AN IRON TSUBA WITH THE BELL OF CHIONIN, DATED 1836

拍品描述

AN IRON TSUBA WITH THE BELL OF CHIONIN, DATED 1836 Unsigned Japan, dated 1836 Of nademarugata form, with one kogai hitsu ana, worked in maru-bori (round carving), with gold and silver takazogan and hirazogan, featuring a group of people visiting the Chionin temple at Kyoto during spring blossom, overcome by the proportions of the great bell. One side with a dating to the bell Tenpo hinoe-saru [7th year of Tenpo (1836)] and a banner inscribed Tencho [Heaven eternal]. The reverse signed Chikyu [Earth everlasting]. HEIGHT 6.8 cm, LENGTH 6.4 cm WEIGHT 84 g The large bell, or ogane, is only rung during the memorial services for Honen, held in April, and on New Year’s Eve (Joya no Kane), where it is rung 108 times, struck by a team consisting of one leader with sixteen assistants. The bell is struck at midnight of December 31, as a part of the Ōmisoka celebrations. The cherry blossoms, a symbol of transience, are a reminder of how enduring the large ogane is. The phrase ‘Tenchou chikyu’ can be translated as ‘Eternal as heaven and earth’, a phrase that originates from the ancient Chinese text of Laozi and conveys the whish that something—whether a relationship, principle, or condition—will persist without change, enduring like the cosmos itself. It's often used in poetic or philosophical contexts to evoke timelessness and stability.

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