A kozuka signed on the reverse 宗珉 (Sōmin) followed by his kaō (花押): the signature of Yokoya Sōmin, the master who gave the Yokoya school its place in machibori as an alternative to the official Gotō line. The original seller identifies him with the founder of the school and places the piece in the mid-Edo period. The subject is the tiger beneath bamboo, 竹虎図 (taketora-zu): bamboo leaves fill one end in broad katakiribori cuts, while the tiger emerges beside the stem at the other, its fur, whiskers and claws rendered with the chisel in fine kebori and an almost humorous expression. The ground is polished shibuichi, and the reverse has a striated finish recalling wood grain, on which the signature is cut. The photographs show dark grey shibuichi with lighter, mottled areas on the front ground and some fine scratches; the carving keeps its crispness. The NBTHK Tokubetsu Hozon Tōsōgu paper, issued in 2009, describes the piece as 竹虎図小柄 (taketora-zu kozuka), 銘 宗珉（花押） (mei Sōmin kaō), 四分一磨地 (shibuichi migaki-ji), 片切毛彫 (katakiri-bori kebori). Dimensions according to the original seller: 96.3 × 14.5 mm.