DETAILS OF THE BLADE

Details of the Blade

It is the details found at the bottom of the blade
thats make the keris a keris. The keris blade suddenly flares 
asymmetrically out as it reaches the base at the tang. There 
the blade meets the "Ganja", a separate piece of metal which is secured
firmly to blade by a special joint. The Ganja is taken from the 
same billet as the blade in the early stages of forging. The Ganja is sharp
at one end and relatively blunt on the other; these features are called the 
"Aring" and the "Degu" respectively.  The tang is fitted through 
the Ganja and the Ganja is merged with the blade as smoothly as possible 
such that sometimes it is not noticed as separate from the blade. 
Many authorities use this Ganja as the definitive structure that
characterises a blade as a keris.

Other key features at the base of the blade are the Picitan,
the depression on the blade where the blade is held between 
the thumb and the fore-finger; the kembang kacang, a feature above the
picitan to give protection to the thumb and the forefinger;
the sogogan, decorative groves at the base of the blade; and
saw-like serrations along both edges called either the
janggut, if above the kembang kacang, or ri-pandan if on 
or above the Aring. The janggut and ri-pandan are actually
guards, designed to catch an opponent's blade and prevent it
from reaching the hand. However, there are no fixed rules on 
whether these features must be present or what forms they
take.

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1.  The Keris - Forward & Contents

2.  The Keris - An Introduction

3.  The Blade

4.  Details of the Blade

5.  Dapur

6.  Pamor

7.  Pamor Types

8. The Hilt, Sheath and Other Fittings

9.  The Hilt

10.  The Hilt Rings

11. The Sheath

12. The Mystical Aspect

13. Why I like the Keris...A technical and Cultural View

14. References

GALLERY

LINKS

Keris Cleaning During Muharram

THE Friends' Gallery

If you want to talk keris mail me at :
dspf@pacific.net.sg