Takaoka bronze kōro with shishi lid and Matsuyama Castle relief, Shōwa period

Name: Japanese bronze koro shishi lid Takaoka Showa 1984 | KAIKO&CO
Brand: KAIKO&CO
Price: 225.0 EUR
Availability: InStock

€225.00

There is something about burning incense in a kōro that was made for exactly that. The smoke rises differently when the object has weight, history, a reason for existing.

This kōro sits on three legs, nearly a kilogram of dark bronze, a shishi guardian lion on the lid looking out over whoever lights the incense below. It asks to be placed somewhere intentional: a windowsill, a low table, a corner that needed something quiet and permanent.

The relief on the body shows Matsuyama Castle, pressed into the bronze by a craftsman named Masahide in Takaoka in 1984. Takaoka has been Japan's centre for bronze casting for over 400 years, and this piece carries that lineage in its weight and the sharpness of its casting.

It was made as a commemorative gift for a local cooperative, which means someone once chose it carefully for a specific occasion. Now it can find a place in yours.

There is something about burning incense in a kōro that was made for exactly that. The smoke rises differently when the object has weight, history, a reason for existing.

It was made as a commemorative gift for a local cooperative, which means someone once chose it carefully for a specific occasion. Now it can find a place in yours.

What makes this kōro special

The up close look and feel

At 937 grams, the weight is the first thing you register. The lid fits with a close, satisfying weight. The casting is clean throughout: the relief on the body is sharp, and the shishi on the lid has a dynamic seated posture.

The sand-casting method characteristic of Takaoka production gives this piece its tightly detailed relief surface.

Charming details

The castle on the body is Matsuyama Castle, one of only twelve original castle keeps remaining in Japan and stands on Mount Katsuyama in Matsuyama today.

In 1984, when this koro was commissioned as a jubilee gift for a local agricultural cooperative, that castle had already stood for 130 years. You can still visit it.

- This kōro is made by Masahide and he signed the base, inscribed by hand into the bronze before the casting was complete.
- Takaoka has been Japan's foremost centre for bronze casting for centuries and designated as Japan's first national traditional handicraft production area.
- Masahide worked within that lineage.
- Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.
- Made in 1984, Shōwa period (昭和).
- In Takaoka-dōki tradition: Japan's foremost centre for cast bronze, active for over 400 years.
- Height: approx. 17 cm
- Width ear to ear: approx. 14 cm
- Weight: approx. 937 g
- Very good vintage condition.
- No chips, cracks, or repairs.
- Shishi finial intact.
- Both ring handles secure.
- Bronze patina develops over time and is part of what makes a piece like this beautiful.
- Avoid abrasive cleaners or metal polishes: they will strip the dark surface and the finish cannot be easily restored.
- Dust with a soft dry cloth or a soft brush.