HAJAR Satoto almost burst into laughter when a man offered him a keris for sale. The man claimed the keris was obtained from a spiritual laku (meditation) on Mt. Lawu in Central Java. This is a nem-neman Pebe Sangan keris, he said referring to a keris with luk (curve), adding that the keris was made during the reign of Sunan Paku Buwono IX in the 18th century.

To be sure, keris nem-neman Pebe Sangan is a keris much sought after by collectors. Many