Menuki are the small ornaments set under the grip wrap of a Japanese sword, and kinko means this pair was made by a soft-metal craftsman rather than an iron worker. The motif is pineapple and other fruit laid over war fans, worked in gold, silver and shakudo, the dark alloy that Japanese fitting makers used as a ground for precious-metal detail. The listing is filed under SKU MGJ612.

For a Texas collector of Japanese sword fittings these are a mounting set or a display piece in their own right. A sword restorer can fit them under a new tsuka wrap, or a collector can keep them boxed with other fittings and tosogu. The supplier's description is brief, so there is no signature, period or dimension given here; the fruit-and-fan motif and the three metals are the facts on record. The pair is sold used, as is normal for antique fittings.

Key features

• Kinko menuki, Japanese sword fitting
• Pineapple and fruit on war fans motif
• Gold, silver and shakudo
• Used, SKU MGJ612

Ships to your door in Texas with no dealer involved.