The Ganja
The unique feature of the kris, which serves to distinguish it on sight from all other weapons, is the sudden widening of the blade just below the base, which is normally set not quite at right angles to the axis of the blade.
A raised collar guard (ganja) forms the base of the blade.
Some times it is made in one piece with the blade (ganja iras), sometimes of a separate piece of metal (ganja menumpang).
Just below the raised rim of the ganja there is often a shallow depression in the blade, which some people called kambing kacang.
The head or shank (tangkai or paksi, in the Malay Peninsular) is a pin too thin, one would suppose, to hold blade firmly in the hilt, projecting though the ganja along the axis of the blade.
The slant of ganja makes one end of it sharp, (the aring or silang, Malay Peninsular) and the other end blunt (dagu).
For distance of an inch or more below sharp serrations (janggut).
On the dagu side is the feature most people notice first in the contour of the blade, a projecting spike curving upwards and inwards (belalai gajah).
The Ganja
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The Work of the Japanese Blades
The Work of the Japanese Blades
The finest example of controlled work in the forging of a sword blade is the Japanese blade.
It too is fashioned by repeated folding and hammerings of two different steels but usually the softer allow is forged into a central core with the harder steel forming an envelope.
The envelope or skin is then rough ground, tempered and finally finish-ground with a series of an abrasive stones. The tempering process, done with a clay resist, ensures an extremely hard edge with a less hard but tougher body.
The line that joins the hard edge with the softer body of the blade is called the yakiba or temper line.
It run the full length of the blade and may take many predetermined aesthetic forms.
The yakiba is often considered the finest example of damascening in a sword blade, but it also should be noted that it is brought about by imposing uneven temperatures in the tempering process, rather than because of two dissimilar metals meeting at the temper line.
The Work of the Japanese Blades
The finest example of controlled work in the forging of a sword blade is the Japanese blade.
It too is fashioned by repeated folding and hammerings of two different steels but usually the softer allow is forged into a central core with the harder steel forming an envelope.
The envelope or skin is then rough ground, tempered and finally finish-ground with a series of an abrasive stones. The tempering process, done with a clay resist, ensures an extremely hard edge with a less hard but tougher body.
The line that joins the hard edge with the softer body of the blade is called the yakiba or temper line.
It run the full length of the blade and may take many predetermined aesthetic forms.
The yakiba is often considered the finest example of damascening in a sword blade, but it also should be noted that it is brought about by imposing uneven temperatures in the tempering process, rather than because of two dissimilar metals meeting at the temper line.
The Work of the Japanese Blades
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Kris Pekaka IV
Kris Pekaka II
Kris pekaka is common in Kelantan and Pattani.
Ulu pekaka or “kingfisher head” handled which may also seen on kris of the Celebes. One feature of the kris is that handles are loosely attached, and can be turned easily on the tang.
It is certainly one of the most flamboyant and dramatic kris variants in the family of kris form. Most commonly associated with the ethnic Malay region of Pattani in Southern Thailand, the pekaka variant is known to have originated in the Northwestern Peninsular Malaysia state of Kelantan.
Kris Pekaka II
Kris pekaka is common in Kelantan and Pattani.
Ulu pekaka or “kingfisher head” handled which may also seen on kris of the Celebes. One feature of the kris is that handles are loosely attached, and can be turned easily on the tang.
It is certainly one of the most flamboyant and dramatic kris variants in the family of kris form. Most commonly associated with the ethnic Malay region of Pattani in Southern Thailand, the pekaka variant is known to have originated in the Northwestern Peninsular Malaysia state of Kelantan.
Kris Pekaka II
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