Extra large single Menuki, school and where to mount

[Jack Zacao]

I see many Tsuba posts, here is a Menuki for a change.

 

It is a single, but extra large, nearly 3 inches long. I wonder which school it is and should it comes with a pair and where to mount. Most of the edo

menukis are smaller, like between 1 and 2 inches long.

 

any comments? Thanks

[FlorianB]

It mustn’t be a menuki necessarily.

Large, single ornaments like yours could have been made for tobacco pouches like these sold at Bonham’s:

[Spartancrest]

As Florian has said, could you perhaps show the opposite side? 

Could also be an Obidome - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/353492973286

[Jack Zacao]

Here is the back

[Scogg]

I once purchased an item I liked, listed as an 'obidome' - that ended up being a repurposed kashira from a sword.

Tosogu can be repurposed all sorts of ways, and I imagine stand-alone menuki like yours would be a perfect candidate.

Looks like it was originally a menuki to me! Below is a photo of my item, converted to an obidome (so you can see what that might look like), then I non-invasively converted it into a bolo-tie . 

Thank you for sharing.
Cheers,
-Sam

[Spartancrest]

Yeah looks like a menuki to me as well - I am not a collector of Nihonto so perhaps someone might tell me if No-dachi or ōdachi had large menuki in keeping with the upsized scale of the swords?

[Jack Zacao]

just to follow up with my old post, i found this menuki pair online that is a near identical to mine. It is so similar that they may be mass produced at some point or made with a mold / stamp and only chiseled with details in the surface … is that a plausible theory ? anyone knows these kind of practices in ancient Japan? link is shown below

 

https://www.carters.com.au/index.cfm/item/1704437-two-large-menuki-edo-period-1603-1868-in-felt-lined-presentation/