Babad Tanah Jawi, The Chronicle Of Java

Author: Willem Remmelink

The revised prose version of the Babad Tanah Jawi was originally prepared by C.F. Winter Sr. (1799-1859), with the twofold aim of providing Javanese-language teaching material and of setting a standard for formal Javanese prose writing. At that time, Javanese was almost exclusively written in verse, which was not a medium suitable for the modern world that was dawning on Java. Although Winter achieved his aims in other ways and publications, the present text was mostly forgotten, or was just passed over as another copy of the Meinsma text (Pigeaud, Literature of Java).

This was unfortunate, because it deprived linguists of one of the first attempts to create a standard Javanese prose language, and historians of a readable text that presented a Javanese view of Javanese history from the beginning until 1742. To belatedly set the record straight and to honour Winter’s contributions to the development of Javanese, the author decided to publish this text in Javanese script and provide an English translation for the general public.

Although historians of Java have endeavoured to incorporate Javanese sources in their research, it remains invaluable to view that history directly through the eyes of 17th and 18th century Javanese contemporaries.

It is a rare publication by Willem Remmelink and a private project since the nineties: the "Babad Tanah Jawi”.

The Open Access version of this publication is downloadable at OAPEN and Leids Repositorium: 

https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/52935

https://hdl.handle.net/1887/3274952

The Corts Foundation is transferring its activities to the new ‘Philippus Corts Fonds’, now part of 'The Learned Society / KITLV'. Leiden, June 17th 2021

The Board of the Corts Foundation has decided to conclude the activities as an autonomous foundation and to handover her assets and activities to the new “Philippus Corts Fonds” that will continue her activities as part of 'The Learned Society / KITLV' [ https://www.verenigingkitlv.nl/ ].

'The Learned Society / KITLV' (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) is the owner of a unique and scientific collection including books, handwritings, images and also other unique objects regarding Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. The collection is managed by Leiden University Libraries / Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden (UBL) since July 2014.

The focus of the ‘Philippus Corts Fonds’ will be: “The preservation of original archival sources (in local languages and in Dutch) in Indonesia and the Netherlands regarding the shared history of these countries during 1602 till 1949, in particular the period of the ‘Dutch East Indian Company- VOC’ and the second World war in Asia”, and making these accessible.

Given the workload, the board of the Corts Foundation decided several years ago to discuss how to continue the foundation after realizing the main goals of its principles.
First of all: ‘digital preservation for the long term and making accessible (1.1 mio) VOC- manuscripts kept at the Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia in Jakarta’, and secondly: ‘Research, translation and publication of Japanese archival sources about the Japanese invasion in the former Dutch- East Indies in 1942’, resulting in an academic trilogy of more than 1900 pages.
After that, it would be possible to use the remaining financial resources to set up a new fund focusing on shared cultural heritage in present Indonesia.

Recently, the Corts foundation published its third (and last) Senshi Sōsho volume, concluding successfully her Senshi Sōsho- project. Our ‘Leiden University Office Tokyo’ has been terminated and employee contracts ended. The secretary of the Corts Foundation (J.C. Snellen van Vollenhoven, Mozartweg 3 1323 AV Almere, The Netherlands, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) has been charged for the formally required seven years to take care for all legal and administrative affairs, as for instance requesting the copyrights of the published Senshi Sōsho volumes.

In 2017 we formally concluded the ‘Data Archival System at ANRI’- project, with unique results. However, we were responsible until recently for maintenance and management of the information system and the project website ‘Sejarah-Nusantara’. These responsibilities have been transferred to ANRI.

After ascertaining that our main objectives (as stated in 2003) have indeed been realized, the
board of the Corts Foundation selected a partner which would be most suitable for continuing her activities in the future. Given her long tradition and experience in Asia the KITLV Society became the ideal partner.

The board of the Corts Foundation is pleased that today the general assembly of members of the 'The Learned Society / KITLV' approved the proposal to set up the ‘Philippus Corts Fonds’. In doing so we will be able to benefit of the extensive knowledge and experience of the 'The Learned Society / KITLV' in researching primary sources. Moreover, the work of the Corts Foundation will be preserved for the long time future.

The Corts Foundation proudly online presents the final publication of translations from the Senshi Sōsho series, titled: “The Invasion of the South: Army Air Force Operations and the Invasion of Northern and Central Sumatra”.

Between 1966 and 1980, the War History Office of the National Defense College of Japan (now the Center for Military History of the National Institute for Defense Studies) published the 102-volume Senshi Sōsho (War History Series). The currently published book completes the trilogy of English translations of the sections in the Senshi Sōsho series on the Japanese operations against the former Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). The first volume (The Invasion of the Dutch East Indies, 2015) details the army operations, the second volume (The Operations of the Navy in the Dutch East Indies and the Bay of Bengal, 2018) the navy operations, and this third volume the army air force operations.

The three volumes consisting of 1900 pages provide an unparalleled insight into the Japanese campaign to capture Southeast Asia and the oil fields in the Indonesian archipelago in what was at that time the largest transoceanic landing operation in the military history of the world. It was also the first time in history that air power was employed with devastating effect over such enormous distances, posing complex technical and logistical problems. The task of the air forces in the Southern operation was two-fold: (1) neutralize enemy air forces on the ground and in the air as well as (2) give support to the ground troops’ advance in addition to and over longer ranges than the artillery. The publication will be available in the USA in July 2021 by The University Press of Chicago and through Leiden University Press worldwide through their webshop.

This publication can be obtained by:
The Leiden University Scholarly Publications
[Download PDF >>] [Bestel een exemplaar >>][University of Chicago >>]

The publication has been reviewed by Stone&Stone in California (USA) and can be read here >>>

Prior publication of volume 3 and volume 26 of the Senshi Sōsho series has been done by The Corts Foundation in 2015 (Read more >>) and 2018 (Read more >>).

With great sadness we have been recently informed about the sudden passing away of Mona Lohanda in Indonesia. She was an important female historian and archivist in Indonesia, working at the National Archives of Indonesia (ANRI) from 1972 onwards, in particular on the history of Jakarta, formerly known as Batavia. She received several rewards for her contribution to the Indonesian historiography.

She was born November 4^th in Tangerang, a suburb of Jakarta. After her study at the History department of the University of Indonesia, she continued her postdoc study at the History department, School of Oriental and African Studies, of the University of London. She graduated in March 1974 with her dissertation titled ‘The Kapitan China of Batavia 1937-1942’. By recommendation of the Indonesian historian Harsja Bachtiar Mona studied the history of the Tioghoa-volk in Indonesia.

Read more ...