Menuki Identification What Are They?

[ChuckJ]

Hello Guys,

 

What are these Menuki? I've seen these type before but I don't have a clue as to what they are.

 

Chuck

[ROKUJURO]

Stylized gourds?

[Ford Hallam]

not stylised, these are in fact quite realistic. Goudrs were grown and when at a good size a poisonous seed was inserted in the neck of the gourd to 'kill it'. It became limp and 'deflated' as it began to wither, at which point it was manipulated into fanciful shapes, the poison removed and it allowed to recover. There are many such dried sake gourds from the Edo period in existence that were made this way.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Interesting! Do you happen to know how the poisonous seed was inserted & removed while the gourd was still growing, Ford?

[Nobody]

......................... Goudrs were grown and when at a good size a poisonous seed was inserted in the neck of the gourd to 'kill it'. It became limp and 'deflated' as it began to wither, at which point it was manipulated into fanciful shapes, the poison removed and it allowed to recover. .................................................

 

 

Are you sure?

I have never heard of that.

[Brian]

(Mostly) Everything you want to know about Hyotan...
http://www.thegourdreserve.com/Jumbo_Hyotan/HyotanIDChart.html

[Ford Hallam]

Moriyama San, it's what I was told by my teacher, and I'm sure you know how Sensei sometimes just make things up   so who knows. I've worked on quite a few fancifully shaped Meiji period Hyotan sake tokkuri that were artificially formed, one actually had a knot formed in the neck.

 

There was also the fashion of growing the gourds in a box that had carved panels inside so that the impression was pressed into the gourd's flesh.

[Stephen]

like the square pumpkins we see in the fall here 

[Bugyotsuji]

Try Nagafukube

 

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1366&bih=625&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=x_o0XprsLuuOr7wPnPGswAE&q=%E9%95%B7%E7%93%A2&oq=%E9%95%B7%E7%93%A2&gs_l=img.3...186046.192450..193703...0.0..0.192.1068.7j3......0....1j2..gws-wiz-img.....0.RFO_PCuoRPE&ved=0ahUKEwja6-q8vq_nAhVrx4sBHZw4CxgQ4dUDCAc&uact=5