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FOUR IRON Ô-KOZUKA 鉄大小柄
Below are four o-kozuka made of iron. The top o-kozuka is very interesting. The reverse is gilded in silver with…
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TWO KO-KINKO Ô-KOZUKA 古金工大小柄
The image below shows two Ko-Kinko ô-kozuka. The first one is large measuring 4 3/4 inches by 3/4 inches. It…
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TWO WAKI-GOTÔ Ô-KOZUKA 脇後藤
The top ô-kozuka depicts the battle of Dan-no-Ura which was the ultimate conflict between the Taira and the Minamoto in…
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THREE GOTÔ Ô-KOZUKA 後藤大小柄
The three kozuka below are of the Gotô school with the top one being attributed to Gotô Eijô also called…
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TWO Ô-KOZUKA 大小柄
This is an iron ô-kozuka measuring 4 3/8 inches by 7/8 inches. It has a crescent moon outlined in silver…
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TWO Ô-KOGAI 大笄
The image below shows three kogai. There top kogai is one of “normal” proportions to show the relative size of…
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SAMURAI “BOY SCOUT” KOZUKA
The Samurai who carried this kozuka believed in the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared”. No matter where he roamed,…
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KAGA GOTÔ Ô-KOZUKA 加賀後藤大小柄
Some years ago, I developed an interest in ô-kozuka. These are kozuka that are larger than the norm and were…
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JEWISH/BUDDHIST SAMURAI?
OY VEY!! What have we here? Little did I know that one of my ancestors was the one and only…
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KOTÔ ERA TSUKA 080119
This is a very unusual item. It is a tsuka from a wakizashi that dates to the Kotô era. It…
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UNUSUAL FUTOKOROMONO 珍しいの二所物
This is a set of kozuka and kogai (futokoromono) that once belonged to the main Tokugawa family. Both pieces are…
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GUN FOR A PENPAL
This is a pistol that cannot shoot you but it can cause heartache. It is not suitable for firing, only…
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YOSHIOKA SCHOOL MITOKOROMONO 吉岡三所物
This is a beautiful mitokoromono (set of three items) that has been attributed by the NBTHK to Inaba no Suke…
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TANTÔ FOR THE SAMURAI ON THE GO
What can we say that hasn’t already been said? Those Japanese koshirae makers had all kinds of talent. Here we…
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TANTÔ FOR THE YOSHIWARA
This is a tantô for the Samurai of modest means. Hidden in the bottom of the saya is a removable…
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TANTÔ FOR JAMES BOND-SAN
Samurai spy? Who else would carry an item such as this? On the outside a non-assuming tantô.
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SMOKE UM IF YOU GOT UM
Got a light? Here we have a simple 19th century pipe case and tobacco pouch. OOPS…. ? What have we…
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TOOLS FOR THE POETIC SAMURAI
This item is just soooo darn cute. Because the blade is so small, I would hesitate to call it a…
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HIDDEN KABUTOWARE
This tantô can really give someone a headache. Made in the mid 1700’s this tantô koshirae houses a wickedly heavy…
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A “FAN” FOR ALL SEASONS
Here is a really “cool” item to carry around on those hot and humid days in old Edo (present day…
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TANTÔ or PURSE
Here is a tantô that will keep you from going broke. It’s not really a tantô, its a surreptitious way…
