Yokoya School
横谷家, menuki (c. ??)
Certification: NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon
A beautiful pair of solid gold
menuki. The design is of
two shishi, each holding a peony in its mouth. The eyes are inlayed
with shakudō pupils.
The posts on the back of these menuki are in the old
style of socket and pin. This reflects an earlier time when menuki also
served as mekugi (the pin used to hold the tsuka on the blade).
Photos by Jack Edick