Seni Sukma Kencana, the Malay Art of the Sword, has been in my family for generations. Oral traditions trace it back to 1,400 years ago in Arabia, brought to the Malay World by those returning to their homeland. Written evidence of this lineage dates back to the 1700s, from my ancestors who resided in the province of Talu, West Sumatra in present-day Indonesia. It was an art passed from father to son, and taught in private to a very select few. Some found their way into the Istana or Royal Palace, while others carried on their daily routines as preachers and scholars of Islam.
I have been instructed in the Art of the Sword since childhood, when my inclination towards edged weapons especially swords, grew naturally. Instinctively, I grew fond of the two-handed katana, not knowing that there existed a Malay counterpart - the jenawi. The jenawi is a Malay two-handed sword with a single edged, rather narrow blade that is somewhat longer than the average Malay sword. It is also the primary weapon of Seni Sukma Kencana. It all began when my late father made me my first "practice" sword - a two-handed bamboo sword - when I was in primary school. Back then, I did not receive formal training, but my lessons came from verbal tips and clues sometimes subliminally imparted upon me. Back then, Seni Sukma Kencana did not have a name. My forefathers simply called it "silat pedang" or "main pedang" (swordplay).
My interest in swords became a passion, and by the time I was 17, I began making my own swords out of metal pipes, hammered flat. By this time, I also had my first jenawi, which my father had bought for me from Kuala Kangsar, Perak. The term "jenawi" was not popular back then, the sellers referred to it as a "samurai" due to its likeness to the katana. The difference being that this jenawi had a rat-tailed tang and was fixed to the hilt with a nut. The blade was a roughly-ground spring steel one, with a four-petaled iron guard. Unfortunately, this sword was lost some time ago.
When I was 18, I started practicing Silat Cekak Malaysia, the Malay martial art. I found learning Silat Cekak was instinctive because I have been taught the same principals and concepts in what was to eventually be known as Seni Sukma Kencana. Even though the school of Silat that I practiced did not involve the use of swords, I maintained my passion for the weapon, and would often practice by myself, recalling what my father had taught me, and what I can remember seeing or hearing what my grandfather used to do. My mother is also instrumental in helping me gain an insight into the lives of my grandfather and great grandfather, and also my great grandmother, whose husband was known as a pendekar or warrior. His brother was a blacksmith in Hulu Bernam, Selangor.
Over the years, I practiced this art in private. Its name was finally revealed to me in 2015, and I began to formulate a proper syllabus for this Art of the Sword. I began teaching my nephew the basics of Seni Sukma Kencana. After referring to the elders, my cousin and I decided to reveal Seni Sukma Kencana to the public. In 2018, the first one-day workshop was held at the Sarang Art Hub in Tanjong Malim, and then a second workshop was held at the Hang Tuah Centre in Melaka, and a third in Sungai Petani, Kedah. After that, we opened the first formal class under the name Akademi Seni Sukma Kencana.
At the same time, I took up my Masters Degree in Malay World Studies at the International Institute for Islamic Thought and Malay Civilization (ISTAC) in Kuala Lumpur. My research centers around the Malay sword, its classification, philosophy and swordplay. I have also presented a paper on Malay swords during the recent Seminar Persenjataan dan Pertahanan dalam Sastera dan Sains Warisan (Seminar on Weaponry and Defence in Literature and Heritage Sciences) held at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. I hope that this exploratory research will pave the way for more studies on the Malay sword and swordsmanship in the future, thus preserving the Art of the Sword.
I have been instructed in the Art of the Sword since childhood, when my inclination towards edged weapons especially swords, grew naturally. Instinctively, I grew fond of the two-handed katana, not knowing that there existed a Malay counterpart - the jenawi. The jenawi is a Malay two-handed sword with a single edged, rather narrow blade that is somewhat longer than the average Malay sword. It is also the primary weapon of Seni Sukma Kencana. It all began when my late father made me my first "practice" sword - a two-handed bamboo sword - when I was in primary school. Back then, I did not receive formal training, but my lessons came from verbal tips and clues sometimes subliminally imparted upon me. Back then, Seni Sukma Kencana did not have a name. My forefathers simply called it "silat pedang" or "main pedang" (swordplay).
My interest in swords became a passion, and by the time I was 17, I began making my own swords out of metal pipes, hammered flat. By this time, I also had my first jenawi, which my father had bought for me from Kuala Kangsar, Perak. The term "jenawi" was not popular back then, the sellers referred to it as a "samurai" due to its likeness to the katana. The difference being that this jenawi had a rat-tailed tang and was fixed to the hilt with a nut. The blade was a roughly-ground spring steel one, with a four-petaled iron guard. Unfortunately, this sword was lost some time ago.
When I was 18, I started practicing Silat Cekak Malaysia, the Malay martial art. I found learning Silat Cekak was instinctive because I have been taught the same principals and concepts in what was to eventually be known as Seni Sukma Kencana. Even though the school of Silat that I practiced did not involve the use of swords, I maintained my passion for the weapon, and would often practice by myself, recalling what my father had taught me, and what I can remember seeing or hearing what my grandfather used to do. My mother is also instrumental in helping me gain an insight into the lives of my grandfather and great grandfather, and also my great grandmother, whose husband was known as a pendekar or warrior. His brother was a blacksmith in Hulu Bernam, Selangor.
Over the years, I practiced this art in private. Its name was finally revealed to me in 2015, and I began to formulate a proper syllabus for this Art of the Sword. I began teaching my nephew the basics of Seni Sukma Kencana. After referring to the elders, my cousin and I decided to reveal Seni Sukma Kencana to the public. In 2018, the first one-day workshop was held at the Sarang Art Hub in Tanjong Malim, and then a second workshop was held at the Hang Tuah Centre in Melaka, and a third in Sungai Petani, Kedah. After that, we opened the first formal class under the name Akademi Seni Sukma Kencana.
At the same time, I took up my Masters Degree in Malay World Studies at the International Institute for Islamic Thought and Malay Civilization (ISTAC) in Kuala Lumpur. My research centers around the Malay sword, its classification, philosophy and swordplay. I have also presented a paper on Malay swords during the recent Seminar Persenjataan dan Pertahanan dalam Sastera dan Sains Warisan (Seminar on Weaponry and Defence in Literature and Heritage Sciences) held at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. I hope that this exploratory research will pave the way for more studies on the Malay sword and swordsmanship in the future, thus preserving the Art of the Sword.
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