Japanese Antique Portable Hibachi Brazier Hand Warmer | Taishō era

Dimensions: 10-0”h (not including the handle) x 10-1/2”w x 7-0”w

Offered is an Antique small wood Hibachi Brazier Hand Warmer, purchased in Kyoto in 1998 and which was made to be by individual household members, portable, and easily moved from place to place. This hand warmer is a type of heater that would have provided a welcome source of warmth in an unheated washitsu (tatami) room and counterpart to the larger irori (hearth) used by many family members or guests which was often is the center of domestic life. 

The entire box is made of solid hardwood (Keyaki/Zelkova wood) with a black lacquered lip on the top of the box to add a little definition framing the wood grill. The Brazier has a removable fireproof copper box with an insert that can be readily refilled with Binchotan, a high-quality, small, dense, long-burning charcoal briquette. The original hard-carved wood decorative, removable grill remains to allow heat to rise, which is also lined with copper to protect it from heat. When lifted the front panel exposes the removable box and below it is a drawer made to hold accessories such as mixed metal chopsticks in the first image are included, and used to handle, reposition, and add coals when needed. It has a beautiful bronze actuated handle on the front as well as a small bronze pull on the face of the drawer. The elegant shape emphasizes the beauty of the natural grain of wood. The charcoal and tools in the last two images are just for illustrative purposes.

 Condition: Excellent remarkable condition, fully intact, as originally hand-crafted which suggests a slight degree of wear that corresponds to its vintage and meets all the standards of the collectible furniture of the period. This is a “rare” piece, not seen often and treasured by collectors.