PhoenixDude

On the side, I should change my handle to "Phoenix dude"...

SOLD

it says 1, praying mantis figure or image kogai. 一、龍車螳螂図笄

I would put it very late edo imho.

its a level of craftmanship that is way above what you normally see in cloisonne works.

A very rare cloisonné kozuka depicting scattered snowflakes and a hazy moon on the obverse. Shipo or cloisonné fittings are somewhat out of the norm and would be a fine addition to any collection. This one is in excellent condition considering how fragile these fitting are. They are basically glass on soft metal. The motif is executed masterfully using gold wire to outline very fine details, with the whole body being constructed of a base of silver with a shakudo onlay on the back. 1634 is the earliest time that pieces of cloisonne have been credited to the Edo Era. Before that time, many pieces were made, but the makers names are unknown, as was customary in those ancient times. The Shosoin treasury in Nara, has a mirror that is dated around 750 AD. There is little doubt that the art of shippo, was known, and used, in Japan in the 8th century. Accompanied with NBTHK Hozon papers. SOLD

Just an update, my set did bounce at shinsa. Once I was able to get ahold of him, Fred was more than accommodating. He has issued a return for the set and covered the shinsa fees in full.

alright I think I may send them in through Tim Pepin, as he reached out and is offering to slip my set in with a larger shipment he has coming up.

Yup, this is when I learned to bring a jewelers loupe with me to any event. The sellers name is Fred Geyer btw.

Azuma-san, Where did you find this photo? Its an exact copy of the one I bought almost.

I have gotten in touch with the seller finally but he is insisting I send it to shinsa for a return, and has said he will cover the cost of a pink slip.

Azuma-san, These pictures are a great illustration, thank you. The piece I have isn't so blatant, as it does not have any visible casting seams or bubbles, and the details on the motif elements much finer than this example, but the areas you highlighted in the bottom of your example are exactly like what is seen on these. The nanako is also 'soft' looking as in your example too. perhaps the base was cast and the motif elements added on top?

And this is why I don't post here much anymore.

Unfortunately I asked the seller for a return a long time ago and they are refusing to talk to me. Wont answer my phone calls with his secretary nor any of my emails. This was why I decided to never go back to the SFO show.

Jean, I already consulted with him a long time ago, his opinion is that they are not authentic.

try it now

Hello all, Its been a while since I posted but I have a piece here that I purchased pre covid at the SFO show in 2019 and would like some insight and/or opinions on it. I purchased this and it seemed like a legitimate piece at first glance, with very finely made details and mixed gilding, but when I got it home and started looking at the details up close with a loupe I noticed a few oddities. Fig 1 & 2 are overall photos of the front and back. The pieces seem to be traditionally constructed and not cast, the elements seem to be integrated with the base and the nanako seems to go 'around' the base of the elements in places (See kogai detail 2). Both pieces are non magnetic. Fig 3 & 4 are close ups of the work on the kogai and kozuka respectively. note that on closer inspection, one can begin to see where the gilding is showing on the nanako on the bottom left edge of the kogai in Fig 3, and there are some 'shiny' spots in the nanako on the left side of the kozuka in fig 4. Notice more of this 'overrun' on the edges of the phoenix element in the kogai closeups 1, 2, and 3. Upon further inspection, examples of this overrun can be seen in multiple other places on the piece, as well as places where the nanako seems gilded, and did not become black (Top right of kogai detail 1, top of kogai detail 6, top right of kogai detail 7, top of kozuka detail 3 and 7) I have considered that the nanako may have been colored in by a metalworking markup dye called dyekem, but I have tested a sample of dykem on a similar surface and it does not seem to be the case. All of this leads me to a few possible scenarios in order of my perceived likelihood: 1. This is a modern fake. 2. This could be a genuine original piece that originally had a gold nanako background, that was 'colored' in later by a owner or dealer. 3. this could be a genuine antique piece, with a construction method that I am unaware of and have never seen nor heard of. All photos can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ocTp54uHSH8EIH8EX5K-ZPIf8ak5908n?usp=sharing These pieces look very finely detailed in hand and the photographs do not really capture that very well. What are your thoughts regarding these? Thanks for your input, -B.S.

xxxxin deleting this thread because Ford hijacked it and set it on fire.

Ford, where the heck did I say "Alpha and Omega"? I said beginning and end of all things, as in creation and destruction of every object, birth and death of every person. There is certainly a concept of birth and death in buddhism, how else will you be reincarnated if you don't die first? I guess several written articles are wrong and you are the only one who knows everything huh.

"The open-mouthed one is making the "a" sound and is known as "agyo" and the closed-mouth is making the "n" sound and is called "ungyo". These are the first and last syllables in Japanese and symbolize beginning and end, birth and death, equivalent to the alpha and omega in Greco-European culture." "The open-mouth figure is called “Agyō,” who is uttering the sound “ah,” meaning birth. His close-mouth partner is called “Ungyō,” who sounds “un” or “om,” meaning death. Other explanations for the opened/closed mouth include: Mouth open to scare off demons, closed to shelter/keep in the good spirits. “Ah” is the first sound in the Japanese alphabet, while "N" (pronounced “un” ) is the last, so the combination symbolically represents all possible outcomes (from alpha to omega) in the cosmic dance of existence. The first letter in Sanskrit is “Ah” as well, but the last is “Ha.” Nonetheless, the first and last sounds produced by the mouth are “Ah” (mouth open) and “M” (mouth closed). The Japanese "n" and the Sanskrit "m" sound exactly the same when hummed with mouth closed. The spiritual Sanskrit term AHAM thus encapsulates the first letter-sound “A,” the last letter-sound “HA,” and the final sound “M” when the mouth is closed. " Src: https://www.japanvisitor.com/Japanese-culture/nio-guardians https://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/nio.shtml

So I recently picked up these menuki, and they are huge, about 7.5 x 2.3 cm each. Whatever they were mounted on must have been massive.there is some nice detail in them, and if you look close you will notice that one has its beak open and one has its beak closed, as in A and N, representing beginning and end of all things. This is seen also on pairs of Nio positioned in front of temple gates. Anyways, Im sure these are late edo work, does anyone have any thoughts or input they would like to share regarding a possible school?

Thanks!

no other info about him?

see title. Haynes index number H 010695.0 I don't have a copy of the index handy.