Tosan Aji, an Archipelago heritage that has been recognized as a world heritage, has become an integral part of Javanese cultural life, especially in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. This masterpiece of temp art has morphed over the course of more than two millennia of the history of clock civilization. Starting from a stabbing weapon dating back to the Bronze Age civilization, the tosan aji has turned into a symbolic object that holds various meanings, position markers, and hopes for a better future life. The various elements that make up the wadag and the additional details of the anatomy of the blade, are markers of civilizational achievements that have continuously become the subject of study which often leave various question marks that challenge academics to the preservers of tradition to unravel them.
As part of Javanese attire, the tenon oji is worn by sheathing it inside the sheath which makes the sharp blade not only safe to wear, but also exudes an aesthetic charm rich in meaning.
Among lovers and preservers of the tosan aji tradition, a man whose full name is Wusanto Harjanto Wigardo lives like a legend.
Born on July 4, 1944 with the first name Wusanto, he began to work in the world of keris since he was 16 years old. Studying keris was entrusted by his father R. Tjuriga Wigardo, a courtier of the Yogyakarta Palace, the nrimat Pusaka Dalem group, to a craftsman for making keris sheaths, Adi Sumarto, who was famous in Yogyakarta at that time. In the limited tools and circumstances, his talent was honed and developed based on perseverance. and patience have made him become a Mranggi, which is a term for someone who has special expertise in carving sheathes. His accuracy in recognizing the characters of various rare wood species and his skill in whittling materials including handling the complexity of kayo patterns are widely recognized among Tosan aji lovers who have named him as one of the few best mranggi in Jogja to date.
After spending more than four decades in service, the biggest challenge he is currently facing is passing on the spirit of gagrak ngayogya that he has mastered to his students. Of the several students he has cared for, he considers only one or two to have standard aesthetic sensitivity to warangka, known as the expression 'tarns tapir ngayang bati,r'. This is his concern when craftsmen's yarn is considered to be lacking in learning the art of sheath carving.
Due to his increasingly frail physical condition in the last three years, Mr. Wusanto was forced to stop working. Visual disturbances that are commonly suffered by elderly people, are almost unresolved in their old age. "Actually, my father had surgery (cataracts)," said one of the family members who accompanied him that afternoon. However, "for the second (stage) operation, it is no longer possible. Due to your health condition."
Holding fast to unshakable ideals, Pak Wusanto has overcome the temptation to obey the will of the market. And this really has tested the patience of lovers. In his old age, an owner of a keris blade must be patient to wait up to a month, until his heirloom really marries into the sheath of his work.
However, the perseverance, patience, and aesthetic sensitivity of a Wusanto in looking at natural wealth which is patterned in rare wood veins, has created a sheath, a garment for prestigious blades which has now been recognized as a world cultural heritage. `