Menuki

Ian B3HR2UH · February 24, 2023

Did anyone see the four sets of gunto menuki for sale on Jauce recently ? Each of the sets had a mon on the middle of the menuki as you would see on a high quality gunto mount . To my eye the silver mon looked a bit thicker than usual and they didn't

have the stippled effect on the cut away areas that you see on the real ones. I decided that they were reproductions but there were 119 bids and someone liked them well enough to pay 41500 yen for them .

If they were really left over WW2 stock then it probably shows that some of the Mon, we assume are family Mon, are just something nice that was picked out of a dealers stock.

Today I saw four more sets for sale which reinforced my view that they are modern reproductions I put this up as if it isn't bought to light people will soon believe that these are genuine old pieces ( like the mon on the 1944 pattern sword )

Ian Brooks

PNSSHOGUN · February 24, 2023

Hi Ian, thanks for the PSA. Amazed they sold for that much as they were clearly brand new. The renditions of the Mon are quite crude, look at the right two vs originals:

February 24, 2023

Thanks for the heads-up, Ian!

Totally agree with you and John regarding the age (or lack thereof) - every example has the same casting flash on the right side of the petal positioned at 'six o'clock' under the mon.

Simon

Bruce Pennington · February 24, 2023

I could be wrong, since I haven't studied mon on menugi closely, but the one I have on a kaigunto completely replaces the center sakura. All these are simply put on top of the center sakura. I'd like to see other legit examples. It doesn't look right the way these were mounted.

Ian B3HR2UH · February 25, 2023

Here are a couple that I have Bruce . The naval one shows the stippling that I mentioned . It is also gilded on the lower areas which some of these had when they were new .

Ian Brooks