Menuki With A Story, Help Appreciated!

[Lozza18]

Hi guys, awesome forum!

 

Got a bit of a story with my menuki here, it's a war story, so I sincerely hope it doesn't offend anybody.

 

This piece was given to me by my father in law a few years ago as I've been pursuing Japanese martial arts for a few years.

 

This piece was given to him by his uncle, who was an Australian soldier in the pacific campaign of ww2. He was captured by the Japanese, and was a prisoner of war in Changi. One of the Japanese officers who was responsible for executions, would use his personal sword on the prisoners. As the camp was liberated this officer met his end by my father in laws uncle and his fellow soldiers. His friends and him decided to pull the weapon apart and take small pieces back home with them. He took the menuki, there was a second piece but my father in law can't find it at this stage. Is there anybody here that could help identify this piece? It's a very nice piece in my unprofessional opinion, and would love to give my father in law some more information on it!

 

Cheers,

 

Loz

[Guido]

Minamoto no Yorimasa slaying the nue.

[Lozza18]

Oh wow! Thank you so much! Is there a way to guess an era? Or is mid 20th century?

[Geraint]

Dear Loz.

 

Probably not 20th century but Edo period, i.e. mid 19th or earlier.  The view from the back will help us here.

 

All the best.

[Marius]

Slight correction to Guido's input: Ii no Hayata, (Yorimasa's retainer s) slaying the nue at the Imperial Palace. It was Yorimasa who has shot the nue when it descended on a roof, but it was his retainer who finished the monster off when it fell dwon. A lovely story, one that has been shown many times in Japanese woodblock prints. My favourite one is by Yoshitoshi:

 

https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/ii-no-hayata-kills-the-nue-at-the-imperial-palace/6QFXg9S4Us3qvw

[Guido]

Ii no Hayata, (Yorimasa's retainer s) slaying the nue at the Imperial Palace. It was Yorimasa who has shot the nue when it descended on a roof, but it was his retainer who finished the monster off when it fell dwon.

 

You're correct, it was teamwork!