Foreigners regular clients of Soedarmono's royal carriage

Text and photo by Ahmad Solikhan

YOGYAKARTA (JP): There was a time when carriages were the symbol of reigning Javanese kings. These carriages, even though they had local names, were ordered from the Netherlands.

Among the important carriages there was the Singa Barong, an heirloom of the Prince of Losari, the founder of the Kasepuhan Palace in Cirebon, West Java. This carriage was made in 1649. The Kyai Garuda, a legacy of the Kasunanan I of Surakarta, Central Java, was made in 1700. There was also the Kyai Garuda Yaksa, owned by Sultan Hamengku Buwono VI of Yogyakarta. Made in 1869, the Kyai Garuda Yaksa, is still used for the coronation of kings in Yogyakarta Palace.

Times have changed. The power of the Javanese kings has declined politically and no more carriages have been ordered. Carriage makers in Europe have also ceased to exist.

But in Proliman village, Tamanmartini, Kalasan, Sleman, Yogyakarta, there is a workshop called Rijtuigfabriek (Dutch for carriage factory), which was established in 1952 and is owned by Parto Soedarmo. It still produces horse carriages similar to the ones owned by the Javanese palaces.

"Horse carriages must be conserved because they have historical value," said the 70-year-old Soedarmo.

He said that it takes six or seven months to make a horse carriage and all its equipment -- including the oil lamps and the horses' apparel -- and requires seven to 10 workmen.

"In order to maintain quality, each workman has to work on his own specialty," said Soedarmo who pays his employees between Rp 7,500 and Rp 10,000 a day.

The basic material for a carriage is wood. The body of the carriage is made of old, solid, choice teakwood (tectona grandis). The spokes of the carriage wheels are made of waru wood (haibiscus tiliaceus) while the ornaments are made of walikukun wood (aetinophora buurmani fragrans).

A carriage requires steel for the springs, the axles and other parts. The steel comes from discarded ships at the harbor in Semarang, Central Java, and from scrap iron markets where it is sold for Rp 500 per kilogram.

"Scrap iron is stronger than the steel produced today," said Soedarmo.

After the steel is heated, it is forged, and springs, axles and other parts are shaped. The making of springs and axles requires one to two weeks. A set of springs can fetch a retail price of Rp 500,000.

For a horse's apparel tanned buffalo hides are needed. The leather is priced between Rp 15,000 and Rp 25,000 a meter and is made into a head decoration, saddle and reins, rear cover, the yoke to pull the horse and other things.

In order to make the apparel more attractive, it is decorated with brass, said Soedarmo.

One set of apparel requires 25 square meters of buffalo hide, and a month of work. One set is sold for between Rp 1 million to Rp 2 million.

A simple horse carriage without engravings and accessories costs about Rp 8 million. A luxurious one like the keraton (palace) chariots costs around Rp 40 million.

"In the hands of brokers, a keraton chariot can fetch prices up to Rp 200 million," said Soedarmo.

The making of keraton carriages is more intricate. Apart from the engravings in the wood, the wheel caps, the axle covers, the oil lamps are made with magnifying glass and lined with engraved brass. The back door and the upper part of the carriage are also layered with engraved brass. A pair of brass lamps is retailed for Rp 400,000 to Rp 2 million.

"The more intricate the shape and model of the oil lamps and other accessories, the higher the price," said Soedarmo, a father of five.

The majority of buyers come from abroad. Some clients from the Netherlands like imitation Victorian-style carriages. Orders also come from Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia. Popular among buyers is an imitation of the Singa Barong carriage of Cirebon and a number of palace carriages in the Yogyakarta and Surakarta style.

Last July Soedarmo filled an order from a Dutch national for a Singa Barong carriage for Rp 40 million. It is 2.77 meters high, 1.79 meters and 4.97 meters long. It is drawn by four to six horses.

"The carriage is now on exhibition in the Nationaal Rijtuig Museum in the Netherlands," Soedarmo said proudly.

Soedarmo only manages to fill one order a year for such a carriage due to the intricate manufacturing process. Clients wait in line to have their orders filled.

Apart from producing carriages, Soedarmo also repairs horse carriages like the andong used for tourist transportation. Soedarmo's workshop has also made repairs on carriages from the Yogyakarta and Surakarta palaces.

History

Soedarmo has been in the carriage business since 1942 when he was 15. He got his skills in carriage manufacture from his father, who worked in a workshop in Barengtengah village, Klaten, Central Java. The workshop supplied equipment and spare parts for horse carriages and old automobiles.

Sutomartoyo and his son opened their own workshop in Jatinom village, Klaten. After a few months the Japanese army came and Soedarmo was taken by force for romusha (involuntary labor) during the three years of Japanese occupation of the country (1942-1945).

"Only in 1952 did I really start with my workshop," Soedarmo said.

Like other traditional workshops, the one owned by Soedarmo is not special in appearance, it is an old building on 800 square meters of land, serving also as the family's residence.

The equipment used is also simple, nearly the same as the tools used at the time of the workshop's opening. There is a traditional furnace to heat steel with manual equipment. Only the carbide welder and the electrical drill show that the workshop has entered the modern era.

Apart from making new carriages Soedarmo also renovates old ones. He looks for old carriages everywhere, repairs them and offers them for sale in star-rated hotels.

"The older a carriage, the more expensive it is," he said.

Although there are prospective buyers abroad for the carriages, the regional administration and the local police do not like the workshop. Soedarmo has been asked several times to close his workshop. Officials say that keraton carriages should not be imitated because they are sacred heirlooms of our ancestors.

"If this workshop is closed, what must I do?" Soedarmo complained.

The workshop is much frequented nonetheless. Customers place orders for carriage parts for their collection of antiques. Teguh Saputra, 29, from Sleman, Yogyakarta, recently ordered a pair of carriage wheels for Rp 400,000.

"I am going to use these wheels to make an antique chair at home," said Saputra.

Soedarmo intends to expand his business, but no financial institution or rich businessman has the inclination to lend him the money.