(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)Only a few master craftsmen or empu of kris have scientific and research backgrounds. One of them is Basuki Teguh Yuwono, who combines science and traditional values or pakem in making kris, while carrying on his research and experimentation.

'€œPreserving objects of cultural heritage isn'€™t just about keeping them, it is also about creating new ones of a high standard in line with current advancements,'€ said Basuki in his house-cum-besalen (kris workshop) in Wonosari village, Gondangrejo, Karanganyar, Central Java.

At his relatively young age, Basuki, who was born in Karanganyar on Sept. 11, 1976, has become an empu of high renown. He is also a kris museum curator, with international certification pertaining to the authenticity of about 400 items collected, including antique kris, spears, traditional regional weapons and ancient manuscripts on Palmyra palm leaves.

Basuki was born into a family steeped in Javanese spiritualism. His grandfather, Sapuhan, is a spiritualist and village communal figure, also known as a warangan (kris purification) specialist. His father, Suharno, is a leather puppeteer.

As a 5-year-old, Basuki was introduced to Javanese spiritual values. At 10, he was already accustomed to rigorous Javanese fasting practices like mutih (consuming rice and plain water only) and ngebleng (fasting without sleep). In addition, his grandfather also taught him Javanese and Chinese martial arts.

'€œI lost my playtime. I was either fasting or doing martial arts exercises. Apart from that, I was becoming acquainted with tosan aji (precious weapons) and wayang (leather puppets). So, there was no time left to play,'€ he recalled.

'€œI'€™ve studied the kris philosophy, which is imbued with values of devotion to God, as indicated by the weapon from its blade to its sheath. It is, therefore, a big mistake to regard this traditional dagger as
a product of magical and mystical beliefs,'€ he explained.

Despite his introduction to kris knowledge as a child, in his teenage years Basuki was only interested in painting and spent most of his spare time during senior high school developing his painting skills. '€œBut I preferred to paint wayang, wood grains and carvings,'€ he said.

Graduating high school in 1994, he entered the woodcraft department of the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) in Surakarta, where he met many kris masters like Subandi, Yohanes Yantono, Fauzan Pusposukadgo and Sukamdi, who still remain active in the city.

'€œI met them after frequently visiting the ISI kris workshop to observe the process of forging kris. At first I was only watching, but later I tried to practice it myself,'€ Basuki said.

Through the campus workshops, Basuki started delving into the kris world more seriously. While joining the kris-making classes, he also studied tosan aji at the ISI library and conducted research. In 1997, he received a student achievement award for precious weapons research from then president Soeharto.

A year later, he earned a scholarship from the Indonesian Fine Arts Foundation to undertake kris research, preservation and development. In the same year, he also became involved in a historic object restoration project at the Kasepuhan Palace in Cirebon, accompanying a professor from the Netherlands.

From then on, Basuki frequently received scholarships for research. He spent five years researching kris in Java and other regions like Kalimantan, Jambi, Palembang, Madura, Tanjung Pinang, Lombok and Makassar. He also published several books on the subject.

His acquaintance with a kris museum curator and kris master in Bali, Pande Wayan Suteja Neka and Empu Sri Dharmapala Vajrapani, led him to a extended study of Balinese kris, including research
on the palm-leaf manuscripts from the Majapahit era, which were kept in a library by communal elders in Bali.

'€œWe can learn about past civilizations from kris. They aren'€™t just fighting weapons, they also constitute the peak of achievement in the art of metal forging in the nation,'€ noted Basuki.

In 1999, he set up the Pedepokan Brojobuwono, a kris museum that also serves as a workshop at his residence. There, the kris study program lecturer at the Fine Arts School at Surakarta'€™s ISI engages in kris-making based on orders. His works are produced according to the traditional requirements of the past.

He retains ancient calculation methods to determine the curves, shapes and patterns of kris suitable for customers, who are also obliged to follow some rituals. '€œI want to restore kris culture with its customs, traditions and rituals as part of Javanese spiritualism. Kris should be seen as a whole instead of a mystical product, covering history, art, technology, economy and intrinsic values,'€ said the descendant of great masters Empu Jaya Supo and Empu Singo Wijaya.

When the kris are ready, Basuki supplies them with certificates describing their philosophy, symbolic meanings and relationships with their buyers. His creations have been displayed in, and owned by dozens of collectors from, countries such as Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Belgium.

Last year, he launched an experiment that caused a stir among kris makers by crafting a kris out of the lava of the volcano, Mount Merapi near Yogyakarta. Named the Kyai Naga Minulya, it was estimated to be worth Rp 1 billion (US$101,781), but he wouldn'€™t give it up. '€œI made the Naga Minulya for the new kris civilization of Nusantara [Indonesian archipelago]. I won'€™t sell it at any price,'€ he said.

'€œFormerly, kris represented the peak of metal forging. Today, they are considered modern fine art works viewed not only for their esthetic aspect, but also their noble values, symbolic and philosophical meanings, as well as production process,'€ said the man who has fostered dozens of kris workshops in Indonesia.

Regarding kris as creations of fine art is the idea Basuki wants to convey to the public. He founded the Brojobuwono kris museum with kris-lover Bambang Gunawan to be a learning center that is open to everybody. Besides the 400 weapons and manuscripts on display, the museum, which opened in 2012, also offers books and photos on kris-making and the materials used in the process.

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