajat. I have never seen junjung darajat, but my understanding is that it combines a small patch of ujung gunung, which is a miring pamor, with one of the mlumah pamors, my notes do not mention combination with another pamor miring. Personally, I am inclined to regard this keris as having dwi warna pamor, that is two pamors in the one blade. One of those pamors is adeg, this is clear, but the other pamor? I feel that we have 4 or 5 possibles:- Putri Kenurung, Bawang Sebungkul, Sombro, Pengasih, and maybe the outside possibility of Slamet. From these I'd be inclined to put my money on Pamor Sombro. When Sombro is combined with a second pamor the two pamors together can sometimes be given another name, but there is only mention of it being combined with mlumah pamors, not with miring, thus I feel we must regard this blade as dwi warna:- adeg sapu + sombro.