ROKUJURO

Hi Laura, welcome to the NMB forum. These plaques are looking like decorative items, MEIJI era or later, maybe for the tourist trade. They seem to be press-molded, the casing is probably made from a different alloy, perhaps nickel silver. I do not see typical SHIBUICHI colour, instead it might be SHAKUDO or blackened copper. The exact purpose will be difficult to guess; I have no clue. Cleaning should be done with great care! A soft brush or a moist cosmetic cotton pad should work in case there was really dirt on them. Any abrasive material (or rubbing) will damage the patina beyond repair. True SHAKUDO will somewhat "heal" its patina after a while, but not blackened copper.

New video:

Looks like an AINU knife to me.

Very sad to hear! I never met Richard, but I absolutely admired his photographic skills. My condolences to his family and friends!

It might be a SHODO box, a container for writing equipment, MEIJI era. From the looks of it, it could be made of lacquered leather or papier mâché, but you can guess that by its weight. You will certainly have tested with a magnet if it is thin iron? Right after the end of EDO era, many sword artisans were forced to look for other kinds of work, so an armourer might have been able to make this as well.

Don't feed the trolls!

To me, this is clearly not a BOKUTO or BOKKEN, but nice!

I think these are all modern, with more or less hand-finishing or polishing. Have you ever seen them appearing in older collections or on sale in auctions 10 years ago?

Or perhaps end of SHOWA?

If you mean the script then it is SOSHO. But I don't think it is SOSHO, it is just a bit sloppy. Let the experts in the translation section decide!.

Tony, what makes you believe the MEI is SHOSHIN? Could we please see the (naked) blade as well?

No Bruce, these are two different blades.

Very beautiful! I'm also thinking of TSUBAKI SANJURO....

John, these HANAIRE were not meant to hold water. As far as I know from more recent pieces, a container was made/soldered from tin or copper to fit into it. You can stand them upright (then they don't even need a closed bottom) or hang them on a nail. Many years ago I got my hands on big bamboo and made one myself for IKEBANA. I always dreamt of having a TOKONOMA..... Piers, your HANAIRE is nice! Is that a Camellia flower in it?

Piers, one of the small items shown in your last photos could also be such a "HANAIRE", made from the foot of a big bamboo, now interpreted in bone.