Solid Gold Menuki

[Heringsdorf]

Hello,

 

I was wondering how common solid gold Menuki were? What kind of swords / owner's used them back then?

I also would really appreciate if members here who maybe own examples would post them here.

Were there certain schools / artists who specialized on gold menuki?

Thank you all.

[Ian]

I have a number of them. I guess it was nice to have some bling back in the day 

Here is my most recent purchase of solid gold camellia menuki

 

Ian C

[Curran]

Gold menuki:  Muromachi to Modern

 

All level of blades, though of course expect some correlation between quality of the blade and the quality of the gold menuki.

 

In my very small collection I have 3 sets, but seem not to have taken very good photos of them.

[Ed]

Had a few sets over the years.

 

 

 

 

 

[Pete Klein]

Ed -- as I've mentioned before, not purchasing those monkey menuki was a dumb dumb for me.  WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! 

[Heringsdorf]

Thank you all so far for the very nice Menuki examples.

I agree, that monkey set is exceptional.

 

I picked up my first gold Menuki set recently.

They are signed yoshioka inaba no suke.

I don't know which generation though? Maybe 6th or 7th?

[Pete Klein]

These are from Ginza Seikodo and I really wish I could afford them.  Juyo to Goto Joshin, Sanbaso zo:

[peterd]

 And One set I put on a previous thread.

[Isocyanide]

So much bling in one post!  I really like the turtles that Ed posted.

[Pete Klein]

These are from my collection, Hozon to Ko Mino and are a lot of fun:

 

 

(The pictures are from www.nihonto.com as I purchased them from Fred a number of years ago).

 

If you look closely at these against the Joshin menuki above you will see several kantei point differences.  See if you can make them out!

[Stephen]

http://www.aoijapan.com/menuki-mumeikaga-kinko

[Derek]

A set from my collection.  NBTHK attribution to Waki Goto.

[Ford Hallam]

nice selection of fine 'gold' pieces...but none of them is actually 'solid gold'....

[Heringsdorf]

Right, they are 80-95% Gold, alloyed with silver.

Is that correct Ford?

[Ford Hallam]

That's about right, Max :-)  The source of gold for metalworkers, as in most pre-industrial cultures, was generally the gold coinage. Thus the gold alloys often reflect that. The addition of silver doesn't make the alloy much harder (unlike copper) but does make the colour less orange. To restore the appearance of pure gold the surface was essentially etched to leach out the silver. This is called depletion gilding.

[Ed]

Pete, 

What was really dumb was for me to have sold them in the first place !  I know where they reside, but can't get the owner to sell them back to me

 

All nice sets shown, I think my favorite is Ian's camellia's or Pete's zodiac theme. 

[nihonto1001]

My vote is for the Turtles too Ed.  

[Stephen]

my vote

loved them when Andy had them and still do, looks like Fords work

[Pete Klein]

Stephen -- these are not the ones Andy had.  I purchased those for someone who still has them. 

 

http://www.nihonto.us/ARAKI%20TOMEI%20MILLET%20MENUKI.htm

 

He later had them mounted in a custom box -- backwards!  LOL

[Stephen]

wow...some how got switched around in my head....yes these are i ones

 

[Ed]

Yes, I remember those, sweet.   Mine came from Andy too !  

[Stephen]

OK i was right LOL

[Ed]

I have been looking for this photo all moprning and finally found it.  Set of falling sakura blossoms or possibly ume.  Forget who sold these but once again, I was too late.  I loved this set, so simple, yet so elegant.  Wish there were mine.

 

 

[Clement]

In the same spirit of elegance :

 

[Stephen]

Just lovely Clement, yours?

[Ted Tenold]

Some lovely stuff shown.  Here's a set I have;

 

[Clement]

Just lovely Clement, yours?

I wish. It's a Ford Hallam work.

[Bob M.]

Those Ford Hallam pieces - look like they would make a nice pair of brooches or even tie pins....

 

Just have to knock out the mountings and signature strips first 

[BMarkhasin]

Ed, Pete... WOW, love the sakura, monkeys and the KoMino sets.  Elegant... unlike me sitting here drooling.

 

Boris.

[Curran]

Maximillian:

 

I don't think anyone here is going to be particularly comfortable or forthcoming with trying to attribute a generation.

The NBTHK didn't.

 

Probably in the expanded Wakayama encyclopedia or in a few other texts you might be able to guess a generation.

I like those menuki very much and can say the family that sold them to you is a very nice one. I enjoyed talking with them at the last DTI, and intended to buy a tsuba from them until one of our NMB members took me to another place which had something I'd exactly been seeking and not yet found at the DTI.