Japanese Jizai Kagi
Antique Japanese Huge Wooden Carp Jizai Kagi Hearth Kettle Decorative Hanger
Age:1912 (Meiji era)
Descriptive qualities& condition:
Dimensions: 8-0”h x 24-0”l x 4-1/4w
19th-century antique hand-carved Jizai Kagi Country Style Hearth Pot Hanger made as a three-dimensional stylized fish. This version is meant to be suspended. This wonderful example has a fine original dark patina and is strung on a hemp rope with an iron hanger.
Such decorative and functional pieces were used in conjunction with an irori which is a traditional Japanese sunken square, stone-lined sunken pit on the floor filled with a type of charcoal that served as a family gathering location and is used for heating the room. These built-in fixtures were also for cooking food and equipped with an adjustable pothook called a jizaikagi, occasionally consisting of an iron or bamboo rod used for raising or lowering a suspended pot or kettle by means of an attached lever, which is often decoratively designed in the shape of a fish, or an architectural element of solid hardwood referred to as a hearth hook, (Daikoku). In wealthy homes, many of these had a natural bamboo pole with a chain & hook system or rope as you see here that allowed the lowering of the pot hanging hook under the fish to adjust a pot close to a fire.
Specifically related to the ornamental qualities of this piece, this black carp shows its natural long flowing fins with a head in contrast to the textured deeply carved orange scales and simplistic ribs of the tail. This fish has an extra-long mustache indicating it was modeled from an old fish and at the sides of two pairs of U-shaped nostrils, (nares) located on either side of the snout, and between two bulging eyes without eyelids, symbolizing wakeful attention and vigilance in devotion. Also shown is the open mouth which is also characteristic of this fish. Koi are known to have a powerful and energetic life force, demonstrated by their ability to swim against currents and even travel upstream. The Koi fish shows many of the attributes that symbolize prosperity and success including several lessons individuals often encounter in life. Some of the characteristics associated with the Koi include Good fortune, success, prosperity, longevity, courage, ambition, and perseverance. Today these antique and vintage works incorporating the Koi have been called “living jewels” and “swimming flowers” for their physical beauty have symbolic significance in Asian cultures. These everyday objects were treasured as objects of beauty.
Condition: Excellent, beautiful original condition, unaltered, sooted coloration and finished with a natural-colored candle wax, (Rosoku no ro). Experienced artisans used over two hundred different chisels and knives to carve objects in three dimensions, a technique known as ‘fukabori’, which amply demonstrates their superb craftsmanship. The piece is consistent with age and meets all the standards of collectible Folk Art.
