Kinko menuki in tanto size, finished in gold wash and modeled as shi-shi, the lion-dogs of Japanese art. Tanto size means they are proportioned for the short blade rather than a full-length sword. The work is highly detailed and the seller singles out the quality of the detail on these shi-shi. They are unsigned.

Menuki are the small ornaments set under the handle wrap of a Japanese sword, and tanto-size pieces like these are smaller than those made for a katana. A New Jersey collector building a tanto koshirae, or restoring one that has lost its menuki, will find the gold-washed shi-shi a fitting match, and the fine detail work rewards a look under magnification. With no signature, the appeal rests on the quality of the carving, which the seller describes as very good.

Key features

• Kinko menuki, tanto size
• Gold wash finish
• Shi-shi subject, highly detailed
• Unsigned

Menuki ship to your door in New Jersey.