cabinetwork; joinery
Only when written 指物 / 指し物
Refers to finely crafted wooden furniture and fittings, especially traditional Japanese joinery. Usually written as 指物 or 指し物.
He spent ten years mastering the art of cabinetwork.
This piece of joinery uses not a single nail.
Only when written 挿物 / 挿し物
A decorative item inserted into the hair. Often written as 挿物 or 挿し物.
A maiko's ornamental hairpin is a kind of beautiful hair ornament.
identification banner (archaic)
Only when written 差物 / 差し物
Archaic term for a small banner or coloured marker worn by soldiers in battle for identification, used from the Sengoku period to the end of the Edo period. Written as 差物 or 差し物.
Warriors in the Sengoku period wore identification banners on their backs to distinguish allies.
A cabinetmaker or joiner, the craftsman who makes 指物.
A general term for ornamental hairpins, while 挿物 is a broader category of hair ornaments.
Standard spelling for cabinetwork and joinery.
Historical spelling for the archaic banner sense.
Historical spelling with okurigana for the archaic banner sense.
Variant with okurigana, also common for cabinetwork.
Often used for hair ornaments.
Variant with okurigana for hair ornaments.
Compound of 指し (sashi, 'pointing' or 'inserting') + 物 (mono, 'thing'). The exact derivation of each sense is uncertain; the kanji 指, 挿, and 差 all relate to actions of pointing, inserting, or displaying, which align with the respective meanings.