Patience required to make traditional Javanese weapon

By Ahmad Solikhan

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Three men stood around the furnace holding iron bars and chanting a mantra. Their hammers rang out as they came down on the glowing iron bars with a clanging sound.

That was the scene in the house of Ki Empu Djeno Haroem Brodjo, 70, in Gatak village, Yogyakarta. The house has been turned into a blacksmith's workshop where krises, traditional Javanese weapons, are forged.

Not everybody can make krises because it requires great patience and an inner force. Brodjo, the son of Ki Empu Supowinangoen, a descendant of Majapahit, is one of a select few empu (master kris makers). He has taught the art at the Indonesian Arts Institute since 1984.

Brodjo has been an empu for 55 years. His works are collector's items in many countries, including the Netherlands, the United States, France, Japan, Britain, Australia and Spain. Many ambassadors and high-ranking government officials have also acquired krises from his workshop.

The kris is a traditional Javanese weapon dating back to the time of the ancient kingdoms on the island. Now many people collect krises because of their cultural and artistic value. However, some people believe certain krises have the magical power to protect their owners from danger, and maintain the position they have achieved in work and life.

The late Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX had two krises forged by Brodjo. One of them was used to ensure the prosperity of farmers and the other one was to help the sultan maintain his title, rank and degree.

Brodjo said it took him two years to make the two krises because they were filled with yoni (magic power). On average, he needs about four months to forge an ordinary kris, usually ordered as a collector's item.

Brodjo uses scrap iron from ships and bridges from Dutch colonial times to forge his krises. He says the quality of the scrap iron is better than that of present-day iron.

"When the iron is fired it softens quickly, making it easy to mold," he said. The iron can be obtained at traditional markets in Yogyakarta, Surakarta and Semarang for Rp 300 per kilogram. He also inherited from his father 200 kgs of nickel from the Netherlands. "(The nickel) has not been finished," he said.

The nickel is for the pamor (ornament) on the body of the kris and to strengthen the iron itself. "If iron is mixed with nickel, its strength is double that of steel," said Brodjo.

The iron is fired at temperatures above 1,100 degrees centigrade and then forged with a hammer into long bars. The bars are then split lengthwise as a sort of wrapper for the nickel. Iron and nickel are then repeatedly heated while being forged until the iron and nickel are completely blended.

To bring out the pamor, the long glowing iron bars mixed which nickel are folded into layers while being continuously forged.

The process of folding the iron into layers is dependent on the complexity of the shape of the pamor, which is unique to each kris.

Then arsenic extract is spread onto the kris, giving it a blackish color. This is done to bring out the pamor and to prevent corrosion. Sandalwood oil is applied for its fragrance before the completed kris is placed in its sheath.

To make one 200-gram kris, Brodjo requires a minimum of four to 12 kgs of iron mixed with four to 12 grams of nickel.

Once every year magic krises must be washed. They are first submerged in water with calamondin liquid before being bathed in arsenic and sandalwood oil to ensure the power of the kris.

Brodjo forges magic krises by special request only, but there is no difficulty ordering a kris which will be no more than a collector's item. In the forging of kris, certain days must be avoided because they are considered bad. These days are calculated based on the Javanese calendar.

A souvenir kris with a bronze, copper or brass sheath costs about Rp 3 million. A magic kris with a gold layer and jewels on the sheath costs between Rp 50 million and Rp 100 million. If silver is used instead of gold, the price is between Rp 6 million and Rp 10 million.

"I don't know how much I make in an average month because I don't do this for the money," said Brodjo, who often receives orders for krises in the Mataram and Majapahit style.