Rob, my keris experience is very considerable where Jawa & Bali are concerned, it stretches over more than 60 years & is ongoing, however my field experience with Malaysia & other parts of Indonesia is very limited.
In Jawa & Bali the keris is a required part of formal dress, in both of these places it is not at all unusual for a small blade to be fitted to, or accommodated in, a full size scabbard. Nobody knows what the blade looks like when the keris is worn as an item of dress.
Perhaps a similar approach to the wearing of a keris as an item of dress might apply in places other than just Jawa & Bali.
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