Thoughts on kris / keris?

May I ask your thoughts and opinions on this knife I found at a rummage sale this weekend?

The blade and handle are 17", an it's 18" when in the sheath.

Thank you in advance!

 

@Any Jewelry

 

That's as tight a custom sheath as I've ever seen!!!!!

 

it's missing a part tween the handle and blade , and that's as black a blade as I've ever seen....

.

I can't even count the luks...
and the sheath ...missing a metal cover....likely....looks Java made.

@Any Jewelry .... will know....better'n me.

 

Thanks for the comments.

Is black on the blade improper corrosion, or an indicator of age, or...??

 

maybe.....the blade and handle did not start out together....
the blade could have been buried.....

I'll leave it to AJ to fill u in !!

 

Wow-- interesting! Thank you as always.

 

Thank you.......!! for bringing something I know a little about to the board !!!

 

I bought this at a rummage sale at a local American Legion, which is a US Armed Forces veterans organization. The man who sold it to me was himself a vet, and it just occurred to me that perhaps the the knife here got to the US through a military context. He didn't know anything about it when I asked.

Anyway, here's a couple more close up pics.

 

it looks less black in the close ups...

show more of the blade this way , please..

 

Maybe these will help: ( The penny is for contrast.)

 

I'm not so familiar with the long thin one......like above...

 

Beautiful! It is an oldie from Djokja/Yogyakarta, Central Java. There is a name for those faint waves which escapes me right now.
If it is as black as it looks in the photos, it is a rare 'pamor hitam', black damascene pattern.
Up until ca 1900 black keris were considered very special and even sacred. In Javanese belief they stand for looking for enlightenment within yourself.
But when collectors came to dominate the market, they wanted very contrasting pamors, and the old truly sacred keris, were ignored. Those of us who appreciate the keris for its spiritual meaning, do value those special all black and the rare all white pamor keris. I have one of each, as well as a gold one.

The thin blade is close to what is called a "nail keris", named after the thinness, which is also very rare. Some people would consider this a nail, others wouldn't.

The sheath on yours is also special, it is a 'gandar iras', made out of one piece. On most sheaths the 'ship' is carved separately.

As @komokwa thought, she should have a different hilt, and the hilt ring is missing.
If you want to buy a replacement hilt ring, search for 'mendak', that is the Javanese word.
The current hilt is a low quality Solo/Surakarta style hilt. It should have a Djokja/Yogyakarta hilt, which is smaller and more straight.
This is the model you need:

 

My keris with pamor hitam (black):



The mendak, hilt ring, is very plain, but it is made of suasa, an alloy of copper, gold and silver.


And my keris with pamor putih, or (greyish) white damascene. It combines the very rare pamor with another love of mine, the Naga, in this case a Naga Siluman, the Naga that 'vanishes' into the keris:

 

The one on the right, with the Cakra/chakra or wheel in it, mimics a nail keris. However, it started life as a regular keris, and was carved with a chakra. To make the chakra stand out, they carved the remaining part this thin shape.
These novelty kerises, converted from old ones that weren't considered interesting, were made in the 1950s in Aeng Tongtong, a village in East Madura.
The name Tongtong is after the sound of the hammers of the keris smiths. Aeng is Madurese for village, hence Aeng Tongtong.

 

There's my Gal !!
Hope yer feeling well !!

 

The old brain fatigue, but for a keris I go above and beyond.

Forgot to add, the hilt is facing the wrong way. In my photos you can see the right way.
The hilt symbolizes the ancestor on his (or her) way to the afterlife in his ship, he (or she) is facing the land of the living, as a promise to look after those left behind.

 

@Potteryplease ,,,,don't polish the blade !!!

 

Absolutely. A well-kept Javanese blade has the matte look my kerises above have.
I need a rest now, but I'll message you later this week on how to achieve that proper keris blade look. Komo, I'll include you in the conversation, of course.

 

@Any Jewelry I so appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share!

...and you have! Thank you.

--ok: I'll mind that significant detail.