A PAIR OF JAPANESE INLAID IRON VASES BY KAJIMA IKKOKU II (1846-1925)

MEIJI PERIOD, 19TH OR 20TH CENTURY

Of ovoid form and raised on short scrolling bases, decorated in gold and silver nunome zogan with cranes in flight above crashing waves and one standing on a rock , the shoulders decorated with bands of lappets enclosing designs of fireflies amongst scrolling tendrils, the bases with branches of pine, each with a square seal mark underneath, one for Mitsutaka and the other for Ikkoku, both 9.6cm. (2)

Kajima Ikkoku II (1846-1925) was a famous metalworker from Kawagoe, near Tokyo. He learnt traditional techniques from his father, the renowned artist Kajima Mitsuyuki (d.1882), and developed an international reputation for his mastering of nunome zogan (damascene work). His award-winning designs were exhibited at many important fairs including the Japanese National Industrial Exposition (1890) and the Japan-British Exhibition in London (1910).