Kozuka, the name for the additional knives of Japanese swords, which were probably used as all-purpose knives. They were inserted through specially designed recesses in the sword guard (see Tsuba). In the Meiji period, there was a ban on carrying swords. As a result, many were dismantled because of their artistic design and sold as individual parts (see also: Menuki, Fuchi, Kozuka). Today, such parts, often just the handle, can be found in collections and museums (e.g. Grassi Museum Leipzig, including the Ethnology Museum, with a focus on Asian art). Above: Alloy technique (Shakondo) made of brass, copper, silver and gold, also a turtle on the back, signed, Meiji period around 1890, size 10.5 cm. Below: the handle of another knife, same alloy technique, with the symbols for luck and a long life (crane, minogame, pine), around 1870, size 9 cm. In the middle: a grip clamp, called fuchi, also part of a samurai sword. This forms the end of the handle behind the tsuba. The motif is again the minogame (easier to see when enlarged), material brass, size 3.4 cm. [hint: this is an automatic translation from German]   |   Category: Kultgegenstände   |   Material: Metall   |   Country of origin: Japan | Similar pieces