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I've had this very old carved wood gadget put away for 10 or 20 years and was never able to identify it. It is 7.25" long and has a spool, a well, and a hole coming out of the well. My best guess was maybe something used for dyeing thread but was never able to find anything similar. It is signed on the bottom. any ideas?

This is a Japanese carpenter's chalk line, (missing the string!)

Hi
It is a vintage Japanese Sumi tsubo. It was used by carpenters to mark a straight line on pieces of wood. The large depression held a piece of cotton soaked in ink (sumi) . In the thinner section was a length of string on a reel. this was drawn out across the ink pad saturating it with ink. When this taut string is snapped down it leaves a straight black line....similar to a carpenters chalk line. Hope this helps
Regards Sue

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