National Treasure
Long Sword (Tachi), Inscribed “Norikuni”
太刀 銘則国
Metalwork · Kamakura, 13th centuryKyoto NM
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Important Cultural Property
Finial for a Priest’s Staff (Shakujō)
金銅錫杖頭
At a glance — Metalwork · Kamakura period, 13th century · held by Kyoto National Museum · designated Important Cultural Property of Japan.
Fact Sheet
- Designation
- Important Cultural Property (重要文化財)
- Category
- Metalwork
- Date
- 1201–1300
- Dimensions
- Height19.8cm8.6cm
- Held by
- Kyoto National Museum
- Location
- Higashiyama, Kyoto
- Catalogue ID
- cobas-167864
Find more
- Same period
- Kamakura metalwork →
- At this museum
- All 680 works here →
Itinerant Buddhist priests traveling the country sometimes carried long wooden staffs (shakujō) capped by finials such as this. The sound of the jangling metal rings could ward off poisonous snakes and possibly even awaken the monk to Buddhist truths. This is one of the most important surviving examples of its type.
— Museum description: Kyoto National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.
Record & Sources
- Designation: Important Cultural Property (重要文化財), Government of Japan
- Catalogue ID: cobas-167864 (permanent)
- Official record: Japan Search — jpsearch.go.jp/item/cobas-167864
- Holder's collection: ColBase — Kyoto National Museum
- Photograph: Kyoto National Museum, via ColBase — CC BY 4.0. CC BY 4.0 licence
Cite this page: “Finial for a Priest’s Staff (Shakujō)（金銅錫杖頭）.” Treasures of Japan, catalogue no. cobas-167864. Kyoto National Museum. https://treasures.yamato-kenkou.com/treasures/finial-for-a-priests-staff-shakuj/ — entry last verified 1 November 2026.
Full record data (as published in the official catalogue record)
- Genre: Metalwork
- Cultural property designation: Important Cultural Property
- Category: Applied arts:Religious objects:Buddhism|Applied arts:By media:Metalwork|Applied arts:By region:Japan
- Size: Height19.8cm8.6cm
- 員数: 1柄
- 分類: 金工
- 種別: 工芸:宗教・信仰用具:仏教|工芸:素材別:金工|工芸:地域別:日本
- 法量: 高19.8cm:8.6cm
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