Old bronze mirror by Fujiwara Mitsunaga

[Zarathustra]

Hi,

I recently found this very beautiful Mirror with the name of the maker Fujiwara Mitsunaga 藤原光長 (not sure though as name-reading is still difficult, but jisho said so) on it.

The back is bronze, and as i cleaned it a little, i found the mirror itself to be silver, but i dont know how thick the silver layer is, or how the silver was applied to it. I'm eager to polish it a little, to see myself in it, but of course I dont want to damage it.

Does anyone have some Ideas or Knowledge how to further bring this beautiful mirror back to life?

Also, i could find out that it was made in Edo-Jidai, but not exactly when. If anyone knows more, I'd be happy to know.

Thanks,

Florian

[SteveM]

藤原光長　

Fujiwara Mitsunaga is a name handed down from master to student for several generations, and so it is almost like a brand name. This name was in use from 1709 to 1862 (according to the site below). The three-leaf hollyhock motif inside the border is a family crest, as you may already know. That's about all I know from a quick search on the internet.

 

https://www.morita-stone.co.jp/weblog/sp/2017/06/post_364.html

 

[Stephen]

Dont togi polish them? 

[Grey Doffin]

I wouldn't polish the mirror.  Anything more aggressive than mild soap & water is likely to remove plating and might decrease value.  If you need to see what you look like there's probably a better mirror in your bathroom.

Grey

[Ken-Hawaii]

https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/dictio/kinkou/54dokyo.html