Sunday, February 7, 2010 12:22 AM
Yuliantoro , Contributor , Yogyakarta | Fri, 02/05/2010 1:04 PM | Java Brew
Spiritual work: Sungkowo shows one of his kris and its scabbard from a collection at his house in Yogyakarta.
There is the clinking sound of repeated hammering of a blend of iron, steel and pamor (decorative metal) on a blazing hearth, with burning red metal sprinkles scattered over both sides.
Gripping the blend with tongs, an mpu or master craftsman is forging a kris (Javanese dagger) while wiping his sweaty body now and again in his stuffy besalen (workshop).
That’s how a traditional dagger maker works on the highly valued Javanese weapon. Today, classical kris making is a unique and rare profession, with only one master in Yogyakarta willing to be engaged in this time-honored art of refined craftsmanship.
He is Mpu Sungkowo Haroembrojo, who lives in Gatak hamlet, Sumberagung village, Moyudan district, Sleman regency.
The professional scarcity is due to the high degree of difficulty of this job. By tradition, a kris is requires an mpu’s creativity, intuitive feeling, willpower and innovation. Creativity concerns knowledge, experience and ingenuity. Intuitive feeling has to do with modesty and sensitivity to ethical and esthetic values. Willpower refers to strong determination to develop a noble task. Innovation more involves the principles of usefulness, grandeur, symbolism and spiritual weight.
“Making a kris is a serious job if a high quality dagger is supposed to be produced,” said Mpu Sungkowo, the sole heir of Mpu Djeno Haroembrojo, a renowned kris master of the Court of Yogyakarta, some time ago.
Before forging a kris, an mpu used to fast by only eating plain rice and drinking water for 40 successive days. At present, the fasting period is reduced to three days according to Javanese calculation.
“It’s meant as a spiritual preparation before getting down to actual work,” explained the 17th descendant of Kyai Mpu Supodriyo, a great kris master in the era of Majapahit kingdom.
The fast aims to purge the soul of all impurities, as the process of kris making requires a clean, pure and clear heart so that the blade created will generate a good aura.
“During this entire process one must avoid harsh, abusive and emotional remarks,” Mpu Sungkowo said.
In addition, a set of offerings is also made available in the workshop, generally for the purpose of invoking divine assistance so as to ensure a smooth and safe progression of kris making from start to finish with a truly excellent end product.
Standing alone: Kris maker Mpu Sungkowo Haroembrojo (left) shows his work standing unsupported. It shows the perfect balance of the traditional dagger.
The mpu needs the personal data of a customer, such as the day and date of birth, occupation and so forth. The best way is to meet the master before he starts working on the weapon so as to be suited to the customer’s personality.
A quality kris with high artistic value demands first-rate iron, nickel (as pamor) and steel. Kris makers quite often use meteorites containing titanium to turn out beautiful decorative patterns. The best iron is usually the black type called karang kijang.
“Karang kijang is the kind of iron with straight and fine veins so that it can hardly get rusty. It produces an unbroken tinkle when struck and has a natural, glowing color,” Mpu Sungkowo said.
In the beginning, a kris takes the form of pieces of iron, nickel and steel. The three components are combined by burning and hammering. The iron piece with nickel, burning and lengthening to a certain size, is folded into two. Then it is again beaten up repeatedly to reach the number of folds desired, depending on the model or tangguh as it is commonly called.
For instance, Tangguh Blambangan needs about 16 folds, Tangguh Mataram 256, and Tangguh Majapahit 2,000. Even in the period of Majapahit, the model of Sendang Sedayu required 4,096 folds.
After the relevant number is met, the wrought iron is strengthened by inserting a piece of steel.
“At the end of this process, the kris has to be given sepuh treatment [immersion in coconut oil after being heated without getting red] so as to make it superb, magical, strong and durable,” Mpu Sungkowo said.
A classical kris takes at least 40 days to finish, even more than 60 days for the types of kris that involve more complex techniques. When physical and mental conditions are unfit, kris forging has to be suspended in order to guarantee optimal product quality and avoid customer disappointment.
Kris making consumes around 100 kilograms (50 sacks) of teak charcoal, 12 kilograms of iron, 0.5 kilograms of steel and 100 grams of nickel. For higher-level kris like Sendang Sedayu, 18 kilograms of iron, 0.5 kilograms of steel and 200 grams of nickel or 300 grams of meteorite are required. Upon completion, only about 1 kilogram is left due to shrinkage by heating and beating.
Combining metals in layers and hammering indeed constitute the technique applied to make a thin and small blade tougher. The blade is formed according to the shapes desired. Some kris are straight, as in the Majapahit era, while others have curves known as luk, recalling the Islamic Mataram era.
Hammer and tongs: Sungkowo uses tongs to hold the molten kris being created by his assistant.
Mpu Sungkowo is assisted by Tugeno (61) and Supardi (50). But when it comes to blade filing to expose nickel stripes as decorative pamor, Mpu Sungkowo does the work himself as it involves greater care. Any carelessness will erode the pamor altogether.
“I also do the finishing work,” he said.
The beauty of a kris, however, will be apparent after being cleansed with a solution of arsenic in lime juice, which makes the ornamental patterns even more manifest. With this touch, a kris is thus born.
It has a higher value and greater supernatural force if processed with the mpu’s ascetic practice and high spiritual awareness.
With the considerable time spent, Mpu Sungkowo can only produce a maximum of six kris a year, and is booked up through 2011.
Mpu Sungkowo’s works are highly sought after. His guest book shows that his customers come not only from domestic circles but Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, France, the Netherlands and the US.
He has turned out dozens of kris now scattered in various parts of the world, winning the admiration of many. Worth up to tens of millions of rupiah a blade, its possession has some requirements. A farmer, for example, is compatible with Dapur Kebo Lajer (buffalo design) and pamor beras wutah (spilt rice pattern), and a youth with Dapur Jangkung (slender design) and an unspecified decoration, having three curves.
“Only a king can own all types of kris,” he indicated.
Mpu Sungkowo, 56, dedicates his life to kris making with the determination to preserve the great value of the nation’s cultural heritage acknowledged by the UNESCO in 2005. He even has the obsession of passing down his expertise not only to his descendants but also to interested members of the public.
Bequeathing his capability is not easy amid today’s culture of instant products. The necessity to have spiritual knowledge and the notion that classic kris making is economically less promising have become major constraints. Mpu Sungkowo earns reasonable profits and is able to support his family.
The lowest price of one kris is Rp 10 million, with certain types reaching as high as Rp 50 million.
Among Mpu Sungkowo’s works are straight and curved blades. Kris with luk or curves usually have odd numbers, such as three, five, seven and nine curves and so forth, but the Javanese kris standard of Mataram origin only have a maximum of 13 curves.
— Photos by Yuliantoro www.thejakartapost.com
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