Padepokan Keris Brojobuwono

Kalis Keris at Brojobuwono Hermitage

fig in baselan -

Syefri Luwis

The semi-journalistic journey that the Indonesiana team carried out around Solo, Sangiran, and Karanganyar turned out not only to produce reports on the traces of Javanese humans but also reports related to a repository of the nation’s collective memory in the field of kris. After almost an hour of walking along the main road of Solo – Karanganyar, the car carrying the The Indonesiana team turned onto a narrower village road. At first glance, there was a small inscription that informed that the group had entered Wonosari Village. There is something unique about the villages in the Gondangrejo sub-district, namely clusters of teak trees planted by local people.

About 200 meters from the main road of Gondangrejo sub-district, the car stops at a small field that can fit 2-3 minibuses. “We have arrived, ladies and gentlemen. The building in front of our right is the Brojobuwono kris museum.” The minibus driver who took us asked us to get off and directed us to the joglo-shaped building on the right in front of us.

Yes! Our group was already at Brojobuwono hermitage, a keris museum located in Wonosari Village, Gondangrejo, Karanganyar Regency, Central Java. At first glance, there was nothing special when we entered the museum’s collection room before Kristanto explained that the oldest kris in the museum was a keris from the VII century CE. According to the information given by Kristanto, the existing kris are made of a mixture of iron, steel and nickel.

However, there is a kris which is considered a masterpiece of the museum, which is located in a very beautiful residential area. The masterpiece is named Ki Naga Minulya which is stated to be made of meteorite which requires special handling. How not, to make a kris made of iron, steel, and nickel, it only takes combustion to reach 3000°C, how about a special kris that is very expensive.

After investigating, this high-value and rare collection turned out to be the property of an Empu named Basuki Teguh Yuwono, who is actually the owner of the house that became the rare museum. For additional informa-

tion, all the collections contained in this typical museum are the result of the “hunting” of keris carried out by Basuki Teguh Yuwono throughout the archipelago.

Baselan: Keris Living Museum

While walking around appreciating the extraordinary collections displayed in glass cabinets, we are still imagining how difficult it is to process the basic ingredients into a keris. In fact, there are hundreds of kris from various eras that are now well-collected and well-maintained in the hermitage. While watching the kris from Brojobuwono’s collection, we imagined how hot the conditions were around the kiln for burning the raw materials for the prospective keris. Because not only iron is the basic material for these kris, some even come from meteorites.

The shadow of the past suddenly dispersed to hear a gentle but authoritative greeting. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. If you wish, please stop by baselan. Mpu and panjak are forging now. Please, while it’s still morning and the panjaks are still very powerful, they beat the hammers on the kris blades.” Said someone wearing a white cloth without a shirt.

The person wrapped in a white cloth name is Sardi. “I am a panjak in charge of baselan or the kitchen of making kris.” Mr. Sardi introduced himself and his profession to us. Panjak is Mpu’s assistant. Meanwhile, Mpu, as we know, is a kris maker expert. One of the most famous Mpu is Mpu Gandring who created the magical kris used by Ken Arok to kill Tunggul Ametung.

Pak Sardi, the panjak, guided us to the baselan or the workshop room or the keris making workshop which is located at the back of the museum. In the Baselan, it turned out that there were already three people dressed in the same clothes as Mr. Sardi. One of them was near the furnace. That person is in charge of burning the raw material before it becomes a keris blade and then placing it on a pad to be hit with a hammer by another panjak.

We noticed how the forging activities that took place in Baselan gave the impression of being in the past in Java. Moreover, there are many chopsticks on the walls of Besalen, a type of long pliers, which are used to clamp the blade of the keris when it is burned. The forging process is not an easy matter, therefore the panjak in charge of burning the blade must concentrate on controlling the size of the embers to ensure the level of heat. Even though it is only a stove, the kiln remains a concern for the management. To add to the attractiveness of the burning place, it is decorated with carvings of the head of a kala (giant) and when the burning process takes place, sparks can be seen rising up, throwing ashes from burning charcoal. Panjak must also ensure that the two blades of the kris receive the same handling so that they need to be turned over in hot coals. The blade of the keris is sometimes dipped into a stone cup filled with a certain liquid repeatedly, of course, to get a high quality kris.

Legacy of the IX Century -

Syefri Luwis

Museum and Transfer of Knowledge

Apart from Panjak and Indonesiana’s entourage, three young women were present in Baselan who were very

enthusiastic about paying attention to the forging process. One of the three young women was named Yuni Listiani, a student of the D4 Keris and Traditional Weapons Program, Art Craft Study Program, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Indonesian Art Institute Surakarta. In his fourth year of study, she actually spent more time at the Keris Brojobuwono Hermitage.

After a moment of being lost in the hustle and bustle with the visitors, Yuni then withdrew and sat in a corner to the left of the basement room. The student who came from outside Surakarta returned to handle her final assignment. She looks like she is doing natah or strengthening the decoration on her homemade kris.

Yuni explained that she had been going through the process of making the keris for six months. According to her, the process of making the keris starts from the initial natah, namely making sculptures. Next, she performs the process of forging or making blades which he does with his own power, though of course with the help of the panjak and mpu who are mentors. The forging process turns out to take quite a long time to arrive at the process of uniting the blade with the handle. In turn, the nyangklang or sharpening process also continues until it is time to practice or immerse the keris in mud and salt. The long process ends when the kris enters the warangi process or is given arsenic liquid and orange juice so that its prestige appears. One of the advantages of the keris is its good prestige.

Apparently, a piece kris was created from such a long and complicated process. Likewise, Ki Naga Minulya, which appears to be the most authoritative among other kris in Brojobuwono, is the result of a long-standing process of learning to make kris in Indonesia. Fortunately, there is still the Brojobuwono kris museum which not only stores collections but also produces and passes on kris knowledge to the younger generation of Indonesia. (Alfi-

an S. Siagian: Indonesiana Magazine Crew).

Together forging -

Syefri Luwis