Type: MS (Menuki Single)
Signature: none
This single menuki is worked in a mixed-metal scheme of shakudō with gilt copper highlights, depicting an arrangement of autumn grasses and blooming flowers accompanied by a stylized cricket to one side. The composition is slightly elongated and narrow, typical of Edo period menuki intended to sit comfortably beneath the tsuka-ito without creating excessive bulk. The flower heads are rendered with fine chisel work, with both gilded and silvered elements giving depth to the motif, while the leaves and stalks in dark shakudō create contrast. The cricket, placed at the far end of the cluster, gilded and carved with clear segmentation along the abdomen and thorax. The reverse shows the usual concave shaping with a single, neatly formed post for mounting. No repairs are visible, though the gold shows localized darkening and minor softening from age.
