Posted 6 years ago
East2West
(11 items)
An interesting story & an amazing find in Florida from the beautiful Temple of Hongan-ji, Kyoto, Japan. It seems that this tobacco smoking set was sold at auction by the temple to raise funds for restorations, according to the letter found in one of the two drawers. The 'tobako-bon' set is made from rosewood, and has two bronze vessels decorated with flowers, birds and fish. The letter was found in one of the two drawers. Great provenance. I am trying to find out what family mon (kamon) is on the side and back of the box? ANY help would be greatly appreciated. Resembles a stylised wisteria... The paper around the set has disintegrated - some chrysanthemums still remain.
Thank you!
(Nishi Hongan-ji was established in 1602 by the sh?gun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu split the main Hongan-ji in Kyoto into two temples, Nishi Hongan-ji and Higashi Hongan-ji, to diminish the power of the J?do Shinshu sect.[1] Nishi Hongan-ji is listed as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.)