Bedhaya Ketawang dance

The History

About Bedhaya DanceBedhaya Ketawang sacred dance routine is performed in the palace of the sultan of Java (Yogyakarta Palace and the Sultan of Solo). Also called the heavens dance, Bedhaya Ketawang is a form of ritual dance with the purpose of worship and sacrifice to God.
In the early days in Surakarta Palace dance is only performed by seven women only. However, because the dance is considered very sacred, special dances, the dancers then increased to nine people. Nine dancers consisted of eight sons and daughters of the remaining blood and kinship ties of the palace as well as a dancer who is believed to be magical figure of Nyai Roro Kidul. (The Queen of Southern Ocean)

When Bedhaya Dance will be PerformedBedhaya dance itself is a sacred dance, and full of symbolism of Javanese cultural values​​, a dance that a duration until approximately 120 minutes, is danced by 9 women who still virgin by describing the nine hole contained passion in human beings, this Bedhaya dance is a graceful and quiet , is said to dance Bedhaya recognized as the highest achievement of classical Javanese women.
The focus of this dance is the love scene between the Queen Kencanasari with Panembahan Senopati. The music that accompanies this dance consists of five instruments, namely kemanak, kethuk, kenong, drums, and the sound of gongs and sinden *.

Ketawang Bedhaya dance can be interpreted as a representation of the war movement, such as Supit Urang ** and *** Nglayang Garuda. During the one hour show, both the king and the spectators are allowed to smoke, drink or eat. This is a strong traditional belief of dance Bedhaya Ketawang. It is considered a symbol of union between the king and his people and between God and His creation (Manunggaling kawula Gusti).
In preparation for performances, the dancers must follow some rules and ceremonies. This preparation is just like if someone is going to get married. The night before the show, the dancers had to sleep in the Panti Satria, the most sacred shrine in the palace where all the spiritual heritage is saved.

Before the dance Bedhaya Ketawang was held, there are few rules or also known as the ceremonial rites that must be met by the palace and the dancers. Namely, to the palace must perform the ceremony or ritual that is Larungan Labuhan or sacrifice offerings in the form of 4 point edge / point of the compass around the palace. Here, the court described as the center of the Cosmic of the world and represents the four corners of the universe point.
Ketawang Bedhoyo great dance performed only once every eight years or eight years while dancing Bedhaya Ketawang minor done at the time of the coronation of the King or the royal wedding of one member of the plus symbols in accordance with the aims and objectives Bedhaya Ketawang done
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KANJENG KYAHI KUNCORO BUDOYO

Gelar                     : KK Kuncoro Budoyo
Dhapur                  : Sabuk Inten
Pamor                   : Beras wutah  bahan Nikel
Warangka             : Ladrang kasatrian Surakarta, bahan kayu Ungu
Deder                   : Surakarta kasatrian, bahan kayu Ungu
Pendok                 : Bunton, baha perak tretes berlian, motif lung kroton
Tangguh                : kamardikan mutrani Mataram ( 2013 )
Besalen                 : Suralaya, Mpu KRAT. H. Pauzan Pusposukadgo

KERIS JOKOWI

 Empu Fauzan Pusposukadgo sedang menempa keris Cahyo Buwono yang akan dihadiahkan untuk Gubernur DKI Jakarta, Joko Widodo. (dok. Forum Bawa Rasa Tosa Aji Soedjatmiko)

SOLO—Joko Widodo saat ulang tahun ke-52 tahun 2013mendapat hadiah kado oleh satu satu paguyuban pembuat keris di Solo.

Keris yang diberi nama KK Cahyo Buwono ini akan diberikan langsung kepada Jokowi jika Gubernur DKI Jakarta ini bertandang ke Solo hal ini sesuai wejangan Walikota Solo pengganti Jokowi, Hadi Rudyatmo.

“Kata Pak Rudi lebih baik keris diberikan langsung ke Jokowi saat ia main ke Solo,” ucap ketua panitia babar keris untuk Jokowi, IA Joko Suyanto, Rabu (19/6/2013).

Pemesan keris ( Boworoso Tosan Aji Balai Sujadmiko -Solo ) yang menyediakan bahan dasar besi ini membutuhkan waktu selama tujuh bulan. Sebelum dibuat keris. Bahan yang akan dibuat menjadi keris diarak terlebih dulu di daerah Pringgondani, Gunung Lawu.

Ada beberapa kejadian yang aneh dalam pembuatan keris tersebut. Saat upacara adat tersebut muncul banyak lutung di pepohonan sekitar arak-arakan. Lutung tersebut bukannya merebut sesaji yang disiapkan malah ikut mengawal arak-arakan hingga ke tempat yang dituju.

“Ini mempertandakan bahwa alam telah menyetujui jika Jokowi akan dibuatkan sebuah keris,” ungkap Joko.

Selain itu ketika pengambilan gambar saat keris ditempa banyak foto yang rusak karena gambar tertutupi oleh lingkaran-lingkaran putih. Joko mempercayai jika hal gaib ini menandakan jika Jokowi adalah sosok yang suci.

Saat keris sudah jadi, keris tersebut oleh pihak pemesan kembali melakukan rangkaian upacara adat di Gunung Lawu. Saat itu wanita yang bertugas membawa keris Jokowi merasa keris tersebut terlalu berat. Sehingga tugasnya harus diganti oleh dua lelaki yang biasa mengarak keris ke Pringgondani, Lawu.
Jokowi akan dikado sebuah keris yang diberi nama Cahyo Buwono yang berarti bahwa Suami Iriana ini adalah sosok yang memberikan perlindungan kepada orang-orang kecil.

Jokowi dianggap pantas mendapatkan sebuah keris karena ia adalah seorang putra Solo yang menjadi tokoh nasional.

MPU KRAT. H. PAUZAN PUSPO SUKADGO

KRAT. H. PAUZAN PUSPOSUKADGO

1. 
   

In the world of Javanese tosan aji (precious weapons), Pauzan Pusposukadgo is a familiar name. 

He is virtually the most senior and active empu (master craftsman) in Indonesia at the age of 72, retaining his high enthusiasm for the preservation of kris as part of the world’s cultural heritage.

His spirit was noticeable when on Jan. 13 he held a thanksgiving ritual to mark the revitalization of a besalen (kris forging workshop) owned by the late Javanese cultural expert and kris maker Panembahan Hardjonagoro (Go Tik Swan). 

Located in the residential compound of the panembahan (revered guru) in the Kratonan area of Solo, Central Java, the workshop was last operational in 1992. Pauzan himself has not been engaged in kris making over the last 10 years due to illness.

“Later this besalen will serve not only as a kris workshop, but also as a place where people can ask everything about tosan aji, especially kris,” said Pauzan. For Pauzan, reviving the workshop also means satisfying his nostalgia as a protégé of Hardjonagoro. “In the 1980s I was an apprentice at the workshop. He taught me many things about precious weapons,” noted the husband of Sukasmi.

Born in Grinting village, Boyolali, Central Java in 1941 into a family of poor farmers, Pauzan was a second-year technical school dropout. He once worked at a car workshop and finally as a Solo-Jakarta bus driver. His interest in traditional daggers was aroused when a friend showed him a gorgeous kris given by his parents. 

“I can’t remember its dapur [shape], pamor [blade pattern] and tangguh [period of making], but my friend’s kris was very beautiful. Since then, I’ve nurtured a great passion for the kris,” said Pauzan, who lives in Kampung Yosoroto, Solo.

In 1974, Pauzan joined Boworoso Tosan Aji Surakarta, a group of traditional weapon enthusiasts. In the club he delved into all aspects of the kris, including their philosophy and history, for eight years, while learning to forge the daggers and form their patterns from Hardjonagoro. In 1982 he built a besalen in his house yard and crafted his own kris.

Pauzan said that as he did not have enough money to buy iron and other materials, he frequently bought scrap kris from the local antique market, Triwindu, at low prices. The used weapons were then repaired and enhanced at his workshop for resale at high prices. “This income increases the capital for my workshop activity,” he added. 

Through his perseverance and Hardjonagoro’s direct guidance, the kris crafted by Pauzan eventually drew the attention of kris buffs. In 1984, he managed to inscribe a new pattern called Poleng Wengkon on a blade known as a Gumbeng. As the motifs on blades are created, the iron folds are filled with other metals such as nickel.

“This was designed by Dietrich Drescher, a kris lover from Germany,” said the empu, who was appointed as besalen chief of the Surakarta Sultanate Palace by Paku Buwono XII. 

Former coordinating minister for political and security affairs Soerono was attracted by the new motif and named the kris Kyai Surengkarya. Seven kris with the same style were ordered by kris collectors from the US, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and Holland.

Pauzan later designed his own kris patterns, like kalpataru (tree), papaya leaf and tetes banyu (drops of water). “Dietrich Drescher kept encouraging and inspiring me to create new blade motifs,” Pauzan indicated.

With his work sought after by kris enthusiasts, during the period 1983-1990 Pauzan organized tosan aji displays in places including Solo’s Indonesian Classical Arts Academy (ASKI), Sasana Mulya, the Press Monument, the Jakarta Kris Center and Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta. 

As an empu, Pauzan further showcased his skills when his creations were exhibited in Brunei Darussalam. Owing to his skills, he also became an extraordinary lecturer of kris craftsmanship at ASKI, Solo.

He is now well known as a kris master who creates his own new styled blades instead of imitating old forms and patterns. “Kris are not mystical objects. They are exceptional works of art handed down by our ancestors. Today people see the weapons’ aesthetic value rather than their mystical power,” he pointed out. 

Pauzan, who has received several cultural awards from the government, has forged hundreds of kris and has turned out dozens of young masters from his workshop, while remaining modest and willing to impart his knowledge to younger generations that are eager to learn from him. 

Despite global recognition, Pauzan is reluctant to be called an empu. “I’m just a kris craftsman,” said Mas Ngabehi Pusposukadgo, Pauzan’s title granted upon him by the Surakarta Sultanate Palace.

In his opinion, a true empu should have high spiritual capabilities, practice asceticism and perform various Javanese rituals, which was especially the case with the palace kris makers of the past. He, however, has only inherited the ancestral duty to pass on the skill to the next generation for cultural preservation. 

“I’m happy to see many young craftsmen with their wonderful traditional weapons. The Indonesian Arts Institute of Surakarta has played a major role in graduating young artists, particularly through its tosan aji study program,” acknowledged Pauzan.

Acccording to Pauzan, there had been increasing interest in kris making since the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) granted that the weapon was a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. 

He took note of the kris making tradition that could be traced back to Buddhist kingdoms (125-1125), Hindu kingdoms (1250-1500), Islamic Mataram kingdoms (1460 M – 1613) and to the post-independence period (1945-present). 

“Great empus were born through the eras. Sadly, most of their work has been sold abroad,” said Pauzan.

“Kris are beautiful, with their attractive motifs, warangka [sheaths] and gagang [handles]. I’m prepared to teach those wishing to learn how to forge the daggers, especially young people, for free in order to preserve their masterpiece,” Pauzan said.