Katura: Taking Trusmi batik to new heights

Nana Rukmana ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Cirebon, West Java   |  Tue, 06/17/2008 10:05 AM  |  People

Wearing a simple pair of dark-colored, loose-fitting pants and a thin undershirt, 56-year-old Katura is the picture of simplicity despite his formidable reputation as a batik artist and manufacturer.

KATURA: (JP/Nana Rukmana)

When receiving The Jakarta Post at his home in Trusmi, a batik-producing village in Plered district in West Java's Cirebon regency, he politely changes into a modest batik shirt and begins talking about his love for batik in his simple studio.

Batik cloth with various motifs and colors are neatly folded inside simple cabinets in the studio, which measures some 15 square meters with a rattan mat covering the floor. A number of batik pieces for men and women hang on rusted pipes.

The studio, which occupies part of the house's porch, is named Sanggar Batik Katura (SBK).

A billboard near the studio's door features a picture of foreign guests -- tourists, researchers and customers -- making batik.

The main person on the billboard is Fernanda, a Brazilian high school student, while Japanese, Canadian and French visitors are featured in the background.

"The picture means to covey the message that Trusmi batik is open to world citizens interested in Indonesian arts and culture, in particular, the art of Trusmi batik. Fernanda is highlighted because she represents the younger generation who care about the art of batik," explains Katura.

Fernanda visited Trusmi village in 2005 as part of a study tour with a Brazilian student group.

At the same time, the picture reflects Katura's open attitude as a batik artist toward progress and outsiders.

"If we close ourselves off, how can the outside world learn of our work? With openness, Trusmi batik will be even more popular," says the native of Trusmi.

Katura is an eighth generation Trusmi batik artist, having learned the craft from his parents, Kasmin and Raminah.

"The batik craft I learned from my parents is an invaluable asset," says Katura, who began making batik at the age of 11.

As he begins to talk about his passion, Trusmi batik, the session suddenly seems to turn into a lecture between a professor and his students.

Batik craftsmanship in Trusmi is believed to have existed since the 14th century, having originally developed within court circles before spreading to coastal communities.

"This development caused Trusmi batik to appear in two main designs, the court motif and the coastal motif," says Katura, whose wife, 54-year-old Kuriah, is also a Trusmi batik maker.

The royal motif developed within two main courts in Cirebon, the Kasepuhan and the Kanoman palaces. The court patterns are characterized by wadasan (rock) ornaments and various palace heirlooms, such as the Singa Barong horse-drawn carriage.

The court patterns tend to be dark in color, dominated by blacks and browns, such as found in classic batiks like Panji Sumirang, Naga Seba, Sawunggaling and Mega Mendung.

"Previously, these batiks were only worn by the nobles," says Katura, who has five children, all engaged in batik making.

He says the coastal or pesisiran motif grew quickly among ordinary people living in coastal areas, with bright and colorful flora and fauna decorations as the dominant feature.

"The coastal motif is more inclined toward bold color outlines like reds, greens and blues," Katura says.

Though their production has fallen, many local batik craftspeople continue to create these two main Trusmi motifs.

"Both are hard to find because various batiks found today are made based on market orders in modified patterns. Yet the classical products are maintained as a fair number of consumers remain fanatical about them," he says.

His skill in the art of batik and extensive batik knowledge has led Japanese batik enthusiasts to regard Katura as Trusmi's number one batik artist.

As a batik maker, Katura is popular among batik buffs abroad, especially in Japan.

"Nearly 90 percent of my batiks are bought by Japanese, leaving just 10 percent for local and other foreign buyers from France, Holland, Germany and Canada," he says.

Katura's batik pieces began attracting the attention of overseas buyers in 1987, when two fine arts lecturers from the Netherlands and Germany visited him.

"They were touring Java to study batik. When they reached Cirebon, they met me and expressed interest in delving further into Trusmi batik-making," he recalls.

In 1989 the two lecturers invited 20 colleagues and female students to Katura's studio.

"They stayed with us for two weeks to learn Trusmi batik craft. Since then, I have frequently received guests fascinated by batik from other countries, including Japan," Katura says.

His batik products penetrated the Japanese market in 1990, when Yumiko Katsu, a Japanese textile designer then studying fine arts at the Bandung Institute of Technology, visited him.

"He wanted to further his study by learning Trusmi batik making. Through him, batik lovers from Japan began to become familiar with my work, and soon they started placing orders," he says.

Katura, who received an Indonesian Records Museum award in 2005 for a handmade batik piece measuring 9 meters by 2 meters, called "Babat Alas Wanamarta", from an episode derived from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, said he was pleased to be able to meet the demand from Japan.

He said that apart from their habit paying on time, Japanese buyers greatly appreciated his batik as quality products of art.

"The buyers from Japan love good quality batik. It's a form priceless appreciation," he says.

Overwhelmed by orders from Japan, Katura has had to implement a waiting list, with buyers sometimes having to wait up to two months.

"I've been forced to apply the system since the orders are rushing in while I have to handle the batik-making correctly, without sacrificing quality," he says.

He shows a list of orders from his Japanese customers, the last one a request for marine-park themed batik of the coastal design and wayang-themed pieces in the royal motif.

"Most buyers from Japan patiently wait for at least two months to get their orders since they value quality," Katura says.

In addition to traditional Trusmi motifs, Japanese buyers also often order batik with modified motifs, according to their tastes.

"Once I got an order for batik patterned with Japanese traditional musical instruments and another for turtles. I granted the requests as they can enrich our batik motifs."

As a senior batik artist, Katura has also become a resource for students conducting research on Trusmi batik.

At least 12 students from various disciplines, including Ari Winarno, who earned his master's degree in humanities at Yogyakarta's Gajah Mada University, have earned their college degrees after studying batik with the assistance of Katura.

"I only give the students some assistance," Katura says. "If they succeed in their studies, I also feel proud since their research helps more people learn about Trusmi batik."

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