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Keris. The Sophisticated Silat Weapon.
Opening note from Guru IImi Khalid
Disclaimer: The author and publisher are not responsible on any injuries due to application of the knowledge and techniques highlighted in this article. The Keris is a deadly weapon; you are advice to only practice them under a supervision of a Silat Keris expert.
As promised in the last article, we are back with the Keris story for all Harimau Berantai TV members and visitors. The Keris is the most fascinating weapon. It is the blade of Silat. It is almost impossible to find an expert beyond the shores of the Malay world that is willing to teach the art. There are many Keris collectors and owners, but an expert of this fighting system is rare abroad.
One of the world authorities of Keris is Silat expert Prof. Jak Othman. If you come to Jak Othman Martial arts studio in Subang jaya, Selangor Malaysia, you will be fascinated to see the collection of Silat weapons on display on the walls of the studio. This place looks like a museum. There is a large collection of antique Keris, most Javanese and Malay Peninsula; there are also Sumatran, Bugis and Borneo models too. Most of Keris are the Prof.’s certificates handed down to him from the Silat elders.
My Keris training with Prof. Jak.
‘An authentic keris always choose the owner. It is the ancient Malay culture that states every Keris has its spiritual guardian. You know now that I have more 50 ancient Keris, which have chosen me. They are send down to me by the elders as my symbol of achievements from a young pesilat to a Pendita what I am today.’ said the Prof to me.
He meant it. He actually showed me as many antique Keris that he owns; explaining each Keris has its own purpose and strength. There are ceremonial Keris, Keris for business and good health, for travelling, self-protection, respect and many more. However, there is one thing common of all these Keris, they are deadly weapons. He taught me the history of Keris. We discussed about the theories of origin of the weapon. Next, he moved on to weapon combat strategies and tactics.
After the first training session at the Subang Jaya studio, I realize the Keris are a sophisticated weapon. It is actually several weapons in one. Every part of the Keris is a weapon. I absolutely love learning the art. The deeper I get into exploring the science of the weapon; I begin to discover many answers to my questions about Silat. Knowing the Keris fighting art, deepen my understanding in Silat.
I pass the pen to my Guru; Prof Jak Othman to write about the way of the keris. In this article, the Prof will talk about the why Keris is the weapon of Silat warrior and why it is often so consider as a non-effective combat weapon by martial arts historians. Take it away Professor.
Disclaimer: The author and publisher are not responsible on any injuries due to application of the knowledge and techniques highlighted in this article. The Keris is a deadly weapon; you are advice to only practice them under a supervision of a Silat Keris expert.
As promised in the last article, we are back with the Keris story for all Harimau Berantai TV members and visitors. The Keris is the most fascinating weapon. It is the blade of Silat. It is almost impossible to find an expert beyond the shores of the Malay world that is willing to teach the art. There are many Keris collectors and owners, but an expert of this fighting system is rare abroad.
One of the world authorities of Keris is Silat expert Prof. Jak Othman. If you come to Jak Othman Martial arts studio in Subang jaya, Selangor Malaysia, you will be fascinated to see the collection of Silat weapons on display on the walls of the studio. This place looks like a museum. There is a large collection of antique Keris, most Javanese and Malay Peninsula; there are also Sumatran, Bugis and Borneo models too. Most of Keris are the Prof.’s certificates handed down to him from the Silat elders.
My Keris training with Prof. Jak.
‘An authentic keris always choose the owner. It is the ancient Malay culture that states every Keris has its spiritual guardian. You know now that I have more 50 ancient Keris, which have chosen me. They are send down to me by the elders as my symbol of achievements from a young pesilat to a Pendita what I am today.’ said the Prof to me.
He meant it. He actually showed me as many antique Keris that he owns; explaining each Keris has its own purpose and strength. There are ceremonial Keris, Keris for business and good health, for travelling, self-protection, respect and many more. However, there is one thing common of all these Keris, they are deadly weapons. He taught me the history of Keris. We discussed about the theories of origin of the weapon. Next, he moved on to weapon combat strategies and tactics.
After the first training session at the Subang Jaya studio, I realize the Keris are a sophisticated weapon. It is actually several weapons in one. Every part of the Keris is a weapon. I absolutely love learning the art. The deeper I get into exploring the science of the weapon; I begin to discover many answers to my questions about Silat. Knowing the Keris fighting art, deepen my understanding in Silat.
I pass the pen to my Guru; Prof Jak Othman to write about the way of the keris. In this article, the Prof will talk about the why Keris is the weapon of Silat warrior and why it is often so consider as a non-effective combat weapon by martial arts historians. Take it away Professor.
Guru Ilmi Khalid
Keris. The Silat Warrior Weapon.
By Prof. Jak Othman
Thank so much Guru Ilmi for a great introduction. I will discuss further on the Keris, a famous Silat weapon but have yet to discovered as one of the among the world’s deadliest martial arts weapons .
A Keris is a truly Malay Silat weapon. No other Asian weapons in its category resemble the Keris. There are several China spear models and one version of the Bundi dagger from India that look wavy like the Keris, but both are not related in any way to the Keris.
A Keris is not just a warrior’s weapon. It is also a friend. It is symbol of manhood, integrity and sovereignty of the Malays. My aunt Mahaguru Hajah Ramintan Samingon, who taught me Harimau Berantai Silat, always reminds me that a Keris to a pendekar is like his limbs. Take care of your limbs and they will be very useful to serve your wishes.
A Keris represent which level of society a pesilat ancestor belongs. His ancestors could be a Royalty, an Aristocrat, a Kiyai (religious figure), a Hulubalang (sultan’s bodyguard), a Pendekar (warrior) or a commoner. My ancestors were Kiyai, Aristocrats and Warriors, so the Keris that are sending down to me belong to these three categories.
The Keris & Jak
I owned my first Keris known as the ‘Rojo Sostro’ a Harimau Berantai Keris, when my dad passed away in 1972. My mother believed I am the rightful owner and she handed it down to me. I was 10 years old, a young pesilat. This Keris belong to my ancestors, direct from the Haji Asraf the Pendekar Harimau Berantai himself and his lineage. They fought the Dutch colonial forces in Indonesia until Independence Day. The owner before me was my late father Pendekar Othman Kassim. This is the beginning of arrival of many other ancient Keris to me.
A Keris is a truly Malay Silat weapon. No other Asian weapons in its category resemble the Keris. There are several China spear models and one version of the Bundi dagger from India that look wavy like the Keris, but both are not related in any way to the Keris.
A Keris is not just a warrior’s weapon. It is also a friend. It is symbol of manhood, integrity and sovereignty of the Malays. My aunt Mahaguru Hajah Ramintan Samingon, who taught me Harimau Berantai Silat, always reminds me that a Keris to a pendekar is like his limbs. Take care of your limbs and they will be very useful to serve your wishes.
A Keris represent which level of society a pesilat ancestor belongs. His ancestors could be a Royalty, an Aristocrat, a Kiyai (religious figure), a Hulubalang (sultan’s bodyguard), a Pendekar (warrior) or a commoner. My ancestors were Kiyai, Aristocrats and Warriors, so the Keris that are sending down to me belong to these three categories.
The Keris & Jak
I owned my first Keris known as the ‘Rojo Sostro’ a Harimau Berantai Keris, when my dad passed away in 1972. My mother believed I am the rightful owner and she handed it down to me. I was 10 years old, a young pesilat. This Keris belong to my ancestors, direct from the Haji Asraf the Pendekar Harimau Berantai himself and his lineage. They fought the Dutch colonial forces in Indonesia until Independence Day. The owner before me was my late father Pendekar Othman Kassim. This is the beginning of arrival of many other ancient Keris to me.
Prof Jak Othman and his Keris
My first experience of learning the Keris was in 1975, when I trained under legendary keris expert Mahaguru Haji Alias Jamil the Supreme Grandmaster of Gayong Harimau Silat. This style originated from the ancient Kedah Empire and it is based on the way of the Keris. I taught this style in the UK and Ireland more than 25 years ago. My other Keris art come from the world famous Silat Seni Gayong which I studied parallel with Gayong Harimau. In this Bugis Silat style, students are taught the Keris when they are graded to red sash. I continued to learn the keris and weapons of seni Gayong until I was graded to Black sash in 1979 by the late Mahaguru Dato’ Meor Abdul Rahman Uda Hashim just before flying to the UK to study for my A levels at Harrogate college of further education in Yorkshire England. I was not granted the permission by the Mahaguru to teach this style abroad.
My next Keris art is from my family art known as Harimau Berantai which I only have the chance to learn since 1986. It is a Javanese Silat style renowned for its blades fighting systems. My aunt Mahaguru Hajah Ramintan Samingon is my teacher. Parallel with the Harimau berantai training, I become the student of Melaka Silat icon; the late Mahaguru Haji Sotin Mohd Ali a legendary Keris expert. Mahaguru Haji Sotin taught me the Keris art of Seni Silat Hulubalang Melaka; a style which believe to have lineage to the Silat greatest warrior of all time Datuk Laksamana Hang Tuah. From these heirs and sources; I learn, explore and embrace the science of the keris of the Ancient Kedah, Bugis, Java and Melaka Empire of Nusantara, the Malay world.
Keris, a Rather Blunt and Rusty Looking Blade. Effective?
Growing up reading negative comments by foreign authors about the keris breaks my heart. Many question the combat effectiveness of the weapon; they found it rather unsophisticated and only applicable when it is used against each other in the Malay world. These authors were doing research with lots of barriers and communication breakdown during their time of research. For a start not many Malay Silat experts during their time could speak English and would not want to speak openly about their martial arts to these Caucasian visitors. These people where seen as the colonial races who took our lands from us not too long ago. They had to use interpreter who are not Silat experts. So keris was not a popular weapon among them and naturally got bad reviews in their books.
My next Keris art is from my family art known as Harimau Berantai which I only have the chance to learn since 1986. It is a Javanese Silat style renowned for its blades fighting systems. My aunt Mahaguru Hajah Ramintan Samingon is my teacher. Parallel with the Harimau berantai training, I become the student of Melaka Silat icon; the late Mahaguru Haji Sotin Mohd Ali a legendary Keris expert. Mahaguru Haji Sotin taught me the Keris art of Seni Silat Hulubalang Melaka; a style which believe to have lineage to the Silat greatest warrior of all time Datuk Laksamana Hang Tuah. From these heirs and sources; I learn, explore and embrace the science of the keris of the Ancient Kedah, Bugis, Java and Melaka Empire of Nusantara, the Malay world.
Keris, a Rather Blunt and Rusty Looking Blade. Effective?
Growing up reading negative comments by foreign authors about the keris breaks my heart. Many question the combat effectiveness of the weapon; they found it rather unsophisticated and only applicable when it is used against each other in the Malay world. These authors were doing research with lots of barriers and communication breakdown during their time of research. For a start not many Malay Silat experts during their time could speak English and would not want to speak openly about their martial arts to these Caucasian visitors. These people where seen as the colonial races who took our lands from us not too long ago. They had to use interpreter who are not Silat experts. So keris was not a popular weapon among them and naturally got bad reviews in their books.
The Keris
The western world is so use to the razor sharp swords and daggers in their countries. They are fascinated with the shining and extremely sharp samurai swords. Unfortunately, the Keris come with characteristics opposite to what expected. A typical Keris found in the shops are made for tourists. They are flimsy, sometime rusty and blunt with unsteady handle. I am not surprised the reviews were bad.
What these people did not get the chance was to meet a real expert who is willing to tell them the deadly side of the Keris story. Let me open up the inside story which has yet to discovered by the martial arts world. First, authentic Keris secretly kept within the warrior families. The blade is glued strongly to the handle. The V-shape of the blade allows piercing with ease. The Pamur, the pattern and Luk, the wavy curve of the blade create air holes and cushion for the blade to slide easily into the body when it is deployed for destruction. At the end of stabbing motion, the organs and flesh in the victim’s body will clinch onto the blade forcing the air out. Drawing the blade will not only cut the wound further but also pull the inside organs out. Is it Lethal enough?
The blade is not shinning like the samurai sword; it is dark in colour and sometimes very black. The reason is simple; the opponent cannot detect dark blades. He only felt it existence when it enters his body. Camouflage is the name of the game here. Even the way the blade is held in combat, it is always hidden from the enemy so that he not only have to defend himself in the fight, but also guest when and what is the Keris next attack.
The tip of the blade acts like a Belati knife, stabbing and slashing is the name of the game here. The lower part of the blade from the middle to the keris handle is perfect for hacking and slashing like the way of the Parang the Machete. So Keris is not only use for stabbing, but also slashing and hacking just like the sword.
The Aring and Belalai Gajah on both sides of blades near the handle not only protect the hand but also use for slicing and tearing soft parts of the opponent’s body at mid and close range without retracting the weapon before executing the technique. It acts like a kerambit or a dagger in an ice pick position. Wicked.
Next the Ulu or the handle of the keris. It comes in various artistic designs and shapes. It is a perfect striking weapon which also used to trap incoming attacking limbs of the enemy and some models are commonly use to rip and tear skin as well as soft parts of the enemy’s body. These handles are made from wood with medicinal properties, which is perfect for survival during times of war in ancient times.
By now, you should know the keris are not just a 4 in one weapon; its sheath is also used in combat. It can be a projectile weapon. It can also be used as defensive and offense tool in mid and close range combat situations. All these capabilities of the keris made it my number one Silat weapon. I am thrilled when the Mahagurus reveal the weapon science and hand down the art to me. It is one awesome tool of destruction and it is a Silat weapon.
What these people did not get the chance was to meet a real expert who is willing to tell them the deadly side of the Keris story. Let me open up the inside story which has yet to discovered by the martial arts world. First, authentic Keris secretly kept within the warrior families. The blade is glued strongly to the handle. The V-shape of the blade allows piercing with ease. The Pamur, the pattern and Luk, the wavy curve of the blade create air holes and cushion for the blade to slide easily into the body when it is deployed for destruction. At the end of stabbing motion, the organs and flesh in the victim’s body will clinch onto the blade forcing the air out. Drawing the blade will not only cut the wound further but also pull the inside organs out. Is it Lethal enough?
The blade is not shinning like the samurai sword; it is dark in colour and sometimes very black. The reason is simple; the opponent cannot detect dark blades. He only felt it existence when it enters his body. Camouflage is the name of the game here. Even the way the blade is held in combat, it is always hidden from the enemy so that he not only have to defend himself in the fight, but also guest when and what is the Keris next attack.
The tip of the blade acts like a Belati knife, stabbing and slashing is the name of the game here. The lower part of the blade from the middle to the keris handle is perfect for hacking and slashing like the way of the Parang the Machete. So Keris is not only use for stabbing, but also slashing and hacking just like the sword.
The Aring and Belalai Gajah on both sides of blades near the handle not only protect the hand but also use for slicing and tearing soft parts of the opponent’s body at mid and close range without retracting the weapon before executing the technique. It acts like a kerambit or a dagger in an ice pick position. Wicked.
Next the Ulu or the handle of the keris. It comes in various artistic designs and shapes. It is a perfect striking weapon which also used to trap incoming attacking limbs of the enemy and some models are commonly use to rip and tear skin as well as soft parts of the enemy’s body. These handles are made from wood with medicinal properties, which is perfect for survival during times of war in ancient times.
By now, you should know the keris are not just a 4 in one weapon; its sheath is also used in combat. It can be a projectile weapon. It can also be used as defensive and offense tool in mid and close range combat situations. All these capabilities of the keris made it my number one Silat weapon. I am thrilled when the Mahagurus reveal the weapon science and hand down the art to me. It is one awesome tool of destruction and it is a Silat weapon.
Why Keris Experts are a Rare Species?
The keris are the highest level for Silat weapons training in most traditional Silat schools. If a pesilat has not master the weapon, the style he practises could be a modern rebranded style doing empty hands only or his teacher has yet to master the weapons of Silat . Another possibility is the style could be a hybrid Malay-Chinese art known as Kuntau. Kuntau stylists do practise some traditional Chinese weapons together with some basic Silat weapon like the golok or parang (machete) and trisula the iron truncheon. Unless the style is more Malay influence, there will be no Keris or the kerambit in the system. By right only the original Silat styles from Java, Sumatra, Celebes, Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, Borneo and southern Philippines practise the Keris in their systems. The hybrid styles combining Silat and other foreign martial arts normally do not use the keris because the Malay counterpart did not share it because it is a high level training in their Silat syllabus.
In Malaysia, no matter where the authentic styles originated; the Keris art are taught mostly at advance level. Only the most trusted senior students and selected individuals are taught the keris. Many young pesilat did not reach this level due to their day to day commitment in life. Many achieved the proficiency in the art of Silat fighting empty hand system at a very high level. They moved on and later teach their art to students. But these experts are not Silat weapon experts. Most would teach their weapons class with the extension of the hand concepts. This is the reason why the keris is not taught by many Silat teachers in the western world. They either haven’t learnt the Keris but learnt the Tongkat (staff), Pisau (knife), Parang (machete) and Trisula (sai) system before; or have not learnt the weapons at all.
The keris are the highest level for Silat weapons training in most traditional Silat schools. If a pesilat has not master the weapon, the style he practises could be a modern rebranded style doing empty hands only or his teacher has yet to master the weapons of Silat . Another possibility is the style could be a hybrid Malay-Chinese art known as Kuntau. Kuntau stylists do practise some traditional Chinese weapons together with some basic Silat weapon like the golok or parang (machete) and trisula the iron truncheon. Unless the style is more Malay influence, there will be no Keris or the kerambit in the system. By right only the original Silat styles from Java, Sumatra, Celebes, Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, Borneo and southern Philippines practise the Keris in their systems. The hybrid styles combining Silat and other foreign martial arts normally do not use the keris because the Malay counterpart did not share it because it is a high level training in their Silat syllabus.
In Malaysia, no matter where the authentic styles originated; the Keris art are taught mostly at advance level. Only the most trusted senior students and selected individuals are taught the keris. Many young pesilat did not reach this level due to their day to day commitment in life. Many achieved the proficiency in the art of Silat fighting empty hand system at a very high level. They moved on and later teach their art to students. But these experts are not Silat weapon experts. Most would teach their weapons class with the extension of the hand concepts. This is the reason why the keris is not taught by many Silat teachers in the western world. They either haven’t learnt the Keris but learnt the Tongkat (staff), Pisau (knife), Parang (machete) and Trisula (sai) system before; or have not learnt the weapons at all.
Keris collection on display in the National Museum of Malaysia
Due to the mix and match culture among martial artists in the western world, these Silat teachers blend some Chinese, Okinawa and Filipino weapons that they have learned during their Kung Fu, Karate and Kali tutelage era into their Silat teaching. Of course they will get away with the Filipino weapons because their traditional models are not much different from ours. When it comes to authentic keris work, no one dare to step forward and try to make things up in their open seminars and claim to be an expert of the keris. Thank God.
A true Silat stylist must be a student of the Keris. It is the weapon of a Silat warrior. To all Silat brothers and sisters who have yet to learn the art of the Keris, I would like to invite them to come forward and learn from the source. You can contact me and make your training trip to sunny Malaysia. Of course there are many other Gurus in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and possibly Holland who can teach the authentic art of the keris. Do make your move to learn the Silat warrior weapon. For enquires about training keris and other Silat weapons with me you can contact me via email at jak_othman@ymail.com.
A true Silat stylist must be a student of the Keris. It is the weapon of a Silat warrior. To all Silat brothers and sisters who have yet to learn the art of the Keris, I would like to invite them to come forward and learn from the source. You can contact me and make your training trip to sunny Malaysia. Of course there are many other Gurus in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and possibly Holland who can teach the authentic art of the keris. Do make your move to learn the Silat warrior weapon. For enquires about training keris and other Silat weapons with me you can contact me via email at jak_othman@ymail.com.
I hope you enjoyed this article. My next article will be the Kerambit, the most famous and misunderstood Silat weapon today. See again you soon.
Click on image above to read the article on Kerambit by Prof Jak Othman