Incised on each ring is the popular deity Daruma, whose robes and eyes are gold. On the other side is the cheerful face of Okame, the goddess of mirth, whose hair is ornamented with what appears to be shakudo. Other incised gold symbols surround each ring, including a drum with a shakudo skin. The blue hinged cardboard box has a metal latch and a satin liner in which each ring sits.

Giboshi is an architectural element used on older Japanese bridges. The ends are bulbous and come to a point, resembling the onion domes in Western culture and architecture. They are often found in older Japanese bridges and on bridges in Japanese gardens, temples and shinto shrines. This giboshi was purchased in 1973 from an antiques shop on Shinmonzen Street in Kyoto, and a copy of sales original receipt is available.

CONDITION is excellent, with wonderful original patina. There is some light wear consistent with age and usage.

Chinese bronzes were imported to Japan during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods for use in the decoration of new styles of palace interiors. With the emergence of flower arrangement and the tea ceremony as distinctively Japanese cultural pursuits, bronze casters began to develop new and innovative forms of vessels loosely based on Chinese originals but with an unmistakable Japanese elegance. The usubata (“thin rim”) form was a purely Japanese development. Its wide, flat mouth was particularly favored as a means of enhancing the aesthetic balance between the flowering plants and their container, and this style of flower vessel remained popular until the very end of the Meiji period. (See similar examples illustrated and discussed in the sumptuous book entitled FLOWER BRONZES OF JAPAN by Joe Earle.)

Japanese bronze casters in the early and middle Edo period perfected an innovative and elegant style of container in response to changing tastes in flower arrangement. This elegance was retained until the 19th century, when differing aesthetics demands gave rise to the development of new, more highly decorated, types of bronze vessels. This is one of the finest flower bronzes we have ever had the opportunity to acquire.

CONDITION is excellent.

A suiteki was an essential element of the scholar’s desk. It was used by calligraphers and painters to wet an inkstone with measured drops of water. A finger would be held over the small hole, allowing water to come out of the spout in small quantities. An inkstick would then be ground into the moistened stone to produce liquid black ink.

CONDITION is excellent with a wonderful original patina overall. Ex. Collection Irene Scarborough Winston Vogel.

DIMENSIONS: 3 ¾” (9.5 cm) long, 2” (5 cm) wide, 5/8” (1.7 cm) high.

Before the advent of electric lights in Japan, candles and linseed oil lanterns were used for light. Japanese candles were made of a vegetable wax, having a wick consisting of a roll of paper. The wick, being hollow, was fitted to the sharp metal spur or “pricket” about an inch long found at the top of the candle stand. The classic chrysanthemum design is very appealing and makes these candle stands a gorgeous decorative accent in any decor. These early kikuza-shokudai are becoming increasingly difficult to acquire.

CONDITION is excellent, and the dark, rich original patina is simply wonderful. One of the shafts is a bit wobbly where it connects to the base.

The Japanese link rats with prosperity, especially in the agricultural sector, because of the rodent’s success in securing food supplies. In art, depictions of the rat are most common in years of the zodiac represented by the animal and in presentations of Daikoku, a deity of grain and one of Japan’s Seven Gods of Good Luck.

CONDITION is excellent, with nice patina. There are a few darkened spots on one side.

Kugikakushi came into widespread use in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were used to provide a decorative metal covering for the large exposed and unsightly nails used in the construction of shrines and temples and also in the grand castles that were built for various daimyo (feudal lords). Nail head covers were usually cast in metal from molds, and the surface was then finished in varying techniques. So many metal alloys were used that it is difficult to determine the base metal of most kugikakushi. Some of the decorative methods include engraving the design on the mold, which creates an embossed pattern on the metal; openwork; chiseling or engraving on the finished object; plating; lacquering and enameling. Decorative motifs for many centuries played a prominent role in both the religious and daily lives of the Japanese people. Architecture was embellished with these symbols, which were representative of both the tangibles of nature and the intangibles of the spirit. Birds, bats, turtles, bamboo and family crests were some of the popular subjects for nail head covers. (See examples of kugikakushi on page 181 of “Japanese Antiques” by Patricia Salmon.)

This piece is a very good example of the decorative metal arts that propagated after the Meiji restoration era began in 1868. From this point in time, the samurai class was abolished and the Bushido or Way of the Warrior was put to an end. With this came the sword makers who were almost instantly out of work. With their generations of artistic skill at risk of being lost, they applied their talents to producing metal decorative arts such as this piece which is a prime example of the quality and craftsmanship that has since endured a tumultuous time in Japan's history. Rarely seen or found, these unusual decorative nail head covers are interesting and lovely examples of early Japanese metalwork. They are sure to be conversation pieces.

Kyoto was the birthplace both of ikebana and of the bronze flower vessel, and scrolls dating from the second half of the 17th century show the first examples of this most characteristic of Japanese bronze forms, the so-called futabana (two-flower) vase. By 1698, the futabana seems to have become one of the most popular ikebana vase forms, with handles that predominantly included shishi, butterflies, dragons and hares. With the emergence of flower arrangement and the tea ceremony as distinctively Japanese cultural pursuits, bronze casters began to develop new and innovative forms of vessels loosely based on Chinese originals but with an unmistakable Japanese elegance. These culminated in large bronze vases cast in exaggerated form for the classic, formal rikka style of flower arrangement, prevalent in the 17th century and early 18th centuries. With the re-opening of overseas contacts from the 1850’s, traditional styles were combined with the skills of the metal craftsmen and sword smiths in the manufacture of these magnificent showpieces, many of which were displayed at exhibitions in Europe and the United States. (See similar examples illustrated and discussed in the sumptuous book entitled FLOWER BRONZES OF JAPAN by Joe Earle.) This important Japanese flower bronze came from the estate of heiress Doris Duke, a passionate collector of Asian art. More than 200 pieces from her collection now reside in prominent museum collections.