GebyokThe Traditional House of Kudus is a traditional house of ancient culture that made from 95 percent high quality teak wood (tektona grandis). Presently, the sum in its origin area, Kudus, has become very slight compare with its glorious time in the 18th century. The Traditional Wooden House of Kudus with its parts, which full with carved, is continuously chased by collectors from local and foreign that generate one by one of the traditional house relocate from its origin location where its belong, Kudus.
If it is seen from its physical condition, actually there were three categories of the traditional house in Kudus area. First was regular traditional house, second was carved traditional house and third was completely carved traditional house, known as Traditional House of Kudus.The first category appeared without carved. Its present predicted start from around year 1500th and the amount reach hundreds. Second category appeared almost at the same time but the owners had given a bit of carved in several places such as in pillars or doors. For the third category, the owners intentionally gave a full carved in all over the places. The quality of the carved was even until the highest point to reach the three dimensions level.
For note, the original traditional house of Kudus used to only located or exist in Kudus Kulon (West Kudus) area around Menara (Tower) of Kudus, a unique building remained by Sunan Kudus spreader of Islam in Java at the Wali Sanga (Nine Wali) era. The fact could be researched from its history. While, the regular traditional house could exist in the area around 10 - 25 km from Menara of Kudus. The difference between wooden carved and noncarved including more or less of the carved of the traditional house was because of the differences in the financial matter and the social status of the owners at that time.
As the time by, the original traditional house of Kudus is slightly disappear or relocate from its origin location, as they are many people who intend to acquire the uniqueness. Beside that, factors like the age of the traditional house, financial condition of the present owners and alteration in the social culture that different with the past condition, accelerate disappearing possibility of the original traditional house of Kudus. Furthermore, what it makes more concern is the possibility of vanished of the art to build the traditional house from Kudus itself as the place of origin.
Rise awareness of the vanishing of the traditional house of Kudus with its finest art, initiate an effort to maintain the existency of the unvaluable arts into an attempt to keep the art and the culture exist.
A long effort has been establishing for more than 30 years, started at around 1972 by Mr. H. Mustofa to collect, trainee and develop woodcarvers, workers and carpenters to specialize mastering the art of carving, how to maintain, structuring and setting the traditional house of Kudus with its parts, since traditional house of Kudus has speciality can be released and assembled back (knock down system) that absolutely need a particular expertise.
The effort was started from served the collectors who need his service in released and assembled back the original traditional house of Kudus that bought by them from the recent owners. Almost 60 % from the whole amount of traditional house of Kudus (totally the original sum is almost 100 houses) was handle by him. While in the process, it always found that minimum 30 % from the house clearances was damaged because of the hundred years occasion. It maked effort and obligatory to rebuild the damage parts to became complete as the former condition when it assembled back.
Using teaks wood that came from clearances of the old teak house of the wood reguler traditional house in the area surrounding district area such as Pati, Jepara, Demak, etc, especially because the owners usually want to modernize their house, component of the damage parts of the traditional house of Kudus were reconstruct together with its carved process to acquire the former condition. These process dawn the expertise in maintenance, construct, carving ability, knowing the carving style and motifs also technic in release and assemble the house, hence develop the ability to reconstruct the parts or even the whole parts of the traditional house of Kudus similar with the original one.
It recorded that 18 (eighteen) traditional houses of Kudus from the reproduction process were obtained from the long efforts. Eleven (11) were form as the standard of the traditional house of Kudus, while the rest were with the variation as requested by the buyers. The location spread in Jakarta, Bogor, Semarang and Surabaya.
Beside that, it cannot be counted parts of traditional house of Kudus like gedongan, gebyok and gapura have been made into many kind of size and variation to fulfill the passion of the antique collectors. Also there were many process of released and assembled of joglo, one part of traditional house that can and used for another functions like to decorate house yard, to construct pendopo, use to make garage, as a gazebo near the pool, etc. It counted also five (5) particular pendopo of Kudus was made in the process.
PutraGebyokCenter is a name that lately chosen by son of Mr. H. Mustofa, Mr. HM. Syaroni SH, who continuing the endeavor now. The name was picked up from part of traditional house of Kudus called gebyok that many collectors also demand it because of its unique form and flexibility. Gebyok can be functioned as partition and the room decoration in where it placed. Aim to pick the name is for easier calling and remembering along as the form of the above long effort, with the commitment to dedicate the finest products of the traditional house of Kudus to the public.
Beside the effort to keep existing the art and the culture, PutraGebyokCenter which center in Kudus, also has environmental friendly commitment as it has explained above that all the products are produced from the high quality old teak wood from ex-release of the old teak wood traditional houses where the age until reach hundreds of year and are not from the teak forest in the recent era. These are the additional value for the PutraGebyokCenter, products since it made from the proven and tested used old teak.