This signed pair of kinko menuki shows a shi-shi, the guardian lion of Japanese art, seated on a plinth beside a lantern, with gold highlights laid on a shakudo ground. The signature reads Goto, followed by a kao, the maker's personal cipher. Condition is excellent. Menuki of this kind sit under the grip wrap of a Japanese sword, one on each side.

A Goto signature is a name tosogu collectors know, and that, with the excellent condition, is what a Texas collector is paying attention to here. Use them to dress a sword whose other fittings carry lion or lantern subjects, or keep them as a study piece for the signature itself. The listing does not give dimensions or a generation of the Goto line, so the signature, the motif, the metals and the condition grade are the facts on record under SKU MGJ196.

Key features

• Kinko menuki, shi-shi on plinth with lantern
• Signed Goto with kao
• Gold highlights on shakudo
• Excellent condition

Ships to your door in Texas with no dealer involved.