Inscription: Yūrakusai Sekibun
Late Edo period
Donated by Satō Seiji
Variously known as a “utility knife” or “companion knife,” a kozuka is part of a sword mounting, typically kept in the scabbard of a katana. A matching hairdressing tool, a kōgai — literally, “sword-needle” —is often found alongside.
This kozuka was made by Katsurano Sekibun (1789–1875), a master craftsman in the Sakai clan of the Shōnai domain. Made using shibuichi, a historically Japanese copper alloy (three parts copper, one part silver) which is patinated into a range of subtle greys and muted shades of blue, green, and brown, it depicts a tiger, one of the design specialties of this clan.