About This Item:
This is a substantial cast bronze koro (incense burner/censer) from the Takaoka bronze ware (Takaoka Doki) tradition of Toyama, Japan - one of Japan's leading centers of metal casting for over 400 years. The tripod body is cast in relief with a dragon and phoenix motif, flanked by dragon-head handles, and topped with a sculptural shishi (lion-dog) finial pierced to let smoke escape.
The base is impressed with the mark "吉秀" (Yoshihide), attributing this piece to Nousaku Yoshihide, a certified Takaoka Traditional Industry Master Craftsman (recognized in 1983) who specialized in the namagata (raw-mold) casting technique and was honored by the city of Takaoka in 1989 for his casting work. This attribution rests on the seal mark itself; no certificate of authenticity accompanies the piece.
Comes with the original wooden box (tomobako), lettered "美術工芸品" (fine art craft) and "香炉" (koro).