National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This is a large sickle with a blade that is crescent-shaped and rather thin. On the stem part at the bottom of the blade, two wooden nail holes called Mekugi-ana are cut. On the wooden handle, the mark of a wooden nail hole is left, but its position doesn't correspond to the wooden nail hole of the blade, therefore the handle is unlikely to belong to the blade. This sickle isn't likely for practical use and thus it should be considered as one for ceremonies just like the saw in N-141. In the Gohomotsu-zue (Illustration of Imperial Treasures), a picture of this saw is shown, introduced as "This is a sickle that was used when this temple was constructed." On the bottom of the spire of the five-storied pagoda of Horyu-ji Temple, large sickles just like this one are attached at present as a fetish for lightning protection.