JP/17/KRIS

JP/17/KRIS

Banyu Sumurup survives as kris village

Slamet Susanto The Jakarta Post/Bantul, Yogyakarta

If you are a true believer in the supernatural or just a collector, you will find Banyu Sumurup, a village in Imogiri subdistrict, Bantul regency, some 20 kilometers southeast of Yogyakarta, an interesting place for kris shopping.

Located some 500 meters from a renowned royal cemetery from the Mataram Kingdom, the village is home to skilled craftsmen producing the traditional double-bladed daggers.

Although there are fewer craftsmen than in the 1990s, the village still produce hundreds of kris per month, mostly as souvenirs for tourists.

"We used to have some 200 kris craftsmen in the 1990s, now we only have about half that number," Darmaji, 40, a kris craftsman, told The Jakarta Post recently.

Craftsmen in Banyu Sumurup are differentiated according to their areas of expertise. There are, for example, craftsmen specialized in making the body of the kris, the warongko (the casing) and the pendok (ornaments installed on the bottom of the casing).

"Everything is then collected by the pengepul, or collectors, and assembled into a kris for distribution across the country," Darmaji said.

Hartinah, a craftswoman specializing in making warongko, said she could produce about 20 pieces a day.

It is said that the village began crafting kris in the 1200s, when a kris maker, or empu, fled here to escape a war in the Majapahit Kingdom following a rebellion led by Soreng Lono.

Empu Supomo, as the kris maker was known, settled in the village and continued making kris. His expertise was passed down through the generations and the village became renowned as a kris village.

Empu Djiwo Diharjo, 70, who is said to be related to Empu Supomo, began the production of kris as souvenirs in 1972. He says making a kris as a souvenir is quite different from crafting a sacred kris.

To make a sacred kris, he says, one is required to perform a series of special laku, or rituals, which is why only an empu can produce a sacred kris.

"The requirements include fasting prior to the manufacturing process and not speaking while working on the kris. Otherwise the kris will lose its supernatural power," said Djiwo, the only sacred kris maker in the village.

Before starting work on a sacred kris, the empu must know the birthday of the person who will own the dagger. This information is needed so the empu can decide when the best time is to begin work on the kris.

Djiwo said the sacred kris he makes can cost between Rp 2.5 million and tens of millions of rupiah. All of the sacred kris are made by special order only and are customized according to the requests of customers. A buyer, for example, may require a kris coated with gold, with a handle made of either wood or ivory.

The level of sacredness, too, influences the price. The more powerful a kris, the more expensive it is because the more difficult it is to make.

"Sometimes, a sacred kris takes years to finish," said Djiwo, adding that he sold a sacred kris for Rp 65 million in 1972.

Djiwo says that he was moved in 1972 to begin producing kris as souvenirs because at more and more tourists wanted to purchase kris.

He took 15 young people in Banyu Sumurup and trained them to produce kris as souvenirs. They were divided into three different groups, each trained either to make the kris, the warongko or to do the carving. He did it this way to prevent unhealthy competition in the future, as each person had their own area of expertise.

Later, as more people joined the business, Djiwo established a cooperative to collect the different parts of the kris, assemble them and get the finished products to the market. By 1975, some 200 villagers were already working in the business.

The regency government of Bantul in 1978 gave Djiwo the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition in Jakarta to show his kris. He held similar exhibitions that same year in several other cities, including Semarang (Central Java), Denpasar and Bandung (West Java).

In 1985 he began exhibiting his works abroad. He started in the Netherlands before going to Australia in 1989, the Middle East in 1992 and Brunei in 2002.

Sales counters were also opened around the country, including in Jakarta, Bali, Semarang and Bandung. Orders from foreign countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Japan also poured in.

"Until 1990, all kris were made in Banyu Sumurup. The trademarks could be different, but they were all made here," Djiwo added.

Djiwo was recognized for his work in developing the business in 1986 with three awards from three different ministers: minister of manpower Sudomo, minister of cooperatives Bustanil Arifin and minister of industry Hartarto.

In 1992, Djiwo withdrew from the business and focused on crafting sacred kris. He says he makes between six and 10 sacred kris a year, but with revenue of tens of millions of rupiah.

Apart from making sacred kris, Djiwo also washes sacred kris, a ritual known as jamasan. He holds between 10 and 15 jamasan rituals a month, and counts government officials among his regular clients.