Pin help please

[redjewelcsw]

I got this yesterday and I am hoping someone recognizes the mark on it. Thanks all!

[mforjan]

What does it say on the metal of the pin?

[redjewelcsw]

It says silver

[oncoyotemountainart]

l believe the three dots and the line is your signature.  It reminds of the ship and three drums Buddhist symbol.  I would guess the pin back was added much later.  Others here know ivory better than me, but I believe it is an old carved tinted Ivory piece that someone added a pin back to.  It may have originally been part of a larger piece or something.

[redjewelcsw]

We are on the fence about it being ivory. It is almost like wood grain that is layered. My husband louped it and can't figure out for sure. I suspected when I got it that it might be.

[dadsfloridatreasure]

You could always do the Hot Pin Test to test if it's real ivory.

Heat up a safety pin by the flame of a candle or cigarette lighter.  Find a discrete area on the side or the back.  Take the hot pin and touch the item to test.  Smell the area and look at it.  If it has no scent and did not make a mark, it is real ivory.  If it burned the item and smells like burning hair, it is bone.  If it melts it and has a chemical odor, it is plastic.

[bluedaemon23]

Both the mark and the design on your little guy's belt buckle (or whatever it is, not that familiar with that type of Japanese male dress) ring faint bells, but I'll have to do some research after I do my housework and pack up a widget. I second the suspicion that it's ivory; I had a tinted ivory pin once with a similar back.

I think your little guy is somebody specific, though I don't recognize him.

[bluedaemon23]

Well, I'm unable to find the mark on the back of the pin, though I'm sure it's something - perhaps the mon (crest) of either the maker or the shop where the piece was originally sold, or maybe the town it came from. Unfortunately, I put my book on mon into storage along with the rest of my Japan references.
I had better luck with the crest on the belt. I'm almost certain that your guy is Takeda Shingen, a famous historical figure. https://www.samurai-archives.com/shingen.html is a good link.