Description:

East Asia, Japan, Meiji to Showa era, ca. late 19th to mid-20th century CE. A miniature tanto knife with a sheath and a wood netsuke carving. The sheath is made of nickel-brass with a piece of stingray / shark skin, and the sharpened steel blade is capped with a bone handle and iron pommel. Traditionally men carried tanto swords and women carried a smaller knife sized version known as a kaiken; however this is much smaller than even a kaiken! Perhaps this was a highly realistic sword for a samurai doll or used as a penknife? The netsuke is carved from boxwood into a skeleton holding a lotus bud seated behind another skull- alternatively the lotus could be a beater and the skull serving as a drum! Size of knife in sheath: 3.5" L x 0.35" W (8.9 cm x 0.9 cm); blade: 1.65" L x 0.25" W (4.2 cm x 0.6 cm)

Provenance: private Louisville, Colorado, USA collection

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#181005

  • Condition: Russet patina and oxidation on blade, blue is still quite sharp! Green patina on nickel-brass sheath. Netsuke is intact with old inventory label on base.

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January 5, 2024 10:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$300 $999 $50
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$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000