General presentation:
Kujang (pron. "koo-jaang.") is old
traditional knife of Indonesia, a typical weapon that originates from
the Sundanese region called West Java, Indonesia.
Lacking the proper English equivalent for
this we have used the term, "sickle," eventhough its form somewhat
deviates from the true shape of a sickle. Neither does it resemble the
"scimitar" which curves convexly. In Indonesian a sickle is actually
called "chelurit." The Javanese living in the eastern half of the Java
island refers to the kujang as "kudi." To those who are uninformed, the
indigenous people of the island of Java are not all "Javanese." The
western part of the island is populated by a major ethnic group called
"Sundanese." The kujang is the sole monument of the city of Bogor here
in Indonesia.
II. History
The kujang is filled with mysteries. It is
said that it carries within its form a magical force with a mystical
purpose. Embodied within its original figure lied the philosophy of the
ancient Sundanese with its Hindu heritage. It is evident from the
foregoing that this mystic blade was created to be more of a talisman, a
symbolical objet d'art, rather than a weapon. This is especially so
regarded in contemporary times. The original creation of the kujang was
actually inspired by a utensil used in farming. This utensil was widely
used in the 4th to 7th centuries AD. The newly created kujang differed
slightly from the tilling implements fashioned by the famed blacksmiths,
Mpu Windusarpo, Mpu Ramayadi, and Mpu Mercukundo, as can be seen in the
local museums.
It was only in the 9th to 12th century
that the form of the kujang took the shape that we are so familiar with
today. In the year 1170 there was a change in the kujang. Its value as
an amulet or talisman was gradually being recognized by the rulers and
nobilities of the Pajajaran Makukuhan kingdom, especially during the
reign of Prabu Kudo Lalean. During one of his spiritual retreats, Kudo
Lalean was instructed through a psychic vision to re-design the form of
the kujang to conform to the shape of the island of "Djawa Dwipa," as
Java was called in those days. Immediately the sovereign king
commissioned the royal blacksmith, Mpu Windu Supo, to fashion the blade
seen in his vision. It was to become a weapon embodying mystical
qualities and a spiritual philosophy; a magical object, unique in its
design, one that future generations would always associate with the
Pajajaran Makukuhan kingdom. After a period of meditation, Mpu Windu
Supo confirmed the vision of Kudo Lalean and commenced with the
fashioning of a prototype of the Kujang. It was to have two prominent
characteristics: the shape of the island of Java and three holes or
round notches somewhere in the blade.
III. Structure
Constructing the kujang blade into the
shape of Java was interpreted to mean the ideal of unification of all
the petty kingdoms of Java into a single empire, headed by the Makukuhan
king. The three holes or round notches was to represent the Trimurti,
or the three aspects of the godhead of the Hindu religion, of which Kudo
Lalean was a devoted votary. The three aspects or gods referred to are
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The Hindu trinity was also represented by the
three major kingdoms of that era, respectively, the kingdom of Pengging
Wiraradya, located in the east of Java; the kingdom of Kambang Putih,
located north-east of the island; and the kingdom of Pajajaran
Makukuhan, located in the west.
The shape of the kunjang evolved further
in later generations. Different models appeared. When the influence of
Islam grew upon the masses, the kujang was re-shaped to resemble the
Arabic letter "Syin." This was largely the stratagem of the sovereign of
the Pasundan region, Prabu Kian Santang, who was anxious to convert the
populace to Islam. Knowing that the kujang embodied the Hindu
philosophy and religion of the existing culture, the muslim rulers,
imams and teachers, anxious to propagate Islam and dessiminate its
doctrines, re-modeled the kujang to represent the basis of their
religion. Syin is the first letter of the syahadat verse of which one
testifies to the witnessing of the sole God and the Prophet Muhammad
(blessed in his name) as the messenger. By reciting the syahadat verse,
one is automatically converted to Islam. The modification of the kujang
broadened the area of the blade which geographically corresponds to the
Pasundan or western region of Java to conform to the shape of the letter
Syin. The newly-designed kujang was supposed to remind the possessor of
the object of his allegiance to Islam and to the obedience of its
teachings. Five holes or round notches in the kujang replaced the three
of the Trimurti. They represented the five pillars of Islam. With the
influence of the Islamic religion, some kujang models portray the
inter-blending of the two basic styles as designed by Prabu Kudo Lalean
and Prabu Kian Santang.
Nowadays, the kujang is often decorated in
homes as it is believed to bring about luck, protection, honor, etc.
They are displayed in pairs on walls with the inner edge facing each
other. There is a taboo, however-no one is to be photographed standing
in-between them as this would somehow cause the death of that person
within a year.
DUA SISI KETAJAMAN
Secara umum, senjata ini telah diakui sbg
milik asli urang sunda & menjadi ciri khas masyarakat jawa
barat+banten. Dlm perkembangannya, seiring kemajuan teknologi &
budaya suatu negri, fungsi & kegunaan senjata tradisional mulai
bergeser. Kujang yg dulunya berfungsi sbg senjata perang & alat
pertanian, saat ini sdh bergeser menjadi sekedar hiasan & cindera
mata. Di beberapa tempat pengrajin cindera mata, senjata ini dikemas
agar lebih berkelas dg teknik pembuatan yg modern. Ini jg salah satu
cara & langkah utk melestarikan senjata tradisional.
Setiap daerah di indonesia memiliki
senjata khas unik & mengandung nilai sejarah tersendiri. Senjata
khas itu dlm riwayat sejarahnya menjadi alat utk perang, mempertahankan
wilayah, maupun menjaga diri. Indonesia yg dikenal kaya raya akan alam
& budaya memiliki beragam jenis senjata tradisional. Setiap daerah
atau suku bangsa memiliki senjata tradisional, spt jawa tengah &
daerah istimewa yogyakarta dg senjata kerisnya, jawa timur dg clurit
nya, bali & nusa tenggara barat jg dg keris khas daerah itu, sundu
di nusa tenggara timur, mandau di kalimantan barat & timur,
sementara kujang adalah senjata khas milik jawa barat+banten (sunda).
Kujang adalah sebuah senjata yg unikdari
segi bentuk & sejarahnya. senjata tradisional jawa barat+banten ini,
memang tak sepopuler keris atau beberapa senjata lain di bumi nusantara
ini, meskipun kujang bisa dimasukkan jenis keris yaitu keris khas tanah
pasundan.
Mungkin krn masyarakat jawa barat+banten
sendiri sdh tidak banyak yg menyimpan kujang & tdk banyak orang yg
tahu sejarah masa lalu, serta nilai2 lain yg terkandung dlm senjata ini.
Sumber lain berupa tulisan ttg senjata ini pun sangat jarang ditemui.
Spt halnya keris jawa, kujang jg bermata
2. kedua sisinya sama2 tajam, hanya bentuknya yg berbeda. Kujang
memiliki ornamen spt lubang2 kecil & bergerigi atau lekukan pd salah
satu sisinya. Lubang2 kecil itu berbeda2, ada yg 3 lubang & ada yg 5
lubang.
Ketajaman di kedua belah sisi tsb
mempunyai makna & filosofis tersendiri bagi masyarakat sunda. Yaitu :
seiring dg kandungan 2 makna yg merefleksikan adanya 2 sisi ketajaman
kritis dlm kehidupan, baik kehidupan individu maupun kolektif atau
sosial kemasyarakatan.
MILIK URANG SUNDA
Spt halnya keris ataupun senjata
tradisional lainnya semisal golok, mandau, atau rencong, kujang jg
digunakan sbg senjata perang. Terutama saat bumi nusantara ini msh
terdiri dari kerajaan2.
Spt pd jaman kerajaan pajajaran, kerajaan
terbesar di tanah pasundan. Para petinggi kerajaan hingga prajurit
bahkan rakyat jelata, menggunakan kujang sbg senjata utk berperang,
mempertahankan diri, bahkan keperluan pertanian & rmh tangga.
Sebenarnya melalui senjata kujang inilah
kebesaran kerajaan pajajaran di masa lampau dapoat ditelusuri. Namun krn
minimnya literatur, menjadi banyak kendala utk mengungkap itu semua.
Dan ini merupakan tantangan tersendiri bagi para peneliti sejarah.
Hampir semua lapisan masyarakat sunda
mengenal kujang sbg senjata tradisional mrk. Namun, tdk banyak diantara
mrk yg bisa menjelaskan hal ikhwal senjata khas itu. Dan kemungkinan
besar literatur tentang kujang malah berbahasa asing yg notabene dibuat
atau ditulis oleh orang luar.
Fungsi kujang sbg alat atau senjata perang
berlaku hingga perang kemerdekaan. Prabu siliwangi adalah salah satu
tokoh pahlawan nusantara yg gigih mengusir penjajah dari bumi pertiwi.
Senjata kujang selalu dibawa setiap kali berangkat ke medan perang.
kujang jg menjadi teman setia bagi para pembesar kerajaan pada masa itu,
yg slalu terselip di pinggang.
LAMBANG KEBANGGAAN
Kujang menjadi kebanggaan masyarakat jawa
barat+banten. Utk melestarikannya, senjata khas ini dijadikan perlambang
lembaga, baik pemerintah maupun swasta. Ini merupakan upaya pelestarian
nilai2 yg terkandung di dlm nya.
Lihat saja lambang atau simbol pemerintah
daerah provinsi jawa barat, universitas siliwangi, semuanya menggunakan
gambar kujang. Bahkan benda tajam ini menjadi nama perusahaan pupuk
& semen raksasa yaitu pupuk kujang & semen kujang. Produk pupuk
& semen kujang sudah sampai ke hampir seluruh nusantara, sementara
tidak banyak orang tahu bahwa nama itu diambil dari senjata tradisional
khas sunda.
Penggunaan nama & lambang ini tentu
krn kujang mempunyai keistimewaan. Di samping merupakan senjata khas yg
tdk ditemukan di daerah lain, benda ini juga dianggap sakral oleh
sebagian masyarakatnya.
Sbg senjata pusaka orang sunda, KUJANG
MELAMBANGKAN KEKUATAN & KEBERANIAN UTK MELINDUNGI HAK &
KEBENARAN. INILAH YG DITANAMKAN NENEK MOYANG ORANG SUNDA.
bagi masyarakat kota bogor-jawa barat,
kujang tidak asing lagi, krn diabadikan menjadi tugu bogor atau yg
dikenal tugu kujang. Tugu ini didirikan utk menghormati peresmian
ibukota pakuan dari kerajaan pajajaran yg dipimpin Prabu Siliwangi.
Sebelum diganti tugu kujang, tugu ini merupakan tugu pengembalian kota
bogor dari tangan penguasa inggris ke tangan belanda pd thn 1836 yg dulu
terletak di pertigaan jalan ahmad yani-sudirman ( air mancur ).
Kemudian diganti & dipindah di simpang tiga jalan raya
pajajaran-otista-baranang siang.
