Bronze Daikokuten okimono signed Shuho Showa Japan, Seven Lucky Gods deity of wealth deep green patina, displayed on tatami mat, ukiyoe print background, with chasen

Japanese bronze Daikokuten figure three-quarter view showing treasure sack over shoulder and robe detail, green patina okimono signed 秀峰作 Shuho, late Showa period ca. 1960

Back view Japanese bronze Daikokuten okimono showing large treasure sack and back of flat cap, green patina, signed Shuho 秀峰作 Showa period Japan

Rear view bronze Daikokuten Seven Lucky Gods statue showing rounded back and flat cap detail, deep green bronze patina, Showa period Japan Rij 2

left side view Japanese bronze Daikokuten okimono showing seated posture on rice bales, treasure sack and robe folds, green aged patina, signed Shuho Showa period

Three-quarter right angle bronze Daikokuten Japan Seven Lucky Gods smiling face and mallet visible, green bronze patina okimono signed 秀峰作, late Showa ca. 1960

Front view Japanese bronze Daikokuten seated on two rice bales holding uchide no kozuchi mallet, broad smiling face, deep green patina, signed Shuho okimono Showa period

Reverse of Japanese bronze Daikokuten okimono showing signature 秀峰作 Shuho cast into the bronze, aged green patina, late Showa period Japan ca. 1960

Behind view of Japanese bronze Daikokuten flat cap, signed Shuho 秀峰作 Showa period

Close-up face of Japanese bronze Daikokuten deity of wealth with broad smile, flat cap and mallet raised, deep green bronze patina, signed Shuho Seven Lucky Gods Showa period

Close-up of two rice bales beneath Daikokuten bronze figure showing cast rope binding detail, symbol of abundance and wealth, green aged patina Showa period Japan

(sold) Bronze Daikokuten (lucky god of wealth) okimono signed Shuho, Shōwa period

Name: Japanese bronze Daikokuten okimono signed Shuho Showa | KAIKO&CO
Brand: KAIKO&CO
Price: 150.0 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

€150.00

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This Daikokuten doesn't dominate a room. It holds a corner of it. At 12 centimetres wide, it carries the presence that comes from weight and material rather than scale: the deep green of aged bronze, the unhurried posture of a god who has been doing this for a very long time.

The mallet raised. The sack slung. The smile broad and settled. You notice immediately that this is not a mass-produced lucky charm. Something was put into the making of it.

Daikokuten is one of Japan's Seven Lucky Gods, the Shichifukujin, and among the most beloved: the deity of wealth, abundance and the household, recognized everywhere by his flat black cap, his magic mallet and the two rice bales he sits upon.

This okimono is cast in bronze and signed on the reverse by the maker Shuho (秀峰), a name that appears on cast bronze work from the late Shōwa period and is associated with Japan's established foundry tradition. An okimono of this quality was made to be looked at for a long time.

The mallet raised. The sack slung. The smile broad and settled. You notice immediately that this is not a mass-produced lucky charm. Something was put into the making of it.

What makes this daikokuten okimono special

The up close look and feel

The green patina sits in layers. Under direct light it shifts from warm olive at the raised surfaces to a deeper, almost blue-green in the recesses where the bronze has aged most completely.

The figure is cast solidly, heavier in the hand than its size suggests. The surface has the slight roughness of old cast bronze, but the detail is still clean: the fold of the robe, the rope binding the mallet, the texture of the treasure sack. This is the kind of object you pick up more than once.

Charming details

The signature 秀峰作 on the reverse is cast directly into the bronze rather than engraved after the fact, meaning the maker's name was part of the original mold and not an afterthought.

Look closely at the two rice bales beneath Daikokuten's feet and you will notice they are not identical. The binding lines cross slightly differently on each one, a small irregularity that separates the hand of a craftsman from a factory run. The rice bale was once Japan's unit of currency. Daikokuten sits on two of them.

- Signed: Shuho (秀峰作), cast into the reverse of the figure. The kanji read as "made by Shuho."
- The name Shuho appears on signed Shōwa-period cast bronze work consistent with the tradition of Japan's professional foundry workshops.
- Japan's most significant bronze casting center, Takaoka in Toyama Prefecture, has produced the majority of the country's cast bronze since the Edo period and is the origin of most signed Shōwa okimono of this quality.
- Late Shōwa period, ca. 1960.
- Weight: approx. 633 gr.
- Height: approx. 11 cm.
- Width: approx. 12 cm.
- Excellent vintage condition.
- Deep green patina throughout, consistent with age and natural oxidation.
- No chips, cracks or repairs visible.
- Bronze with an aged patina needs little care and does not want interference.
- Dust with a soft dry cloth only.
- Avoid metal polish, water and abrasive materials: all will damage or strip the patina.
- The deep green you see is a layer that took decades to develop, and once it is gone it cannot be restored.
- Keep out of sustained direct sunlight, which over time can accelerate uneven oxidation.