Fancy kugikakushi such as these were usually decorated with various important or auspicious motifs. The petals of the karahana create flower diamonds, a popular motif known as “hanabishi.” The diamond category was one of the most popular of Japanese heraldic motifs. Alongside the diamond, one of the earliest known textile patterns in Japan was the “karahana” or “China flower,” and the natural melding of the two produced the four-petaled “flower diamond.” The alternative name of this motif, “karahanabishi,” makes the combination explicit.

Kugikakushi came into widespread use in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were used to provide a decorative metal covering for the joints of the huge beams and posts of shrines and temples and also in the grand castles that were constructed for various daimyo (feudal lords). Decorative 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.)

Japanese metalwork was a sophisticated and complex craft, and the metal artist was highly esteemed. When swords were banned in 1871 by government edict, many metal craftsmen were forced into new outlets, and so the minor metal arts flourished, with one example being kugikakushi. These unusual decorative nail head covers are interesting and lovely examples of early Japanese metalwork which are sure to be conversation pieces.

CONDITION is excellent, and the patina is superb. DIMENSIONS: body is 3 1/8” (7.9 cm) wide, 2 ¼” (5.7 cm) high; shaft is 1 1/8” (2.9 cm) long.