Kogai Nomenclature

[micsam]

I am new to this forum and very impressed by the polite, helpful and knowledgeable discussions.

I am curious as to the proper description of the pictured Shakudo Kogai. It is split lengthwise and it is my understanding that it was made this way to double as an eating utensil. Any information or comments on this piece would be much appreciated.

Michael

[Brian]

Michael,

They are called wari kogai, and as you said, doubled as chopsticks.

However I have never seen them where the decoration overlaps like this, and it doesn't look natural to me...or very practical for use as eating utensils. Nicely made, but perhaps split later or made more as decoration.

 

Brian

[IanB]

Far be it from me to disagree with Brian, but eating with wari kogai - perish the thought. Many are iron and would adversely alter the taste of food, apart from the obvious problem of having them stuck in a pocket of the saya that would harbour all manner of nasty bugs. The whole purpose of this enigmatic item is personal hygiene. The bit on top for cleaning the ears, and the long tapered section for arranging the hair, particularly after removing the helmet. The split variety seems to have come into use when pomaded hairdos became popular.

Ian Bottomley

[Brian]

Ian,

I am always happy to be corrected, or to learn new things.

Must say, I am not 100% convinced either way though. When out on campaign...chopsticks would have been very handy to have on hand. Cleaning them would have been as simple as running a cloth over them. As for taste....not sure they worried about Michellin Stars when eating :lol:

But yes...the decoration and care that they were made does indicate some other use besides chopsticks. Simple wooden ones would have sufficed. So the split ones were likely an extension of the standard ones...used for hair care etc. Perhaps they were a multi-function tool like our modern day Swiss Army knife.

 

Brian

[Ford Hallam]

I've seen a very similar utensil to the wari-kogai used for arranging tiny pieces of incense on smouldering charcoal.

 

Soy sauce, vinegar and most of the usual condiments of Japanese food would destroy the patina so I doubt the hashi idea myself.

[micsam]

Wonderful information.

Any thoughts as to age (I was thinking late-Edo period)?

Any ideas as to manufacture (ie. school)?

 

Michael

 

(many thanks for your thoughtful replies... I have so many questions)

[runagmc]

The little extension on top is missing on these... mabey someone snapped it off in their ear...

[Henry Wilson]

Some thoughts below (for what it is worth).

 

The ear scoop has been removed which makes me think the split is a later alteration.

 

I think the split kogai style is an Edo period trend. At that time there would not have been many campaigns so no situation were it was necessary to have a set of chopsticks in the scabbard for the fighting warrior. If they were intended for eating, bamboo would be suffice and more practical which is the material that the first kogai are believed to be have been made of. Also chopsticks deteriorate surprising quickly and kogai used for eating would have teeth marks and nasty tarnishing at the tips which would be obvious.

 

There are no concrete theories on what kogai and kozuka were really intended for. A lot of scholars in the past have looked into this, but they all seem to have differing opinions. The only thing they seem to agree on is that they are part of a scabbard because they have always been part of a scabbard (back to the Heian period) and they became part of the wearers dress code. Sasano "Tosogu no Kigen" book has a good survey on them as part of his studies on the development of uchigatana and dating of katana tsuba.

[micsam]

Thank you to all. This has been very interesting and I appreciate the chance to share some of my collection and gain a little more knowledge.

Michael

[Ford Hallam]

Henry,

 

I'd have to disagree with you regarding when the split was made on this kogai. I would suggest that it could not have been done after the inlaid decoration was inset. It seems clear that the decorative element is only set into one of the two halves. It then appears to rest on the surface of the other piece. If this was a regular one piece kogai that had been split then we'd expect to see a cavity where half of the inlay had been. Not to mention the impossibility of somehow cutting the kogai in half without damaging that inlay.

 

I rather suspect that the "ear pick" terminal that is now absent was possibly made to be fitted as a cap and when in place would have held the two parts together in the saya slot.

[IanB]

Normally these wari kogai have a small tab fitted to one half that engages in a mortice in the other to keep the two halves in alignment. This one is interesting in my view because the maker has used the decoration to perform at least part of that function. It would not of course keep the two parts in place longitudinally.

Michael, Is there such a small tab lurking under the decoration which we cannot see?

Ford, I'm not sure there ever was a cap. Had there been, the top part would have had to be narrowed so that when the cap was in place it would still enter the slot in the scabbard. I suspect it has just broken off and the end has been tidied up. In fact a lot of wari kogai do not have the ear-cleaner bit, being rounded at the top. This would suggest that cleaning out ears was a secondary function (if indeed it ever really was used for that purpose) and it was the hair pin function (same caveat) that this split form was primarily made for.

Ian Bottomley

[Ford Hallam]

Hello Ian,

 

I was thinking about this kogai and have revised my opinion . I think Henry is correct to suggest that the modification was made long after it was originally manufactured.

 

The decoration is most likely attached by means of a peg through the body of the kogai, It's a sue-mon type appliqué. It would have been a simply thing to detach the decoration, cut the kogai in half and then re-attach the decoration as before. Looking at the warabite engraving at the top it does in fact look a little squashed together, the inevitable result of having had a slice taken out of the middle.

 

I think you're exactly right when you say that had there been a cap fitted over the end it would have fitted into a recess so that the outline of the piece would be uninterrupted.

 

regards,

 

Ford

[runagmc]

Ford, what did early metal workers use for cutting the way modern ones would use a jewlers saw? and is that what you would use to cut something like this?

[Ford Hallam]

Hi Adam,

 

I'm not aware of any archaeological evidence but the thinking is that early piercing work was performed with a wire (possibly iron or copper) and an abrasive grit. Jade carvers in the ancient past used this method and Italian pietra dura workers still use this method. It's actually suprisingly effective on stone so metal would not be too difficult to cut by comparison.

[micsam]

Upon much closer examination with a loupe, there are clearly striations along what would be the "cut surface" if this kogai were cut lengthwise. In addition, those same striations are seen on the surface where the ear scoop would have been. So, I think that it is relatively safe to say that this kogai was cut some time after its original manufacture.

There are no tabs or spots where a cap might be engaged.

Perhaps this kogai was re-purposed after the ear scoop broke... or I am just over-reaching.

 

Again, many thanks for all the great insights.

 

Michael