Grip Enhancers (Menuki) with Rats

Grip Enhancers (Menuki) with Rats

mid-1800s, Edo period
Maker
Artist not known, Japan
Country
Japan

Artist not known, Japan

mid-1800s, Edo period

1.563 x 1.688 in

Gift of Julie Seagraves and Richard Kimball, 1986.469

Photograph © Denver Art Museum 2011. All Rights Reserved.

About the Artist

These menuki [meh-NEW-key] were made in the mid-1800s during Japan’s Edo period, a period of over 250 years of peace. Menuki, or sword grip enhancers, were accessories that accompanied a sword and helped a samurai’s grip and hand placement on the sword. Originally, pieces like these were made by the same artisans who made the blade, but by the Edo period, many of these accessories were made by a separate specialist or group of specialists. We don’t know the name of the metalsmith who made these menuki, but it is clear that he was very skilled in working with multiple metals and knew how to create detailed sculptures on a small scale. He made the grip enhancers out of gold, silver, and a metal called nigurame [knee-goo-RAH-me], which is an alloy (mixture) of copper, tin, and lead. Each metal or alloy melts at a different temperature and some metals are easier to shape than others. Such knowledge was only part of what the craftsman had to know in order to make one of these small metal sculptures.

What Inspired It

The craftsman who made these grip enhancers must have wanted to delight the samurai, or warrior and member of the Japanese military aristocracy. The craftsman may have made these grip enhancers for a samurai who had a particular interest in decorating his sword for New Years during a year of the rat, one of the Asian zodiac animals. He included many tiny details—details so small they seemed marvelous. Grip enhancers were part of a sword’s fittings. The fittings included the hilt (handle), the scabbard (blade cover), the tsuba (sword guard), and menuki (grip enhancers). Grip enhancers came in pairs and they needed to be small and because they had to fasten onto the sides of the sword hilt, or handle. They were held in place and partially covered by silk braiding that was wrapped around the hilt and over the grip enhancers. Initially, grip enhancers were used to cover bamboo pins (like small pegs), which went through the handle and held the sword blade firmly inside the handle. They also created bumps on the handle that allowed the samurai to get a firmer grip. Eventually, however, they became more important as decoration, and though they would eventually be covered up by a silk cord that wrapped around the hilt, the artist still had to impress the samurai buyer with his miniature sculptures.

A samurai warrior often had several pairs of grip enhancers and each pair signified something about his values and interests. Even though these small art works were almost hidden from view, the owner would know that underneath the silk braiding, there were grip enhancers symbolizing something important to him. For the owner of these pieces, the miniature scenes of rats and mochi cakes, a favorite food for celebrating the New Year, were important symbols.

A diagram of a samurai sword’s fittings:

Samurai Sword Fittings Diagram

Another pair of grip enhancers in the Denver Art Museum’s collection:

Grip Enhancers (Menuki) with Wasps and Fans

Two examples of sword guards in the Denver Art Museum’s collection:

Sword Guard with Plum Blossoms and Snowflakes

Sword Guard of Bamboo and Tiger

Details

Rats

In Japanese culture, rats were seen as industrious and admired for their ability to find food even in hard times. They are one of the twelve Asian zodiac animals that make up Japan’s 12-year lunar calendar, which was adopted from China. According to this calendar, a person born in a given year will reflect certain characteristics of the animal for which that year is named. People born in the year of the rat are thought to be charming, industrious, and thrifty, but can also be fussy, stingy, and quick-tempered. The rat also serves as a companion and messenger for Daikoku, the god of wealth, and thus has become a symbol of riches and plentiful harvest.

Note the different positions of the rats in the grip enhancers. The gold rat on one menuki is perched near the mochi cake, while the brown rat in the other menuki is on the ground.

Mochi

The oval mound in the center of this grip enhancer represents a mochi [MOE-chee] cake. Mochi is made out of pounded rice that is formed into softly rounded cakes and is then steamed. It is traditionally eaten during the Japanese New Year and other festivals. Mochi cakes are soft when you bite into them and have the texture of a jelly bean. They are made in many flavors.

Tree Stump

The round shape with spiral etching in the center of this grip enhancer represents a hollowed out tree stump, used for pounding rice to make mochi. The hollowed tree trunk formed a large bowl. Steamed rice was placed in the bowl and people from the village gathered together to pound the rice with thick wooden pounders, like very large hammers. Traditionally, making mochi is a group activity. The tree stump in this grip enhancer is decorated for a festival with fern fronds and plum blossoms.

Metal

These grip enhancers were made of nigurame, a dark brown metal that is a mixture of copper, tin, and lead. Gold and silver were also used to create various details. Each metal or alloy must be handled differently. Gold and silver are precious metals and are known for being malleable, which means they can be hammered into thin sheets and easily shaped by the artist. Notice how tiny the metal details are.

Size

These grip enhancers are each 1 9/15” long. It takes great skill to create such detailed sculptures on such a small scale.

More Resources

Websites

Japanese Zodiac Guide

Japan Zodiac Signs Website

Japanese Zodiac Sign of the Rat (Nezumi)

Samurai Sword Terminology

Samurai Sword Glossary

The National Consortium for Teaching About Asia

A web resource for elementary and secondary teachers

Denver Art Museum, Asian Art

Denver Art Museum Asian Art Web Page

Denver Art Museum Wacky Kids

Denver Art Museum Web Page, Kids Books about Japan

Books

Sinclaire, Clive. Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2004.

This is a lavishly illustrated introduction to the martial art and artistry of the samurai, the ancient Japanese military class that generated a unique culture-within-a-culture.

Sato, Kanzan, translated by Joe Earle. The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1983.

Looking over the 1,500 years of sword history in Japan, Kanzan Sato notes how the major developments—were the result of both technical innovation and changed fighting techniques. He examines the various fashions in sword mounts and the at times precious, highly decorated work of the smiths who specialized in sword guards, or tsuba, during the Momoyama and Edo periods.

Reeve, John. Japanese Art: In Detail. London: British Museum Press, 2005.

Arranged thematically, the book includes chapters on nature and pleasure, landscape and beauty, all frames by the themes of serenity and turmoil, the two poles of Japanese culture, ancient and modern. Highlighting, close up and in color, examples of design and craft in prints, paintings and screens, metalwork, ceramics, wood, stone, and lacquer.

Patt, Judith, and Barry Till. Haiku: Japanese Art and Poetry. California: Pomegranate, 2010.

Haiku: Japanese Art and Poetry presents thirty-five pairs of poems and images, organized seasonally. The Introduction details the origin and development of haiku, the lives of the most famous poets.

Children’s Books

Doran, Claire, and Andrew Haslam. Old Japan. CENGAGE Learning, 1995.

Practical role-play and activities, based on the lifestyles of ancient peoples, are combined with a sensitive and wide-ranging text to create a stimulating experience of Japanese history. Includes section on kendo (the way of the sword).

McCarthy, Ralph F.. The Inch-High Samurai. Kodansha International, 2001.

A Japanese fairy tale of a boy named Inchy Bo, the Japanese cousin of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina.

Mannis, Celeste. One Leaf Rides the Wind. Canada: Penguin Group, 2005.

A Japanese girl in a rust-colored kimono tours a temple garden and counts its fixtures one to 10, accompanied by newcomer Mannis's haiku poetry. The book's elegantly spare design fits its Zen-influenced theme: a watercolor on the left, framed in a white border, faces a haiku on the right.

Donegan, Patricia. Haiku (Asian Arts and Crafts For Creative Kids). Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2003.

This book introduces five styles of haiku to readers. It includes the following projects for elementary age children: your first haiku; your favorite season; your own personal haiku; haiku with pictures; and haiku with a friend.

Funding for object education resources provided by a grant from the Morgridge Family Foundation. Additional funding provided by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, and Xcel Energy Foundation. We thank our colleagues at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.

The images on this page are intended for classroom use only and may not be reproduced for other reasons without the permission of the Denver Art Museum. This object may not currently be on display at the museum.