A bird perched mid-branch, blossoms opening around it, small centers of blue picked out in color rather than gold, this one has more going on than the others in its group, and it shows. The maki-e work wraps a single flowering branch most of the way around the bowl, the bird rendered with real attention to its feathers and posture rather than as a simple silhouette, while touches of turquoise-toned lacquer at the flower centers break up what would otherwise be an all-gold palette. The keyaki wood underneath has a fuller, straighter-sided profile than a typical rounded planter, more barrel than bowl, with the same deep, banded grain running through it. Its copper liner comes as a separate fitted insert rather than fixed in place, evidence this piece genuinely worked as a hibachi before it worked as anything else, lift it out and the liner still shows the fire-darkened interior that comes only from real use.
Give it good light so the turquoise has a chance to be noticed against all that gold.
*Era: Antique
*Origin: Japan
*Material: Keyaki (Japanese elm) wood, removable copper liner
*Size: 7” DM x 6.5”H
*Color: Gold maki-e lacquer with turquoise-toned accents, bird-and-blossom motif, on natural aged wood 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 present as a separate fitted insert with fire-darkened interior consistent with genuine use; maki-e shows minor age-appropriate wear.
An antique Japanese hibachi in keyaki (elm) wood with a separate fitted copper liner, decorated in gold maki-e with a bird-and-blossom motif accented in turquoise-toned lacquer. A more richly colored variation within this hibachi group, now used as a planter.
Q&A:
Why is the liner separate instead of fixed in place? Many hibachi were built with a removable copper liner so it could be lifted out for cleaning or replacement, a practical detail from its working life as a charcoal brazier. This one's liner still shows a fire-darkened interior, genuine evidence of use rather than staged patina.
What are the small blue accents in the design? Colored lacquer worked into the flower centers alongside the gold maki-e, a way of breaking up an all-gold palette that shows up on better-decorated Japanese lacquerware. It's a small detail, but it takes real control to keep clean against the surrounding gold.
• **Please bear in mind that colors of products shown may vary slightly from their original color due to monitor display settings or photography studio.
