Photo Credit: matsu-kaze-japan
19th Century Japanese Turtle Kinko Menuki
Buy It Now Price: $275 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This pair of 19th century kinko menuki from the Japanese Edo era feature turtles rendered in dark shakudo metal with gilt shell highlights.
-These antique menuki measure 39 mm (1.54 inches) long each, which is a fairly typical size.
-Menuki were made in matching sets of two, which were meant to be affixed to either side of a samurai sword hilt (called a tsuka). Menuki were primarily decorative in nature, but may have also allowed a samurai warrior to achieve a better grip on his sword.
-According to the seller, these turtle-themed kinko menuki may be unused – an assessment I wholeheartedly agree with. These menuki are obviously old – almost certainly from the 1860s or earlier – yet are still in pristine condition with fully intact gilding.
-Kinko is the Japanese term for “soft metal” and refers to samurai sword fittings made from non-ferrous metals like copper, silver or gold. The kinko menuki featured here are made from shakudo, a traditional Japanese alloy made primary of copper with a small percentage of gold (usually from 2% to 7%).
-Japanese antiques in general, and old samurai sword fittings in particular, are extremely undervalued in my opinion. It is possible to buy some truly fabulous investment grade pieces (like this one) from the days of geisha, daimyō and samurai for only a few hundred dollars (or less)!
-The stylistic similarities of these turtle menuki to the fictional kaiju Gamera is uncanny. Gamera is a giant turtle monster that first appeared in the 1965 Japanese film by Noriaki Yuasa titled “Gamera, the Giant Monster”. The Gamera-like qualities of these menuki indicate that the cultural idea behind Japanese kaiju has been around for many hundreds of years.
-These 19th century turtle kinko menuki are an unbelievably good value at only $275. The level of detail and craftsmanship displayed on these pieces is absolutely superb. They would make a great addition to your tangible asset portfolio, Japanese antique collection, or gift to your favorite samurai enthusiast.
Cons:
-There are simply no cons to these beautiful and historic menuki, as far as I can tell. This is meaningful in itself, as it is very rare for me say that an item has no downsides whatsoever.
Read more fascinating Antique Sage Japanese antique spotlight posts here.
-or-
Read in-depth Antique Sage Japanese antique investment guides here.
