

Vintage Ceramic Incense Box
Japanese Vintage Oribe-hajiki Kogo | Edamame Ceramic Incense Box
Age:1900s
Descriptive qualities& condition:
Dimensions: 1-3/4”h x 2-1/4” w x 1-6/8” L
Oribe ware is high-fired pottery juxtaposing rich fluid glazes with abstract geometric designs resulting from technological innovations at the Mino kilns. As with this type of Oribe-yaki the piece has iron pigment painted on the clay and open areas splashed with a dark green ash and copper glaze. Oribe potters made complex shapes and experimented with a range of vessel forms for which this is a beautiful example of a bean-shaped Oribe-hijiki kogo, (incense box) for the tea ceremony with a handle on the lid. The piece is unsigned.
A Kogo porcelain incense box usually holds kneaded incense in Japan during the cooler months and supports the use of the Kodo, which is the incense burner. Both pieces are often used in conjunction with the tea ceremony to create balance. They provide a wonderful element that will sure to be a conversation starter about the world-renowned Japanese craftsmanship and kilns.
Condition: Mint condition and as originally crafted and in perfect condition retaining the beautiful and crafting of this rare artifact. Without chips, cracks, or breaks. This piece though small, collectors today appreciate Kogo for its beauty, rarity, cultural significance, and superb craftsmanship.
NOTE: The name of this type of pottery refers to the great Mino-born tea master Furuta Oribe (1544-1615). What makes these once functional objects collectible is that they have grown over time changing the direction of folk art, and now are considered objects of art. This is because of the historic aspects such as radical designs, how a piece was first conceived, technique, its age, and rarity. Authentic arts and high crafts also become important to collectors because sentimental value celebrating a particular place in time, activity, intrinsic value, or real value to those who collect