Turn this one slowly and the decoration tells a small story, a bird caught mid-flight on one side, a flowering branch unfurling on another, the classic bird-and-blossom pairing that shows up again and again in Japanese decorative art because it never really goes out of favor. Both are worked in gold maki-e, powder built up over lacquer in fine layers rather than painted on, sitting against the warm, banded grain of a keyaki wood bowl with a fuller, more barrel-like profile than a plain planter would ever have. Lift it and the reason becomes obvious, a fitted copper liner sits inside, its surface carrying a soft verdigris patina that only comes from real age, evidence this bowl held actual charcoal fire long before it held soil. That kind of history doesn't fake well, and it's exactly what separates a piece like this from a modern reproduction planter. Give it a low perch, a console, a hearth that no longer sees a fire of its own, somewhere the bird and the blossom can both be seen without having to walk all the way around it.
*Era: Antique
*Dimension: 13” DM x 8”H
*Material: Keyaki (Japanese elm) wood, copper liner
*Finish: Gold maki-e lacquer decoration (bird and flowering-branch 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 with expected verdigris patina; maki-e shows minor age-appropriate wear.
An antique Japanese hibachi carved from keyaki (Japanese elm) wood with a fitted copper liner, decorated in gold maki-e with a bird-and-flowering-branch motif. Now used as a planter, it pairs genuine functional history with fine traditional lacquer decoration.
Q&A:
What does the bird-and-blossom motif mean? Bird-and-flower pairings, known as kachō in Japanese decorative art, are one of the most enduring motif combinations in the tradition, appearing across lacquerware, painting, and textiles for centuries. There's no single fixed meaning tied to this specific pairing, it's valued as a classic, well-balanced decorative composition rather than a narrative symbol.
Why is there metal inside the bowl? A fitted copper liner, original to the piece's use as a working hibachi, a traditional charcoal brazier. It protected the wood from the heat of burning charcoal, and the visible soft green patina on the copper is a natural result of age rather than damage.
• **Please bear in mind that colors of products shown may vary slightly from their original color due to monitor display settings or photography studio.
