The front side is decorated with a fan cartouche in which a large gold bird of prey sits on a thick pine branch. There are two small gold birds. On the back, the curvilinear cartouche contains inlaid flowers and rocks with a small bird, all done in gold and silver. Two silver and gold medallions with silver taka-zogan dots decorate the handle. The inlays were executed using the various techniques of “hira-zogan” (flat inlay), “taka-zogan” (relief inlay) and “nunome-zogan” (sometimes classified as an overlay or an onlay technique as opposed to an inlay one inasmuch as there are no grooves cut for the inlaid metals.)

Tetsubin are cast iron water kettles which were popular in Japan as everyday household utensils and for informal and semi-formal tea drinking. During the second half of the 19th century, tetsubin made especially as tea utensils came to be highly esteemed. They were often elaborately decorated with cast iron relief ornament or with gold and silver inlays. Fine ornamental tetsubin of this type were preferred by the upper classes for the sencha style tea ceremony. At the time they were originally produced, tetsubin with gold and silver inlays were five to ten times more expensive than those without, so they have always been highly valued, rare and difficult to acquire.

Tetsubin can be classified according to their level of quality, separating those of higher technical quality and more decorative external features – the so-called “ornamental” kettles – from those of lower technical quality and less decorated ones. Inlaid ornamental tetsubin like this one are magnificent examples of Japanese ironwork which are very much sought after by collectors today.

To Japanese women, hair ornaments were much more than mere accessories to feminine hair-do and attire. The comb progressed from a utilitarian object to a highly decorative one on which craftsmen and artists lavished their imagination and skill. In keeping with their inclination to beautify even ordinary items of everyday use, the Japanese turned hair ornaments into extraordinary artistic objects that mirrored the cultural and social history of the period. They reflected the life and status of their wearers, who were geisha, courtesans, ladies in the court and women in their homes. In their own small way, combs and hairpins provide a miniature glimpse of the exceptional beauty of Japanese art. (See the wonderful article “Combs and Hairpins” by Sharon Ziesnitz and Takeguchi Momoko in DARUMA 35, Summer 2002.)

The alloy paktong also has a fascinating history. Centuries before nickel was isolated in the west, the Chinese had produced an alloy of zinc, copper and nickel which had the lustrous sheen and color tone of silver, was appreciably harder than silver, and did not tarnish in use. Many examples of this alloy have a particularly pleasing color which is silver bright but possesses what has been termed a “soul of gold.” For additional information about paktong, see our article in ARTS OF ASIA, Nov/Dec. 1992.