Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Introduction and Assistance request

A. G. Maisey · 24th January 2026, 04:20 AM

Jay, please let me comment on your use of the word "empu".

This word can also be spelt as "mpu", in Old Javanese it had the meaning of a gentleman, a respected member of the community. In modern Javanese it has the meaning of an armourer, a blade-smith or a literary personage who is attached to a kraton (ie, a ruler's domicile) or who has gained high regard from the common people in his chosen field.

I am not an empu, but I can be thought of a pande keris, that is, a keris smith, even though I have not made a keris for a long time. It is a very time consuming process to make a keris, when one only uses traditional methods. I did not learn to make keris for any reason other than to assist my education in the subject.

Insofar as you gaining a better understanding of what your keris is from a collector's perspective, there are some German based & other European based collectors who contribute to this forum, perhaps one or more might be prepared to share their thoughts with you.

24th January 2026, 04:20 AM	#15
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,152	Jay, please let me comment on your use of the word "empu". This word can also be spelt as "mpu", in Old Javanese it had the meaning of a gentleman, a respected member of the community. In modern Javanese it has the meaning of an armourer, a blade-smith or a literary personage who is attached to a kraton (ie, a ruler's domicile) or who has gained high regard from the common people in his chosen field. I am not an empu, but I can be thought of a pande keris, that is, a keris smith, even though I have not made a keris for a long time. It is a very time consuming process to make a keris, when one only uses traditional methods. I did not learn to make keris for any reason other than to assist my education in the subject. Insofar as you gaining a better understanding of what your keris is from a collector's perspective, there are some German based & other European based collectors who contribute to this forum, perhaps one or more might be prepared to share their thoughts with you.