Tokyo Nihonto video ad

Can you guess what this is? 🦞 It's a lobster, hidden in the grip of a samurai sword. Why would a samurai carry a lobster? • Its shell is built from overlapping plates, like samurai armour. Its old nickname: gusoku ebi, the armour lobster • Ise-ebi points to Ise, home of Japan's most sacred shrine, and "ise" sounds like isei: fighting spirit • In kanji, 海老 means "sea" + "old man": a bent back and long whiskers That's why it still crowns Japanese New Year feasts and weddings: a wish for a long life. Every time this samurai drew his sword, he held a New Year's wish in his hand. Did you guess it before the reveal? And which hidden symbol should we decode next? 👇 The sword: a Muromachi-period katana attributed to Kashū Ietsugu (Fujishima school, Kaga), NBTHK Hozon. Available at tokyo-nihonto.com (link in bio). #katana #nihonto #samurai #japanesesword #menuki #japaneseculture #antiques