{"id":70923,"date":"2025-06-28T13:53:33","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T04:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/?post_type=product&p=70923"},"modified":"2025-10-27T11:30:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T02:30:14","slug":"antique-menuki-for-samurai-sword-m-65","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/product\/antique-menuki-for-samurai-sword-m-65\/","title":{"rendered":"Antique Menuki for Samurai Sword (M-65)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Title: Chidori Zu<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Description<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0This pair of Menuki features Chidori (\u5343\u9ce5), or plovers\u2014small shorebirds often seen flying in flocks over water. In Japanese art and poetry, plovers are beloved seasonal symbols, typically associated with the sea, resilience, and harmony. Their imagery often evokes a sense of graceful motion and is frequently used to express themes of perseverance and safe journeys.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Also, the combination of gold and what we estimate to be shakud\u014d (\u8d64\u9285, a copper-gold alloy with a dark patina) highlights the dynamic movement of the birds, making this an elegant and auspicious sword fitting.<\/span><\/p>\n

*As this item is an antique, please check each photo and ensure its condition.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Menuki?<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0Menuki is a kind of metal fitting of the Japanese sword, which was initially put into the handle’s hole. It covers Mekugi (nail) so that the blade of a sword will be fixed. Originally, Menuki was used to hold Mekugi, but they became separated over time. And then, Menuki had developed its practicality and beauty for the decoration of the Japanese sword.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Menuki became more decorative than in early modern times. Since it had been attached under the Tsukamaki (the handle of the Japanese sword wrapped by thread), Menuki played an essential role in making it easier to grip the sword’s handle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is it that the sword mounting was important for Samurai?<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0The sword mountings of the Japanese sword have many kinds of decorations such as handguards (Tsuba), sword hilt (Menuki), pommel (Fuchi Kashira). The Japanese sword worked as a weapon and as an object to show who he was. For example, it shows their personalities and beliefs. You could say that it is like decorations for smartphones today. We recommend you zoom in on the pictures of the sword fittings. When you do so, you can see the skill of Japanese metal engraving techniques. They are mainly made of iron and copper with inlays of gold, silver, and bronze. When it comes to handguard (Tsuba), each one has a different outline and weight. These sword fittings that have lived with Japanese swords of the same age might be worth as much as the Japanese swords. They are inconspicuous parts of the Japanese sword. Nevertheless, if you are knowledgeable or particular about it, you will become a connoisseur of the Samurai.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nB<\/b>
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\u3010About us\u3011<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u00a0Samurai Museum is located in Tokyo, Japan, exhibiting antique artifacts related to the Samurai history. Samurai Museum Shop is the place for those who are interested in Japanese culture and craftsmanship. We deal with antique Samurai swords\/armor, traditional crafts made in Japan and so on. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u3010Payment method\u3011<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0We accept payment through Stripe<\/strong> (Credit card), PayPal<\/strong>, Apple Pay or ChromePay, all of which are secure payment methods. Also, you don\u2019t need to make an account on Stripe for the checkout. If you prefer other payment method, please contact us. You may either pay in JPY<\/strong>, USD<\/strong>, AUD<\/strong>, CAD<\/strong>, EUR<\/strong>, CHF<\/strong> or GBP<\/strong>. The price is set in Japanese Yen. Prices in other currencies are automatically calculated based on the latest exchange rate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u3010Shipping duration\u3011<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0We normally ship via EMS (Express Mail Service) provided by Japan Post. It usually takes at least 5-14 days to deliver the package after you place an order. Time of delivery is estimated as accurately as possible by the carrier but does not take into account any delays beyond our control such as by inclement weather, post office holiday seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0We offer<\/span> Free International Shipping<\/strong><\/span> as long as we can ship your order by EMS. If you prefer other shipping carriers, please contact us.<\/span>
\n\u00a0We will inform you of the order’s tracking number via email. Please make sure you fill out your valid email address correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u3010How to make sure the condition\u3011<\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0Please keep in mind that what you are going to purchase is an antique item. We uploaded high resolution photos for you to check its condition thoroughly. If you like to see more photos with different angles, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to send them to you so that you can make informed decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0It is essential for us to know that you are happy with your choice of Menuki and we are prepared to use the best of our ability to serve you.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0Would you like see some more Menuki for sale? Please check the link below. We hope you can find your favorite Menuki.<\/span>
\nhttps:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/product-category\/decorations\/menuki\/<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Delivery Time<\/strong><\/span>: 5 – 14 DAYS<\/span>
\n*Delivery may take longer, depending on countries or holiday seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

INCLUDED<\/strong>: Wooden box<\/span><\/p>\n

Title:\u00a0<\/span>Chidori Zu (\u5343\u9ce5\u56f3)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Signature: NO SIGNED<\/span>
\nAge: Edo period<\/span>
\nMaterial: Shakudou (\u8d64\u9285, the mixture of copper and gold)<\/span><\/p>\n

(A)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Size<\/span><\/td>\nThickness<\/span><\/td>\nWeight<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1.3cm\u00d74.4cm<\/span><\/td>\n0.4cm<\/span><\/td>\n4.0g<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

(B)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Size<\/span><\/td>\nThickness<\/span><\/td>\nWeight<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1.5cm\u00d74.0cm<\/span><\/td>\n0.5cm<\/span><\/td>\n4.0g<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

You can enlarge all the photos to see the detail of the item.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":70924,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[23,25],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-70923","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-menuki","7":"product_cat-decorations","9":"first","10":"outofstock","11":"purchasable","12":"product-type-simple","13":"add-to-wishlist-after_add_to_cart","14":"customify-col","15":"product-has-gallery"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/70923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=70923"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=70923"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samuraimuseum.jp\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=70923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}