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

This nyoi is made by pasting the pieces of water-buffalo horn together. As the tip is bent in a claw-shape, the whole shape resembles a magonote (back scratcher, lit. grand child's hand). It is thought that nyoi (lit. as-wished) was called by this name because a person could scratch itchy parts on one's own back very easily with it, although later it became an ornamental instrument for monks at lectures and religious services. There are no nyoi made of water-buffalo horn in Shōsōin, although there are ones made of different materials such as spotted or non-spotted rhinoceros horn, baleen and tortoise shell. All of those have the same magonote shape, which represents the old style of nyoi. This piece is thought to be the one referred to as the water-buffalo nyoi in the August 23, Kangen 1 (1243) entry of Kokon-mokurokushō (Literature on Prince Regent Shōtoku and the record of Horyūji temple). It is also written in Kokon-mokurokushō that Priest Gyōshin used a water-buffalo nyoi at the memorial service for Lady Srimala (the main figure in The Sutra of Queen Srimala of The Lion's Roar, Jp. Shōmangyō).