In the center of the main room of traditional Japanese houses of the Edo and Meiji periods stood an open hearth in which a small charcoal fire was kept burning. Above the fire was a suspension device called a “jizai” (self-adjuster) from which an iron kettle could be hung and raised or lowered as needed. A large wooden pothook hanger (“jizai-gake”) was suspended by a heavy rope from the high roof beams. The other end of this rope was attached to the adjuster (“yokogi,” i.e., crosspiece) through which the rope passed just above the iron hook. The weight of a pot on the iron hook pulled down on the rope and jammed it tight inside its hole through the crosspiece. Moving the yokogi to a horizontal position released this tension and permitted the kettle to be raised or lowered. Because the fire was maintained on an open hearth in the middle of the floor, this kettle suspension apparatus was always in plain view of guests or customers. Well-to-do farmers and merchants vied with one another to obtain large, impressive kettle-hook hangers made of fine wood, carefully formed and finished. Zelkova was the most expensive wood used for this purpose. It is a sturdy, long-lasting hardwood with a beautiful dense grain, and it requires little maintenance.

Folk-craft products or “mingei,” of which this kettle hook is representative, are objects used by common people. These commonplace, functional artifacts are endowed with a beauty directly connected with their utility – a beauty that is simple, humble and unassuming. Considered a quintessential example of Japanese folk art, keyaki wood jizai-gake are represented in most major collections of mingei or Japanese folk art.

In the center of the main room of traditional houses of the Edo and Meiji periods stood an open hearth in which a small charcoal fire was kept burning. Above the fire was a suspension device called a jizai (self-adjuster) from which an iron kettle could be hung and raised or lowered as necessary. A large wooden pothook hanger (jizai-gake) was suspended by a heavy rope from the high roof beams. The other end of this rope was attached to the adjuster (yokogi: crosspiece) through which the rope passed just above the iron hook. The weight of a pot on the iron hook pulled down on the rope and jammed it tight inside its hole through the crosspiece. Moving the yokogi to a horizontal position released this tension and permitted the kettle to be raised or lowered.

Wooden crosspieces were usually carved in fanciful forms having auspicious and protective symbolism. A yokogi in the form of a carp (koi) was meant to inspire and instill courage and perseverance in the male children of the family and thus help to bring about success in their subsequent careers. Carp, like salmon, swim upstream to spawn, struggling bravely to overcome barriers such as rapids and waterfalls. In addition to the symbolism of the carp, fish-shaped yokogi in general symbolized the presence of water and were thought to magically prevent the fire in the hearth from starting a conflagration and destroying the house.