Silat well but none have become well-known, due partly to the historical genre not being popular among Malaysians. Outside Southeast Asia, silat was also featured in the Japanese manga . The most well-known Indonesian radio shows began in the 1980s, all of them historical dramas concerning the adventures of martial artists in Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of medieval Java and Sumatra. The most famous of these were "Saur Sepuh", "Tutur Tinular" and its sequel "Mahkota Mayangkara". Each programme was highly successful in their home country, and continue to spawn films and television series. silat information centre Silat Silat is a collective word for
Pencak Silat sword, which is still used in Java. The earliest evidence of pencak silat being taught in a structured manner comes from 6th-century Riau from where it spread to the Minangkabau capital in West Sumatra. The Minangkabau had a clan-based feudal government. Military officers called "hulubalang" acted as bodyguards to the king or "yam tuan". Minang warriors served without pay. The plunder was divided among them according to military merit, so fighters strove to outdo each other. They were skilled horsemen with the native pony and also expert bladesmiths, producing arms both for their own use and for export to Aceh.