Krises no longer only mystical symbols<\/p>\n
Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta, Central Java<\/p>\n
The wavy double-bladed kris, or keris as it is known locally was,
\nin the past, a weapon mostly used in war.<\/p>\n
That accounts for why it was made to possess lethal power, and
\nwas often smeared with deadly poison to ensure a certain death
\nfor an enemy stabbed with one.<\/p>\n
A kris, too, was believed to have supernatural power and only
\ncertain people were considered to have the ability to look after
\nit.<\/p>\n
So sacred was a kris, that a kris maker, known as an empu, was
\nrequired to perform a special ritual before making one.<\/p>\n
But that is all history. At present, it may be difficult to
\nfind a kris that has been made in accordance with the standard
\nrequirements applied by the empu of the Pajajaran to the Demak
\nkingdom dynasties (from the 12th century to the 15th century).<\/p>\n
At that time, a kris had to have an odd number of waves, or
\nluk as they are called, with a maximum of 13.<\/p>\n
Kris-making rules, as well as the function and form, began to
\nchange following the fall of the Demak Kingdom.<\/p>\n
Since then, krises are no longer made by using standard
\nclassical dhapur (forms) and pamor (motifs added to both sides of
\nthe blade).<\/p>\n
It does not require an empu to make one, either. Kris artists
\ncome and go with various modified, innovative creations, motifs
\nand even raw materials.<\/p>\n
A kris now serves more as an accessory for traditional attire.<\/p>\n
It was the latter category of kris that were recently
\nexhibited at the Art Gallery of the Central Java Cultural Center
\nin Surakarta. Four kris artists from Surakarta, namely Hajar
\nSatoto, Aan Sudarwanto, Yantono and Agus Daliman, were involved
\nin the week-long exhibition.<\/p>\n
Today's kris, according to Hajar Satoto, or Totok as he is
\naffectionately called, is much simpler and easier to make,
\nespecially due to the raw material used, compared to those of
\nearlier centuries.<\/p>\n
The ancient kris, he said, was made mostly of heavy metal such
\nas titanium and meteorite, which have extremely high melting
\npoints, such that it took months to make.<\/p>\n
Today's krises, by contrast, are made mostly of iron or steel,
\nwhich have a much lower melting point, hence they need only about
\nthree days to a week to make.<\/p>\n
\"People today are no longer capable of making a kris produced
\nfrom both titanium and meteorite. We cannot bear the extremely
\nhigh melting points,\" Totok said.<\/p>\n
Totok and his three fellow kris-makers participating in the
\nexhibition are among the numerous kris makers living in Surakarta
\nat present. There are at least 20 craftsmen who produce krises of
\nvarious forms, motifs and quality.<\/p>\n
The number of kris makers in the region is mostly due to the
\nhigh demand for krises, especially during the peak season of
\ntraditional wedding ceremonies or other traditional events,
\nincluding the coronations of local palace rulers, both at
\nSurakarta Palace and Mangkunegaran Principality, or their
\nanniversaries.<\/p>\n
Ceremonies held by the Surakarta Palace to bestow noble titles
\non particular members of the community also require that the
\nrecipients and guests wear complete Javanese traditional attire,
\nincluding the kris, as an accessory. In fact, such an event is
\nusually attended by at least 500 guests including recipients.<\/p>\n
In a Javanese traditional wedding ceremony, at least 10 krises
\nare needed, one each for the groom, the fathers of the bride and
\ngroom, the male relatives of both the bride and the groom, and
\nushers.<\/p>\n
The higher the social status of a family, usually the greater
\nthe number of ushers it will assign at its wedding ceremony.<\/p>\n
It is not surprising, therefore, that dozens of kris traders,
\nwho sell their merchandise at Surakarta Palace Alun-Alun Utara
\n(North Square) claim to be able to sell three to five krises per
\nday at Rp 500,000 to Rp 2.5 million apiece, depending on the
\nquality.<\/p>\n
Most of the krises sold there are not made in Surakarta. They
\nare mostly brought in from Sumenep, Madura island, and their
\nquality is considered to be much lower than those made in
\nSurakarta.<\/p>\n
\"A Surakarta-made kris is more expensive compared with those
\nmade in Madura,\" said Sugiyatno, a kris trader at Alun-Alun
\nUtara.<\/p>\n
The raw materials and technique used to make the kris are
\nbelieved to be the reason why krises made in Surakarta are much
\nmore expensive than those from Madura.<\/p>\n
Surakarta krises are produced from a mixture of steel (for the
\ndagger) and nickel (for the pamor) and are fabricated with the
\nheat of burning coconut shell.<\/p>\n
Madura krises are made of iron and use a welding technique,
\nnot the heat from burning coconut shell.<\/p>\n
A different heating system has a different character and
\nyields a different result. That's why both the quality and price
\nof the two types of kris are different,\" said Totok, adding that
\na Sumenep-made kris needed a relatively smaller amount of raw
\nmaterials as well as less time to make.<\/p>\n
\"It's not surprising, therefore, if Sumenep kris makers can
\nmake more than one kris per day, it explains why their krises are
\ncheaper,\" Totok said.<\/p>\n
If Sumenep krises are sold for Rp 250,000 to Rp 2.5 million
\neach, Surakarta ones fetch more than Rp 2.5 million.<\/p>\n
This, of course, is not the kind of kris that collectors will
\nlikely be looking for. As collectors' items, ancient krises made
\nby an empu are still the most sought after.<\/p>\n
Those collected by palace museums such as at Surakarta Palace,
\nYogyakarta Palace and Mangkunegaran Principality fall into this
\ncategory.<\/p>\n
The older a kris is, the more expensive it will be.<\/p>\n
For this particular category, apart from its physical quality
\nand the quality of the workmanship, the history of a kris also
\ndetermines the price. The ones that formerly belonged to noted
\nnoble figures of the past will be extremely expensive.<\/p>\n
Still, according to Totok, producing krises like the ones he
\nand his colleagues in Surakarta have been creating so far is a
\nrelatively good way of making a living.<\/p>\n
\"The market is there and it's good. The price, too, is
\nrelatively good, so we can make a reasonable living from it,\"
\nTotok said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/krises-no-longer-only-mystical-symbols-1447893297",
"image": ""
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