Kogatana and Kogai
ca. 1800-1862 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The kogatana and kogai are the small knife and the small bodkin-like implement carried in the pockets of a scabbard. These examples are of the copper-gold alloy shakudo, and have each been decorated with a design of a growing spray of lilies.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | copper-gold alloy (<i>shakudo</i>) with gold and silver |
| Brief description | Scabbard-knife (kogatana) and skewer (kogai), copper-gold alloy (shakudo) with gold and silver depicting lilies, both signed Goto Mitsutoshi (1790-1862), Japan |
| Physical description | Scabbard-knife (kogatana) and skewer (kogai), copper-gold alloy (shakudo) with gold and silver depicting lilies, both signed Goto Mitsutoshi. NB: the kozuka M.336-1916 contains the kogatana blade M.289J-1910. |
| Marks and inscriptions | signed Goto Mitsutoshi |
| Gallery label | Skewers, utility knives and handles (kōgai, kogatana and kozuka)
The scabbards of some swords had slots into which small skewers (kōgai) and knives (kogatana) fitted. The handles of the knives are called kozuka. Holes in the sword guard allowed the skewers and knives to slide in and out of the scabbard without the sword being drawn. The skewers were used by samurai to arrange their hair and clean their ears. Some were bifurcated and could be used as chopsticks. The skewers and knife handles were usually made from patinated copper alloy and often decorated with matching designs.
(04/11/2015) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | The kogatana and kogai are the small knife and the small bodkin-like implement carried in the pockets of a scabbard. These examples are of the copper-gold alloy shakudo, and have each been decorated with a design of a growing spray of lilies. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.336-1916 |
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| Record created | March 2, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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