Browse Items (18 total)

The artisan who crafted this inro was named Kajikawam which is a name representing  a group of artists stationed mainly in the city of Edo in the nineteenth century, which is current day Tokyo. The inro pictured is signed by Kajikawa II. Kajikawa is…

Kimono are seemingly one of the most integral parts of the Japanese culture in that kimono are one of the first things to be thought of when Japan is mentioned. They have been present for centuries, and, like all clothing, have undergone countless…

This sword that was forged in 1864 and remade into a naval sword around the 1940s for use during World War II.

How did this seventeenth-century Japanese matchlock get to Springfield, Illinois? Known in Japan as a Tanegashima, this gun was made in the 1600s as an official firearm in the service of the military rulers of Japan. But during the peaceful Edo…

What is this small container? This sealed container is called an inro, and the charm at the end is called a Netsuke. These items were worn hanging from the obi (belts) at the sides of both commoners and nobles who wore kimono. Netsuke are hand-carved…

A sword used by Japanese Officers during World War II. The swords were often mass produced and given by the Japanese government to soldiers.  A neo-army  (Shin-Gunto) sword can be recognized by the cherry blossom flowers engraved on the handle and…

The piece depicts a pastoral scene, and this depiction is an argument calling for Japan to return to tradition from before the Meiji period. This object is an inro and netsuke set from the Condell collection, a collection of over one hundred pieces…

This object is a Japanese officer’s sword, forged during World War II. The symbology of the sword, as a tool of honorable violence, can be contrasted with the fact that we do not know if it was used as a weapon. Japanese swords were used to commit…

An inro-netsuke featuring the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove on the inro, with black and gold lacquer around the piece. The netsuke is attached to the inro with a red cord and has a carved ivory skull that is anatomically correct.

During the Tokugawa period inro and netsuke were vital accessories for Japanese commoners and high-status peoples, who would display gold details to show their status). These items were used to carry small things such as medicines, tobacco, or even…