Kinko menuki worked in shakudo over a copper base. The design is coils of rope rendered in gold, with a bird on each menuki worked with copper. These are the paired ornaments that sit under the wrapping of a Japanese sword handle, one on each side. The supplier gives no signature, school or period, and condition is listed as used without further grading.

Rope-and-bird menuki draw Illinois collectors who like a narrative design rather than a plain family crest, and the three-metal mix of shakudo, gold and copper gives them more to look at under a loupe than a single-alloy pair. They can be mounted on a handle being rewrapped or kept as a cabinet piece. Since no condition grade beyond used is given, request close photographs of the gold rope and the undersides before you commit.

Key features

• Kinko menuki, shakudo on copper
• Coils of rope in gold
• Bird on each menuki, worked with copper

Ships to your Illinois address by tracked parcel.