The kujang is a
bladed 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
Pattern welding is the practice in sword and knife making of forming a blade of several metal pieces of differing composition that are forge welding, forge-welded together and twisted and manipulated to form a pattern. Often mistakenly called Dam ...
steel with a length of approximately 20–25 cm and weighs about 300 grams. According to
Sanghyang siksakanda ng karesian Sanghyang Siksa Kandang Karesian is a didactic text, providing the reader with religious and moralistic rules, prescriptions and lessons. The title means something like “the book of rules with guidance to be a '' resi'' (wise or holy man)”. This ...
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''. 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.
Description
Characteristics of a kujang include 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. 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. Based on functions there are four of them namely, ''kujang pusaka'' (symbol of grandeur and safety protection), ''kujang pakarang'' (warfare), ''kujang pangarak'' (ceremonial), and ''kujang pamangkas'' (agricultural tool).
As for the shapes, there is the ''kujang jago'' (shape of a rooster), ''kujang ciung'' (shape of a
Javan cochoa
The Javan cochoa (''Cochoa azurea'') is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is endemic to Indonesia.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also ...
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
*
Kujang Monument
*
Keris
*
Kudi
References
Blade weapons
Weapons of Indonesia
Weapons of Java
Sundanese culture
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