Djuhharis Big Break

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Djuhhari Witjaksono, now 82, was in the building construction business for 20 years before he decided to make a drastic change in his life to build miniature ships instead. His hard work through the years has led him to be known across the world as orders come in for his miniature ships from as far as the US. His first real break came in 1992. Djuhhari had held an exhibition of his miniature ships at the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta. I was invited by the Deputy Ambassador. He helped me promote my work, said Djuhhari. It was this exhibition that created golden opportunities for him. He was invited to visit the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam. Sponsored by state cement producer Semen Gresik, he went to Amsterdam and spent a week there to study and do research on shipbuilding.Back from Amsterdam, Djuhhari put what he had seen and learned in Amsterdam in the making of his miniature ships. Since then his works have been recognized as representing unique examples of traditional Indonesian ships. He was invited by both the Tourism Ministry and the Trade Ministry to join in exhibitions of Indonesian products overseas. Even ]then] President Suharto bought my miniature Dewa Ruci," he said.In 2006, one of his miniature ships, a scale model of a ship of old Majapahit, was awarded Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It was a meticulously handcrafted product. To get an idea of the old ship, Djuhhari visited a museum in Trowulan, East Java, and the temples of Borobudur in Magelang, Central Java, and Penataran in Blitar, East Java. Based on etchings carved on these temples, he built his Majapahit miniature ship.Djuhhari has sold his ships to buyers in Kuwait, England and America. "A buyer in Las Vegas ordered 20 replicas of my miniature ships for decorations in his restaurant, he said. Domestically, he has sold his miniature ships to handicraft shops in Jakarta, Bali, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Makassar and Banjarmasin.Djuhhari's load of work depends on orders from buyers. When a large number of orders are placed with him, he would share the jobs with craftsmen he had trained. Orders for exclusive models of ships would be handled personally by him. Craftsmen who have trained with him are free to work on their own. Aside from working for Pak Djuhhari, I also make miniature ships of my own to sell to souvenir shops in Mojokerto, said Erwin.Prices depend on the quality of material and the degree of elaborateness of the product. A retail price would be around Rp250,000 apiece. That is a second class product with few ornaments, said Djuhhari. The highest price for a miniature ship he has created could reach as high as Rp200 million. Djuhhari makes an average of a 200 percent profit on each miniature ship he produces. Its a work of art, he said. A monthly business turnover would be between Rp 25 million and Rp30 million. Profits are not the only thing Djuhhari is after. Sometimes he would give a ship for free to a visitor to his house. Im not only for profit. Whats important is that I get the satisfaction of building the ships. He does not promote his products too much, fearing a flood of orders that he cant not handle. My only hope is that the young generation would continue the tradition, he said. Syari Fani, Audrey Santoso, Kukuh S Wibowo ****