The endangered art of kris making

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Kris making is becoming an endangered species in Java -- the land of the dagger and a symbol of the Javanese mysticism.

Empu Djeno Harumbrodjo, 75, is one of the (some even say the only) surviving empu, or the seasoned kris maker. Understandably, while the demand for kris remains steady and the makers drop in number, he is overwhelmed by the incoming orders.

"I am really sorry but you have to wait until the year 2006 to get your kris done." he says when asked when a kris that one orders now will be ready.

Empu Djeno said he is the 15th generation descendant of Kyai Empu Tumenggung Supodriyo, a renowned kris maker of the Majapahit kingdom in the 13th century. Under the Javanese belief, a real kris craftsman is purely "hereditary".

Empu Djeno used to need six months to make a kris.

But now it is no exaggeration that Harumbrojo asks for three years to complete a single kris. The kris that he makes is no ordinary one: it is one that has spiritual power and thus the job requires not only a skill but also intricate process and rituals.

This is what makes his works different from "toy kris" sold in shops as souvenirs to tourists.

His old age is a major obstacle, of course. He lost much of his physical agility and he is not as energetic as he was in his youth. Now, he has to delegate more and more of his job to his eldest son Sungkowo Harumbrojo, a civil servant and his heir apparent.

Because he is already busy with his own routine job as a civil servant Sungkowo has only Saturday and Sunday to take up his father's job.

"I have become more and more dependent on my son for my job," Empu Djeno said. "He does all the physical labor and I do all the spiritual aspects."

Empu Djeno said spiritual rites were needed right from the planning to the presentation of the finished kris. They are needed to know the right day to begin making kris, to calculate the composition of materials.

To design the pamor and tangguh (model and motive) is another complicate job. Empu Djeno has so far designed 200 motives.

There have been no books dealing with kris motives and Empu Djeno has to know them by heart.

"The kris maker has to be physically and spiritually clean to be able to concentrate on what he is doing," he said.

Like his ancestors, Empu Djeno has to undergo a series of spiritual activities before he makes a kris, such as making offerings and fasting.

"There are a host of taboos that I may not break, such as making a kris on my and my client's birthday, or on the days of my parents' deaths. There could be four of those taboo days in a month and now the job is even more time-consuming because it is done only on Saturdays and Sundays," he said.

Offerings have to be prepared four times in the course of the kris making: when the job is about to begin, to forge the metal, to plate it and to bathe it. They consist of a rice cone, fruit and snacks.

Empu Djeno recalled strange things that happened after he forgot to prepare offerings for each step, such as the metal he put on the 1,300 Celsius degree ember did not glow let alone soften.

He learned the art of kris making as he was a child but he took it as a profession only in 1974.

His clients come from as far as the Netherlands and have different backgrounds: common people, soldiers and senior government officials.

In 1984 and 1985, Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX had a kris made from a meteor -- a job that he saw as a token of recognition from the sultan.

His most prestigious honor is probably the Mahaputra Award that President Megawati Soekarnoputri presented him in August in recognition of his dedication to kris making.

Empu Djeno is now too weak and fragile to lift his hammer and to withstand the heat that his stove emanates. He hangs high hopes on his son Sungkowo to step into his shoes and keep the spirit aflame.