A hibachi like this one used to hold fire, not ferns. Carved from a single section of keyaki, the dense, tightly grained elm prized in Japan for furniture that needed to survive real daily use, this bowl once held glowing charcoal for warmth or for heating water, its copper liner fitted to protect the wood from the heat it was built to hold. What's carried it into a very different life is the gold maki-e on its exterior, chrysanthemum blossoms built up in fine gold powder over lacquer, sprinkled on while the lacquer was still tacky, a technique Japanese lacquer artists have practiced for over a thousand years and one that simply can't be faked with paint. The wood has taken on a deep, almost coppery patina of its own after generations of handling, the grain showing through in long, quiet lines beneath the lacquer. Repurposed as a planter, as many surviving hibachi are today, it brings real weight and a genuine functional history into a room, not just the look of one. Set it low, on a console or the floor beside a chair, somewhere its gold detailing can catch afternoon light, and let something living grow out of a vessel that used to hold fire.
*Era: Antique
*Dimension: 13” DM x 8.5”H
*Material: Keyaki (Japanese elm) wood, copper liner
*Finish: Gold maki-e lacquer decoration (chrysanthemum motif), natural aged patina
*Condition: Wear consistent with age & use, blemishes and imperfections will be present. These are not to be considered defects but rather part of its character & historical value. Copper liner intact and fitted; maki-e shows expected age-related wear with no active losses noted.
An antique Japanese hibachi, a traditional charcoal brazier, carved from keyaki (Japanese elm) wood and fitted with a copper liner, decorated with gold maki-e chrysanthemum lacquerwork. Now repurposed as a planter, it brings genuine functional and decorative history into a room.
Q&A:
What was a hibachi originally used for? A traditional Japanese portable brazier, used to hold burning charcoal for warmth or for heating water and food. The copper liner fitted inside this one protected the wood bowl from the heat it was built to hold, a functional detail rather than decoration.
What is maki-e? A Japanese lacquer technique, over a thousand years old, in which gold or silver powder is sprinkled onto still-wet lacquer to build a design, here a chrysanthemum motif, in fine layers rather than painted on top. It's one of the most labor-intensive decorative techniques in Japanese lacquerware and a real marker of quality when found intact on an older piece.
• **Please bear in mind that colors of products shown may vary slightly from their original color due to monitor display settings or photography studio.
