Grip Enhancers (Menuki) with Wasps and Fans

Grip Enhancers (Menuki) with Wasps and Fans

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

Artist not known, Japan

mid-1800s, Edo period

1.563 in x 1.688 in

Gift of Julie Seagraves and Richard Kimball, 1986.468

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, the pieces like these were made by the same artisans who made the sword 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 had extensive knowledge of how to work 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 shakudo [shah-coo-DOE], which is an alloy (mixture) of gold and copper, and is black colored. 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 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.

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 Rats

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

Insects

We believe the insects on these grip enhancers are wasps, but they could be another flying insect. Though we have not found any specific reference or meaning assigned to the symbol of a wasp, the fact that they are a stinging insect may make them appropriate for a samurai warrior. The two insects are posed differently–the wings of one wasp are separated while the wings of the other overlap.

Fans

During the Edo period, it was common for educated men and women to carry fans. The artist decorated the fans by incising, or cutting into the metal, to create plant designs.

Metal

These grip enhancers are made of shakudo, a gold and copper alloy which can be treated to get a purplish-black surface color. The insects are covered with a thin layer of gold. Gold is a malleable metal, meaning it can be hammered into very thin sheets and then shaped by the artist.

Size

These grip enhancers are each 1 3/16” long. It takes great skill to work on such a small scale. Notice the tiny details on the insects–the eyes, antenna, segmented abdomen, and detailed wings.

More Resources

Websites

Japanese Zodiac Guide

Japan Zodiac Signs Website

Asian Art Museum San Francisco

Site for the Asian Art Museum

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

Johnston, Tony. The Badger and the Magic Fan. New York: Putnam Juvenile, 1990

A Japanese fairy tale about a crafty badger that uses a magic fan to trick others into giving him their fortune. Appropriate for children ages 4-8.

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.