Dear community,
You may wonder why I have arrived at a Japanese Sword forum with the attached item.
Whilst I have an ever growing passion for Japanese art and culture I admit to only owning a few Tsuba. This being said, I do posses a deep interest in Japanese metal works, and the origin, and own a humble collection of Kagamibuta.
Perhaps the only link to Japanese swords on the following item is that I believe it to be crafted in a similar spirit as the Japanese Sword, and that the case top looks to be made of the metal composition Shakudo.
I have tried to decipher the Kanji on this item for a while with very little success (I have been slowly learning to read Kanji but have a long way to go). I believe it may make reference to a temple around the Nara region. The masks around this item make me reminisce of temples in Nara. I suspect the work comes from a circle of hands around an artist named Kano Tessai. Beyond this I am floored. I recently showed it to a friend with Kanji skills, who suggested I visit this forum to ask if anyone can help translate.
As there are a number of sections with kanji, I have taken separate photos to try and capture all the kanji in a readable format. Please click on images for the larger views.
I realise this is a big ask - and if it's not possible, or the item off topic for this forum, I fully appreciate your stance and thank you for taking the time read this post.
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Section 6