Description
A shaku is a thin, elongated tablet held by court officials during formal ceremonies to maintain proper decorum and dignity. Although this piece is identified as an ivory scepter, it is actually made of animal bone, crafted to resemble the ivory scepters permitted only to high-ranking individuals. It is traditionally said to have been used by Prince Shōtoku (574–622).
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
October 26, 2026