Kujang (weapon)

The kujang is a blade weapon native to the Sundanese people of West Java, Indonesia. The earliest kujang made is from around the 8th or 9th century. It is forged out of iron, steel and pattern welding steel with a length of approximately 20–25 cm and weighs about 300 grams. According to Sanghyang siksakanda ng karesian canto XVII, the kujang was the weapon of farmers and has its roots in agricultural use. It is thought to have originated from its predecessor, a kudi.[1] The kujang is one of the traditional weapons in the Sundanese school of pencak silat. The kujang, like the keris, is a blade of sentimental and spiritual value to the people of Indonesia, who have a vast belief in supernatural powers.

This article is about the weapon. For the North Korean county, see Kujang County. For other uses, see Kujang (disambiguation).
Kujang
ᮊᮥᮏᮀ
Kujang, a typical weapon of Sundanese.
TypeDagger, Ceremonial Knife
Place of originIndonesia (West Java)
Service history
Used bySundanese people
Specifications
Mass300 grams approximately
Length20-25cm
Blade typeSingle edge, convex grind
Hilt typeWater buffalo horn, wooden
Scabbard/sheathWater buffalo horn, wooden

Description

Characteristics of a kujang includes a cutting edge and other parts such as pepatuk / congo the tip of the blade, eluk / silih the bulging curve at the base of the blade, tadah the inward curve at the belly of the blade, and mata small holes on the blade that are covered with gold or silver.[2] Apart from its unique characteristics that tend to be thin, the material is dry, porous and contains many natural metal elements.

In Bogor poem as it is spoken by Anis Djatisunda (1996–2000), the kujang has many functions and shapes.[3] Based on functions there are four of them namely, kujang pusaka (symbol of grandeur and safety protection), kujang pakarang (warfare),[4] kujang pangarak (ceremonial),[5] and kujang pamangkas (agricultural tool).[6] As for the shapes, there is the kujang jago (shape of a rooster), kujang ciung (shape of a Javan cochoa bird), kujang kuntul (shape of an egret bird), kujang badak (shape of a rhinoceros), kujang naga (shape of a mythical dragon), and kujang bangkong (shape of a frog). Apart from that there are shapes of the kujang blade that resemble female characters of wayang kulit as a symbol of fertility.

See also

References
  1. Albert G Van Zonneveld (2002). Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago. Koninklyk Instituut Voor Taal Land. ISBN 90-5450-004-2.
  2. Intan Mardiana N, Endang Sriwigati, Yuni Astuti Ibrahim & Andini Perdana (2009). Agus Aris Munandar (ed.). Koleksi Pilihan 25 Museum di Indonesia. Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan. 5156648.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Arthur S. Nalan (2000). Sanghyang Raja Uyeg: dari sakral ke profan. Humaniora Utama Press. ISBN 97-992-3137-X.
  4. Brahmanto Anindito (2015). Tiga Sandera Terakhir. Noura Books. ISBN 60-209-8947-X.
  5. Saleh Danasasmita & Anis Djatisunda (1986). Kehidupan masyarakat Kanekes. Bagian Proyek Penelitian dan Pengkajian Kebudayaan Sunda (Sundanologi), Direktorat Jendral Kebudayaan, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. OCLC 6801889.
  6. Edi Setiadi Putra (2011). "Interpretasi Visual terhadap Bentuk dan Fungsi Kujang Huma Pamangkas dengan Uji ANOVA (Analysis Of Variance) dan VAS (Visual Analog Scale)". Institut Teknologi Nasional. Retrieved 21 February 2017.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.