Takaoka Metalwork Good luck flower and bird Incense Burner

Takaoka Metalwork Good Luck Flower and Bird Incense Burner

This incense burner is decorated with a kacho (flower-and-bird) design, a motif long used in Japanese art to represent the changing seasons and to invite good fortune ("kaiun") into the home. Birds and blossoms rendered in relief wrap around the body, giving the piece a lively, auspicious character.

Cast in copper and finished in the workshop's "toku-iro" patina, the piece takes on a rich, deep tone that brings out the texture of the flower-and-bird relief.

Takaoka, in Toyama Prefecture, has been Japan's foremost centre for cast metalwork for more than 400 years. The detailed kacho relief on this piece reflects the sand-mould casting and hand-finishing techniques passed down through generations of local artisans.

How to Use

Fill the bowl with ash, then set incense sticks, cones, or lit charcoal into the ash to burn as usual.

Product Details

• Material: Copper, "toku-iro" patina finish
• Size: 18 cm length x 14 cm width x 17.5 cm height (7.09 in x 5.51 in x 6.89 in)
• Includes: Paulownia wood box