The Kris

A kris blade is forged from layers of iron folded together with nickel-bearing metal, then etched with arsenic and lime so the layers show as a pale pattern, called pamor, against a dark ground. The blade may be straight or waved, always with an odd number of curves, and it is set off-centre into a wooden hilt and sheath that are carved and often gilded. In Javanese thinking a kris is not really a tool. It has a name, a birth date and an owner it either suits or does not, and it is washed and re-etched once a year in the Javanese month of Sura. Good old blades are family property and rarely sold.

What to look for

• Pamor - the pale layered pattern etched into the surface of the blade.
• The waved blade - always an odd number of curves, from three upward.
• Hilts and sheaths - carved wood with gold collars and figures worked into the grip.
• The annual washing - blades cleaned and re-etched during the month of Sura.

When to go

Museum collections in Solo and Yogyakarta are open all year and give the clearest look at old blades under glass. The annual cleaning falls in Sura, the first month of the Javanese year, which moves through the Western calendar. Smiths still working outside Solo and on Madura will show the forging process if it is arranged through a guide.

Good to know

Most kris offered in tourist markets are recent, machine-shaped and given a false pamor with acid, and the seller's account of the age is usually invented. Genuine old blades are expensive, and taking one out of the country can run into rules on antiquities, so check first. Museum labelling is thin and often only in Indonesian.

Nearby

Solo's two courts and its batik quarter are in the same city.