Skip Navigation

Sword with Carved Handle

Asian Art

On View: Asian Galleries, Arts of Japan, 2nd floor
Adult Ainu men once carried a short, sheathed knife at all times. Like the tobacco kit, the knife was tucked into a man’s sash, and the quality of its carving and materials reflected the status of the wearer. Longer knives like this one were used for heavier work, such as butchering meat and cutting branches, but were still decorated. The blade and metal straps would have been acquired through trade, as the Ainu people did not engage in metalworking.
CULTURE Ainu
MEDIUM Wood and steel
DATES late 19th–early 20th century
DIMENSIONS knife in sheath: 1 9/16 x 1 1/2 x 19 7/8 in. (4 x 3.8 x 50.5 cm) sheath alone: 2 1/4 x 1 1/4 x 14 in. (5.7 x 3.2 x 35.6 cm) knife alone: 3 x 15/16 x 18 1/2 in. (7.6 x 2.4 x 47 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 12.497a-b
CREDIT LINE Gift of Herman Stutzer
PROVENANCE Prior to 1912, provenance not yet documented; 1912, purchased in Japan by Stewart Culin for the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Asian Galleries, Arts of Japan, 2nd floor
CAPTION Ainu. Sword with Carved Handle, late 19th–early 20th century. Wood and steel, knife in sheath: 1 9/16 x 1 1/2 x 19 7/8 in. (4 x 3.8 x 50.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Herman Stutzer, 12.497a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 12.497_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 12.497_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
Ainu. <em>Sword with Carved Handle</em>, late 19th–early 20th century. Wood and steel, knife in sheath: 1 9/16 x 1 1/2 x 19 7/8 in. (4 x 3.8 x 50.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Herman Stutzer, 12.497a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 12.497_PS9.jpg)