Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Japan, Room 45, The Toshiba Gallery

Pair of Menuki

ca. 1660-1724 (made)
Place of origin

This pair of hilt fittings, menuki in Japanese, are made of shakudo, an alloy of copper and gold which is generally patinated to a rich black colour. They are covered with gold and silver depicting almost identical designs of a bow and quiver of arrows.


Object details

Category
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Menuki
  • Menuki
Materials and techniques
copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudo</i>) with gold and silver
Brief description
Pair of hilt-fittings (menuki), copper-gold alloy (shakudo) with gold and silver depicting almost identical designs of bow and quiver of arrows, signed Goto and Mitsuyo) (Goto Joha, died 1724), Japan
Physical description
Pair of hilt-fittings (menuki), copper-gold alloy (shakudo) with gold and silver depicting almost identical designs of bow and quiver of arrows, signed Goto and Mitsuyo)
Dimensions
  • Approx. length: 6.9cm
Marks and inscriptions
signed Goto and Mitsuyo)
Gallery label
Hilt ornaments (menuki) Menuki are small decorative items made in pairs and bound to either side of the sword hilt. They were positioned on the hilt so that they fitted the palm of the hand when the sword was used, giving a better grip. In some cases they also hid the peg that secured the hilt to the blade. Hilt ornaments were sometimes made in matching sets with the skewers (kōgai) and the handles (kozuka) of utility knives that fitted into the scabbard. (04/11/2015)
Subjects depicted
Summary
This pair of hilt fittings, menuki in Japanese, are made of shakudo, an alloy of copper and gold which is generally patinated to a rich black colour. They are covered with gold and silver depicting almost identical designs of a bow and quiver of arrows.
Collection
Accession number
M.138-1924

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Record createdMarch 2, 2009
Record URL
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