Samurai Kubi-oke

Containers for the Storage of Samurai Heads

Kubi-Oke were round wooden bucket-like containers used for the storage and transportation of severed heads and to slow down the decay of these trophies of war. They stood around 29cm high, and 33cm in diameter. Often they were fitted with steel brackets called gatari to carry the box on a pole. The higher quality kubi-oke were often lacquered, and the simpler ones were of plain wood. To make the main cylinder, the softer, thinner wood used was sewn shut with a double stitching of similar wood or bamboo.