What Is This Fitting Called? What Is It Used For?

[Mark]

Please see pictures.  Well made, seems quite old. I have never seen something like this, one side has a shell or snail or similar that makes it easy to grasp and slide

[Alex A]

As it looks like a fork, il say fork

[Brian]

It's a tuning fork for a samurai piano :rotfl:

[ROKUJURO]

Perhaps a form of a hairpin.

[PhoenixDude]

one side has a shell or snail or similar that makes it easy to grasp and slide

 

Its a sake gourd.

[John A Stuart]

The only modern era fork I remember like that is for olives, or pickles I guess. There are museum pieces similar when forks were just becoming fashionable. 1500 or so. John

[Pete Klein]

As John mentioned, modern version by Georg Jensen:

 

 

 

[Alex A]

Found this on a search, says Antique Japanese dessert fork, ebay listing that cant be viewed now.

 

No idea how old, bad picture

[Henry Wilson]

Is it for moving charcoal around in the fire for tea ceremony?

[Pete Klein]

These are what are used for the coal:

 

 

They are long metal hashi.  I am not aware of the Japanese term.

 

[John A Stuart]

Pete, they are called Hibashi 火箸 Fire Chopsticks. John

[Pete Klein]

Thanks!

[Mark]

thanks.......  so a fork of some type.  I don't think it is modern. I will bring it to Orlando and maybe get some input. It looks like the one Alex found.  The back is flat and the front rounded, so if it were used in a saya it would fit and slide in but maybe it was made that way for another purpose

[Stephen]

some bits of meat, vegs, used on habachi?

[Lance]

Looks very similar to the little fork found  as one of the side tools in European Hunting swords/hangers  or more specifically a trousse knife?  I think these were most popular in Europe 1500-late 1700s  usually attributed as made in  Germany.

Sometimes the tools were  carried in little pockets in the scabbards of long frighting swords too; The proportions are a little off compared to  European versions, yours seems like it was made  to fit in a saya pocket like an umabari but I think it's reasonable to think influence at least.  

Attached an image below,  more examples can be seen with google images using search terms  trousse knife or hunting hanger sword. 

It may seem like a reach but if you look carefully  the silhouette they matches the decorative profile of where the handle and blade/fork  often meet on the trousse accessories.   

Yours is definitely of Japanese make, maybe once part of a set made for a European traveler or or ordered by a Japanese person due to  one of the many bouts of fascination with Europeans and their dress? 

 

 

Regards,

Lance

[Mark]

maybe a European in Japan who could wear a sword?  I would think Japanese would use split wari kogai chopsticks that i see often.

[Bazza]

Lance wrote:

> Sometimes the tools were  carried in little pockets in the scabbards of long frighting swords too

 

Surely this was meant to be frightening swords...

 

BaZZa

(Resident #2 Smarta##s)

[Lance]

OOPS, meant fighting but surely they can be 

 

Lance wrote:

> Sometimes the tools were  carried in little pockets in the scabbards of long frighting swords too

 

Surely this was meant to be frightening swords...

 

BaZZa

(Resident #2 Smarta##s)

LOL  meant fighting,  too funny to go back and edit   

 

Regards,

Lance

P.S. Now this is a frighting sword!

[Toryu2020]

Mark

Im sure you know that the Japanese were very fadish about new and different items introduced from abroad. I would see this as late Edo but still an example of Japanese ingenuity copying some European model. You may have located the prototype for all the little Yokan forks that are now ubiquitous in Japanese homes!

-t

[Ted Tenold]

That's funny Tom.  I immediately thought of a Yokan fork also.  :-)