John Yumoto Japanese Edo Kozuka Knife Rifle Yoshioka Inabannosuke Samurai Sword

Description: This is a very neat piece! An Edo period Kozuka handle. However there’s a few things that make it much more interesting than the average Kozuka handle. 1. It was made and is signed by one of the masters of Japanese metal work. That metal worker goes by the name Yoshioka Inabanosuke. A note with the item says several metalworkers used that name but the imparting part is it’s a known and collected name and they were all top notch craftsmen. 2. This piece was given as a gift/token of appreciation by John M. Yumoto. Mr. Yumoto literally wrote the book on samurai swords for the western world. He was a highly regarded expert in the field. The piece comes with his personal “business card” with a small hand written note. He gave it in handsome little wooden box mounted on purple cloth. It makes for a sweet presentation. 3. Possibly the most interesting part about this Kozuka handle is that it’s an early depiction of a rifle on a Japanese samurai’s weapon. Japan has a king and interesting history with the firearm. Can you tell me the last time you saw a rifle depicted in a piece of samurai’s gear? I’m not Japanese weapons expert but I believe you probably haven’t seen it recently, if ever. I wish I knew who this was a gift to but sadly I do not. The receiver must have been truly respected by Mr. Yumoto to have received such a special gift. This neat antique samurai relic has a lot going for it. It’s kind of hard to price something like this. I think it has a value the exceeds that of many of the best Kozuka handles. The work is great, the subject matter is interesting, it was made by a master craftsman, and it was owned/gifted by a renowned expert on the subject matter. Dimensions are in the photos. The handle is a bit shy of 4” long. Condition is excellent. The item came out of a good old New England collection. Mr. Yumoto passed away in 1988 so we know it was gifted at least 36 years ago. The item will ship ASAP! Thanks

Price: 999.99 USD

Location: Winthrop, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-08-24T01:22:58.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.95 USD